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The Shotokan Tiger Sensei Keinosuke Enoeda
Master Gichin Funakoshi,
Simon Oliver
The Italian Champions
Rod Butler
Accademia Italiana SKC
Hollies SKC
Haverhill SKC
Chelmsford SKC
Bristol SKC
StockSKC
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Oss Sensei
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 November 10, 1868 – April 26, 1957) was one of the Okinawan karate masters who introduced karate to the Japanese mainland in 1921. He founded the Shōtōkan-ryū style of karate.He was born in Shuri, Okinawa and original had the family name Tominakoshi[1]. Funakoshi had trained in both of the popular styles of Okinawan karate of the time: Shōrei-ryū and Shōrin-ryū. His own style was influenced by kendo distancing and timing. Shotokan is named after Funakoshi’s pen name, Shoto, which means “pine waves” or “wind in the pines”. Shōtōkan means “Shoto’s house” or “Shoto’s school”. In 1936, Funakoshi built the first Shōtōkan dojo in Tokyo. He changed the name of karate to mean “empty hand” instead of “China hand” (as referred to in Okinawa); the two names sound the same in Japanese, but are written differently. Doing this upset some of his countrymen, and afterwards, Funakoshi never returned to Okinawa. This eventually led to the creation of the Japan Karate Association (JKA) in 1955 with Funakoshi as the chief instructor. Funakoshi was not supportive of all of the changes that the organization eventually made to his karate style. He remained in Tokyo until his death in 1957. After World War II, Funakoshi’s surviving students formalized his teachings.
| Memorial of Gichin Funakoshi in Kamakura |
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 A memorial to Gichin Funakoshi was erected by the Shotokai at Engaku-ji, a temple in Kamakura, on December 1, 1968. Designed by Kenji Ogata the monument features calligraphy by Funakoshi and Sōgen Asahina (1891-1979), chief priest of the temple which reads Karate ni sente nashi (There is no first attack in karate), the second of Funakoshi’s Twenty Precepts. To the right of Funakoshi’s precept is a copy of the poem he wrote on his way to Japan in 1922. A second stone features an inscription by Nobuhide Ohama and reads:[6]Funakoshi Gichin Sensei, of karate-do, was born on June 10th, 1870, in Shuri Okinawa. From about eleven years old he began to study to-te jutsu under Azato Anko and Itosu Anko. He practiced diligently and in 1912 became the president of the Okinawan Shobukai. In May of 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 “Karate ni sente nashi” (There is no first attack in Karate) and “Karate wa kunshi no bugei” (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”)
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Sensei Enoeda 9dan Chief Instructor of the KUGB - Karate Union of Great Britain in 1965-2003.
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KUGB Website
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