Mental development
Chiiku
Karate helps build concentration, focus, clear thinking, and decisiveness.
Extra Pages
Resources & Details
Extra Pages
JKA Masters Series
Meet the pioneering masters who founded, standardized, and expanded Japan Karate Association (JKA) Shotokan Karate globally. Select a master below to view their complete biography.
Supreme Master Funakoshi Gichin (1868 – 1957)
Key Biographical Details
Born: Nov 10, 1868
Passed: Apr 26, 1957
Origin: Shuri, Okinawa
Rank: Father of Modern Karate
Key Work/Info: Shoto (Pine Waves)
JKA Role: Supreme Master
Gichin Funakoshi is widely revered as the "Father of Modern Karate" and the founder of the Shotokan style. He devoted his life to transforming a secretive Okinawan martial art into a global path of physical education, self-defense, and character development.
"The ultimate aim of karate lies not in victory or defeat, but in the perfection of the character of its participants."
Supreme Master Gichin Funakoshi
Early Life & Okinawan Roots
Born into a samurai family in Shuri, Okinawa, Gichin Funakoshi was a weak and sickly child. To improve his health, his family enrolled him in martial arts training under the legendary Okinawan masters Ankō Asato and Ankō Itosu.
Under their strict tutelage, Funakoshi practiced Okinawan Te (the precursor to modern karate) in secret, as the practice of martial arts was banned by the Japanese government at the time. Through years of dedicated practice, he not only built a robust physical body but also developed a profound appreciation for the mental and philosophical aspects of the art.
Bringing Karate to Mainland Japan
In 1922, at the age of 54, Funakoshi was selected to travel to Tokyo to demonstrate Okinawan karate-jutsu at the First Ministry of Education Physical Education Exhibition. His demonstrations captivated the audiences, including Jigoro Kano (the founder of Judo), who invited him to present at his Kodokan Dojo.
Encouraged by mainland martial artists and universities, Funakoshi chose to remain in Japan to spread the art. He established karate clubs at prestigious universities, including Keio, Waseda, and Takushoku. In 1939, his students built the first official dedicated dojo for him in Tokyo, naming it Shotokan—derived from Funakoshi's pen name, Shoto (meaning 'pine waves'), which he used when writing poetry and calligraphy.
Founding the JKA & Philosophical Legacy
Following the destruction of the original Shotokan dojo during World War II, Funakoshi's senior students regrouped to establish the Japan Karate Association (JKA) in 1949. Funakoshi was appointed its first Supreme Master, providing symbolic and philosophical leadership.
Funakoshi firmly believed that karate should be practiced as a path to peace. He formulated the twenty precepts of karate (the Niju Kun), starting with the cardinal rule: 'Karate Ni Sente Nashi'—meaning 'There is no first strike in karate.' His philosophy taught that a karate practitioner must be calm, courteous, and avoid conflict whenever possible, using physical techniques only in absolute self-defense.
Karate for Children & Youth
At the JKA, thousands of children and youth members—from elementary school to high school—learn the values of karate and apply them in their daily life.
JKA Youth Programs & Tournaments
JKA has long supported school-age karate through structured tournaments, youth divisions, and camps designed specifically for children and teenagers:
- Separate youth tournaments in Japan for ages 6–18, established in 1983 at the 26th JKA All Japan Karate Championship.
- A dedicated annual tournament for elementary and junior high school students.
- A youth division at the Shoto World Cup Karate Championship tournaments.
- National-scale karate camps for school-age youth at the JKA headquarters in Tokyo.
JKA
Three Forms of Personal Development
Karate is not only fun. It supports the same three pillars of personal development found in traditional education: mental, moral, and physical growth. It gives young people balance and perspective at an age when they are needed most.
The Three Core Pillars of Development
Moral development
Tokuiku
It cultivates patience, discipline, perseverance, understanding, confidence, self-control, courtesy, and calmness.
Physical development
Taiiku
Karate strengthens the heart, bones, and muscles while supporting resilience and resistance to sickness and injury.
Safety Standards & Age Limits
Other karate organizations often allow children as young as six or seven to start kumite (sparring). At the JKA, sparring is strictly prohibited until a child is at least ten years old and in the fifth grade, helping reduce the possibility of injury while preserving the pure spirit of training.
JKA Chronology
Key historical milestones and licensing achievements of the Japan Karate Association World Federation Bangladesh.
2015
First Official JKA WF Country Licence for Bangladesh
A historic milestone was achieved when Bangladesh received its first official JKA WF Country Licence—the first recognition of its kind in the nation's history. The licence was formally presented at the JKA WF Headquarters in Tokyo, where Sensei Tulu Ush Shams, Country Representative, led the Bangladesh delegation. He was accompanied by Sensei Imtiaz Salim during the official licensing ceremony.