Martial Art: Karate                                                   
Translation: "Empty Hand"
Country of Origin: Japan / Okinawa
Created: 15th Century

In 1470 the Japanese invaded the island of Okinawa (about half way between China and Japan) which at that time belonged to China who had invaded previously. In order to keep the peace a law was passed saying that anyone found carrying a weapon was to be put to death. In order to protect themselves from the marauding bandits and their new masters, both of whom tended not to bother with any laws,

the locals with the help of some friendly Zen Buddhist monks created a fighting system that turned the hands and feet of the practitioner into very effective weapons. This empty hand system was called te (hand) and then went on to become t'ang (China hand) because of the influence of Chinese martial arts that crept in. For a few centuries t'ang spread throughout Okinawa and also picked up the name Okinawa-te (Okinawa hand).

In 1917 a Mr. Gichin Funakoshi, the grandfather of modern karate, took t'ang to mainland Japan where it has gone on to become one of the most popular martial arts in the world. Of course he decided to change the name to Karate first. For the purists out there he actually took Karate-Jutsu to Japan and then renamed it Karate-Do. After a while the Do part was dropped although all three names still exist today the Do and Jutsu variants are far less common and all three are more or lessthe same anyway.

History Of Shotokan Karate

Karate is made up of the two Chinese characters Kara and Te (empty - hand). Historians believe that early forms of Karate which differ greatly to what we practise today were first practised in China. An Indian Buddhist monk named Bodhidharama is believed to have travelled from Asia to China in the 6th Century where he established the Zen school of Buddhism.

Forms of Karate were practised in secret on the Ryukyu islands (Okinawa). An island mostly full of farmers. When the Japanese's invaded Okinawa and outlawed the use of weapons in 1942 the people of Okinawa resorted to an ancient form of Karate they called Okinawa-te to protect themselves and their property from the invaders.

Along with the use of Karate the Okinawans used the Kobu-do (Karate weapons) such as the Nunchaku (flail), Bo (staff), Kai (paddle) and Hanbo or Jo (short staff about 4'). Most of the Kobu-do were farming implements that could be used as weapons i.e. the Nunchaku was used as a flail or horse bridle. The Bo was used to carry buckets of water on each end over the shoulder. The weapons could be practised in secret and did not arouse suspicion. These weapons are still practised in conjunction with Karate today.

(1868-1957)

Founder of Shotokan Karate

Master Gichin Funakoshi
(1868-1957) The style of Karate Shotokan is a style of Karate that was developed by the great master and visionary Gichin Funakoshi (1868-1957), known today as the farther of modern day Karate.

Apart from Karate, Master Funakoshi was involved in calligraphy and poetry. He would sign his work using his pen name "Shoto" which means "waving pines" which grew near his home and inspired his writings. The word Kan meaning house or school. This was eventually shortened to Shotokan.


During his life Master Funakoshi was invited to Japan to give talks on his system of Karate. He gave many talks about Karate including talks about the athletic benefits of the system. Master Funakoshi and a group of students toured Japan giving demonstrations and promoting Karate. In 1955 the "Japan, Karate, Association" was formed with Funakoshi as its chief instructor.

Master Funakoshi died in 1957 at the grand age of 88 years. The legacy of Shotokan Karate is still practised today and more and more people are practising the martial arts and with plans to put Karate in the Olympic games we can only hope that Karate continues to go from strength to strength. shotokan karate
Gichin Funakoshi executing
chudan shuto-uke


Geneology Of Shotokan

Shotokan DojoKun

What does that mean?
Read the words from the top down and from right to left. The right-most character says "Kun." Every line begins with a counter that means "one." Every line ends with the word koto, which literally means "thing." This is generally interpreted to mean "Here's a rule, here's another rule..."

Hitotsu. Jinkaku kansei ni tsutomuru koto
Hitotsu. Makoto no michi wo mamoru koto
Hitotsu. Doryoku no Seishin wo yashinau koto
Hitotsu. Reigi wo omonzuru koto
Hitotsu. Kekki no yu wo imashimuru koto

Pictures are from the book Karate-Do Kyohan: Gichin Funakoshi

Gichin Funakoshi

The "kara" of Karate-do was also interpreted by [[Gichin Funakoshi]] to mean "to purge [oneself] of selfish and evil thoughts, for only with a clear mind and conscience can [the practitioner] understand that [knowledge] which he receives."  Funakoshi also believed that one should be "inwardly humble and outwardly gentle."  Only through humility could one be open to Karate's many lessons, by listening and being receptive to criticism.  He considered courtesy of prime importance.  He believed that "Karate is properly applied only in those rare situations in which one really must either down another or be downed by him."  To Funakoshi, it was not unusual for a practitioner to use Karate for real perhaps once in a lifetime, as Karate practitioners should "never be easily drawn into a fight."  To him, one strike by an expert could mean either life or death.  He who misuses the techniques brings dishonor upon himself.  He also believed in conviction, that in "time of grave public crisis, one must have the courage...to face a million and one opponents."  He believed that indecisiveness was a shameful trait.Funakoshi, Gichin. "Karate-Do Kyohan - The Master Text" Tokyo. Kodansha International; 1973.

Fame Academy

One of the first students that John Richards had was to become a Kickboxing World Champion. Howard Brown trained with John Richards in the 1970’s at a dojo in Hockley, along with Howard other fighters who became British champion were Godfrey Butler and Edge Brown.

During the 1980’s two of John’s students did very well representing Great Britain in Karate World and European Championships they were Shirley Graham (Light weight) and Yvette Bryan (heavy weight).

John’s latest prodigy is Kelly Rose, she has been training at the Digbeth dojo with John for 3 years. She is the current WKA (60kg) British champion.

As well as these students who made it big at the highest level many more students have won trophies in competitions at regional level over the last 30 years. They include: Linval Graham, Rupert Richards and Pansy Wright and many more.