Gichin Funakoshi
Gichin Funakoshi | |
---|---|
dan (posthumous) | |
Notable students | Gigō Funakoshi (his son), Hironori Ōtsuka, Isao Obata, Masatoshi Nakayama, Makoto Gima, Shigeru Egami, Tomosaburo Okano,
Choi Hong Hi, Keinosuke Enoeda |
Gichin Funakoshi (船越 義珍, Funakoshi Gichin, November 10, 1868 – April 26, 1957)
Early life
Gichin Funakoshi was born on November 10, 1868,
After entering primary school he became close friends with the son of Ankō Asato, a karate and Jigen-ryū master who would soon become his first karate teacher.[3] Funakoshi's family was stiffly opposed to the Meiji government's abolition of the Japanese topknot, and this meant that he would be ineligible to pursue his goal of attending medical school (where topknots were banned), despite having passed the entrance examination.[3] Being trained in both classical Chinese and Japanese philosophies and teachings, Funakoshi became an assistant teacher in Okinawa. During this time, his relations with the Asato family grew and he began nightly travels to the Asato family residence to receive karate instruction from Ankō Asato.[3]
Shotokan Karate
This section needs additional citations for verification. (November 2017) |
Funakoshi had trained in both of the popular styles of Okinawan
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1f/Heian_Nidan_Funakoshi.gif/220px-Heian_Nidan_Funakoshi.gif)
By the late 1910s, Funakoshi had many students, of which a few were deemed capable of passing on their master's teachings. Continuing his effort to garner widespread interest in Okinawan karate, Funakoshi ventured to mainland Japan in 1917, and again in 1922.
In 1930, Funakoshi established an association named Dai-Nihon Karate-do Kenkyukai to promote communication and information exchange among people who study karate-dō. In 1936, Dai-Nippon Karate-do Kenkyukai changed its name to Dai-Nippon Karate-do Shoto-kai.
In 1936, Funakoshi built the first Shōtōkan
Funakoshi's re-interpretation of the character kara in karate to mean "empty" (空) rather than "Chinese" (唐) caused some tension with traditionalists back in Okinawa, prompting Funakoshi to remain in Tokyo indefinitely.[citation needed] In 1949 Funakoshi's students created the Japan Karate Association (JKA), with Funakoshi as the honorary head of the organization. However, in practise this organization was led by Masatoshi Nakayama. The JKA began formalizing Funakoshi's teachings.
Illness and death
Funakoshi developed osteoarthritis in 1948, and died on April 26, 1957.
Legacy
Funakoshi published several books on karate including his autobiography, Karate-Do: My Way of Life. His legacy, however, rests in a document containing his philosophies of karate training now referred to as the
Memorial
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/b/b8/Funakoshi_memorial.jpg/220px-Funakoshi_memorial.jpg)
A memorial to Gichin Funakoshi was erected by the Shotokai at
A second stone features an inscription by Nobuhide Ohama and reads:[13]
Funakoshi Gichin Sensei, of karate-do, was born on November 10, 1868 in Shuri Okinawa. From about eleven years old he began to study to-te jutsu under
Itosu Anko. He practiced diligently and in 1912 became the president of the Okinawan Shobukai. In May 1922, he relocated to Tokyo and became a professional teacher of karate-do. He devoted his entire life to the development of karate-do. He lived out his eighty-eight years of life and left this world on April 26, 1957. Reinterpreting to-te jutsu, the Sensei promulgated karate-do while not losing its original philosophy. Like bugei (classical martial arts), so too is the pinnacle of karate “mu” (enlightenment): to purify and make one empty through the transformation from “jutsu” to “do”. Through his famous words "空手に先手なし" (karate ni sente nashi) meaning There is no first attack in Karate and 空手は君子の武芸 (karate wa kunshi no bugei) meaning Karate is the martial art of intelligent people, Sensei helped us to better understand the term “jutsu.” In an effort to commemorate his virtue and great contributions to modern karate-do as a pioneer, we, his loyal students, organised the Shotokai and erected this monument at the Enkakuji. “Kenzen ichi” (“The fist and Zen are one”).
Publications
- Funakoshi, Gichin (1922). Tō-te Ryūkyū Kenpō (唐手 : 琉球拳法).
- Funakoshi, Gichin (1925). Karate Jutsu (唐手術) (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 2014-11-29.
- Funakoshi, Gichin (1935). Karate-Do Kyohan (空手道教範 ) (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-11-29. Retrieved 2014-03-04.
- Funakoshi, Gichin (1973). Karate-Do Kyohan: The Master Text. Translated by ISBN 978-0-87011-190-7.
- Funakoshi, Gichin (1975). The Twenty Guiding Principles of Karate: The Spiritual Legacy of the Master. Translated by John Teramoto. Tokyo: Kodansha International. ISBN 978-4-7700-2796-2.
- Funakoshi, Gichin (1981) [1975]. Karate-Do: My Way of Life. Tokyo: Kodansha International. ISBN 978-0-87011-463-2.
- Funakoshi, Gichin (1994) [1988]. Karate-Do Nyumon: The Master Introductory Text. Translated by John Teramoto. Tokyo: Kodansha International. ISBN 978-4-7700-1891-5.
- Funakoshi, Gichin (2001). Karate Jutsu: The Original Teachings of Master Funakoshi. Translated by ISBN 978-4-7700-2681-1.
- Funakoshi, Gichin (2010). The Essence of Karate. Translated by Richard Berger. Tokyo: Kodansha International. ISBN 978-4-7700-3118-1.
- Funakoshi, Gichin: Introduction to Karate, Translated by Henning Wittwer, 2023. ISBN 979-8375355658.
See also
References
- ^ Beltram, Jon K. "Instructors – Kansas City Shotokan Karate Club". kc.ska.org. Retrieved 2022-09-05.
- ISBN 4-7700-2681-1.
- ^ ISBN 0-87011-463-8.
- ^ "GichinFunakoshi.com". Archived from the original on 2012-10-05.
- ^ "Black Belt". Internet Archive. p. 46. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
mas oyama.
{{cite magazine}}
: Cite magazine requires|magazine=
(help) - ISBN 9781317557333. Retrieved 5 July 2017 – via Google Books.
- ^ Gichin Funakoshi. Karate-dō, My Way of Life.
- ^ "Supreme Master Funakoshi Gichin". JKA. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
- ISBN 4-7700-1852-5
- ^ "The Official Homepage of Nihon Karate-do Shotokai". Archived from the original on 2010-02-27. Retrieved 2010-08-17.
- ISBN 4-7700-2796-6.
- ^ "Kosugi Hoan Shotokan Tiger". Archived from the original on 2010-11-13. Retrieved 2008-10-26.
- ^ Cook, Harry (2001). Shotokan Karate: A Precise History. England: Cook.