History
of
Shotokan Karate


Many historians believe that the Traditional Karate practiced today stems from martial arts developed in China several thousand years ago. The exact root cannot be traced since there are no reliable written records. There is a well-known legend that a Buddhist monk introduced a form of martial arts for health and self defense to the monks of the Shaolin Temple. From there the Chinese martial arts developed into numerous "external" and "internal" styles.
Due to an active commerce and trade between the Ryukyu kingdom (Okinawa) and China, the arts eventually spread to Okinawa where it underwent further development and change. This is believed to have started during the peak of the Ryukyu kingdom, around the 1500's.
A form of Okinawan fighting art, known as Okinawa-Te, was formally introduced to mainland Japan by Master Gichin Funakoshi in 1917. The art of Karate soon became popular in Japan. "At the same time, the ancient native Japanese hand-to-hand fighting techniques jujitsu and kendo(sword fighting) were being widely practiced, and modern sports imported from the West were rapidly becoming popular. Karate soon took over many elements of both of these, and the basis was laid for the modern Japanese-style karate," claims Master Hidetaka Nishiyama in his book "KARATE: THE ART OF EMPTY HAND FIGHTING".
In 1948 the Japan Karate Association(JKA) was formed. The JKA organized an instructor training program that began sending Karate teachers throughout the world. Since then Karate has grown tremendously and it is estimated that over 1.5 million people practice Traditional Karate today worldwide.
About the South Atlantic Region
South Atlantic Region(SAR) is comprised of five southeastern states - North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. As an ongoing endeavor to improve the quality of Traditional Karate instruction and properly educate the public to the values of Traditional Karate, SAR promotes various activities and events throught the year:
Lexington Dojo
Lexington Class Schedule
Aiken Dojo
ITKF
AAKF