SHOTOKAN HISTORY | Lineage
GICHIN FUNAKOSHI
(1868-1957)
Is the founder of Shotokan karate-Do, perhaps the most widely known style of karate and is attributed as being the "father of modern karate". In 1922, Funakoshi introduced Shotokan Karate to Japan and the world, standardizing many of the forms that we practice today for teaching in elementary school, high school, and college levels.
Karate was introduced to Japan in 1922 by an Okinawan school teacher by the name of Gichin Funakoshi. He was born in Okinawa in 1868 and learned karate from two highly respected Okinawan masters of the art, Yasutsune (Anko) Itosu and Yasutsune (Anko) Azato.
Funakoshi modified the art, taking inspiration from traditional Japanese budo styles (kendo, judo, etc) and emphasized the philosophical aspects. It was this new karate-do that he took to Japan and was the first expert to introduce the art to the mainland.
In 1916 he gave a demonstration to the Butokuden in Kyoto, Japan, which at that time was the official center of all martial arts. On March 6, 1921, the Crown Prince, who was later to become the Emperor of Japan, visited Okinawa and Master Funakoshi was once again asked to demonstrate karate.
In the early spring of 1922 Master Funakoshi traveled to Tokyo to present his art at the First National Athletic Exhibition in Tokyo organized by the Ministry of Education. For Master Funakoshi, the word karate eventually took on a deeper and broader meaning through the synthesis of these many methods becoming karate-do, literally the “way of karate,” or of the ‘empty hand.'
Training in Funakoshi’s karate-do progressively became education and preparation for life itself. Master Funakoshi taught only one method, a total discipline, which represented a blending of Okinawan karate styles and Japanese budo. This method became known as Shotokan-Ryu.
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MASATOSHI NAKAYAMA (1913-1987)
One of the Founders of the Japanese Karate Association, holding the position of Chief instructor for many years. Formed the JKA Instructor Trainee Program which has created some of the finest Karate Instructors in the world. He was an internationally famous Japanese master of Shotokan karate, wrote many textbooks on karate, which served to popularize this martial art. For 40 years he worked to spread Shotokan Karate around the world. He was the first master in Shotokan history to attain the rank of 9th dan while still alive and was posthumously awarded the rank of 10th dan.
HIDETAKA NISHIYAMA (1928-2008)
Student of Funakoshi and Nakayama, and a prominent Japanese master of Shotokan karate. He was an internationally recognized instructor, author and administrator. Was one of the original students of the JKA, Nishiyama helped establish the Japanese karate Association. He was also one of several JKA Instructors to found Karate Associations in the United States and around the world. (ITKF) He was one of the last surviving students of Gichin Funakoshi until his death in 2008. He was a pioneer of karate in the US and was posthumously awarded the rank of 10th Dan in Shotokan.
VINCENT A. CRUZ
(1937-2015)
Founder of the International San Ten Karate Association (ISKA). Student of Hidetaka Nishiyama, Kaigate, Isao Obata, Kyuzo Mifune, H. Kotani, T. Tomiki, M. Hosakawa, and many others.
Notable students: Rick Johns (Panama), Ricardo Llewelyn (Panama and USA), and many others.
RICARDO LLEWELYN
Sensei Ricardo Llewelyn has been practicing Shotokan Karate since 1970. He holds a Kyu-Dan (9th Degree Black Belt) in Shotokan Karate and has been granted titles of Shihan, Kyoshi and Hanshi with the International San Ten Karate Association (ISKA). Sensei Llewelyn is also ranked with the Dai-Ichi Shotokan Karate Association (DSKA), headed by Sensei Ricardo Johns and the International Traditional Karate Federation (ITKF), headed by the late great Master Hidetaka Nishiyama. He was inducted into the Martial Arts Hall of fame in 2019 and is the current President of ISKA, founded by the late Sensei Vincent Cruz in 1979.