Mr Antonio Espinos, WKF President, accompanied by WKF Executives, visited the Memorial of Gichin Funakoshi in Okinawa on the occasion of the first WKF Premier League in Okinawa last week.

Mr Antonio Espinos, WKF President, accompanied by WKF Executives, visited the Memorial of Gichin Funakoshi in Okinawa on the occasion of the first WKF Premier League in Okinawa last week.

The memorial was built close to the Budokan, in the park where Funakoshi used to meditate and train frequently. Funakoshi was a teacher in Okinawa, but also a cultivated person and calligrapher. He learned karate at the instigation of the two masters Anko Asato and Anko Itosu and it was him who developed the Shotokan style, which was named after his pen name “Shoto” (Japanese name for pines) and “Kan” (home).  The legend says that his calligraphy master gave him this pen name since he liked to come meditate or work out in the park next to the Budokan where there were lots of pine trees.

Funakoshi is called the founder of modern karate not because he invented a different technique but because he had given its nobility letters to the “do” of karate, a way to practice karate. He also transformed the Chinese character “To” into the Chinese character “Kara” (empty), later the “Do” (way), was added.

He was one of the first to initiate a philosophical way through the field and exported karate from Okinawa to Japan. He was aided and supported in its efforts by the founder of judo Jigoro Kano, who himself was a renowned calligrapher.

The memorial reads as follows:
"The founder of Shotokan Karatedo, Gichin Funakoshi, was born in Shuri, Naha City, Okinawa Prefecture on October 10, 1868. His pen name was Shoto. He learned karate from Masters Anko Asato and Anko Itosu and for over 30 years, he interacted widely with persons involved in karate while working as a school teacher. Master Funakoshi opened the Okinawa Shubokai, visited the Okinawa Karate Research Society, supervised a karate demonstration in Shuri Castle in front of the Showa Emperor (Hirohito), and diligently worked on the popularisation and standardisation of karate. In 1922, Master Funakoshi introduced karate for the first time in Mainland Japan at the Physical Education Exhibition. From then on and upon request, he became an instructor and started teaching in Mainland Japan while writing books. He is credited for changing the Chinese character for the "kara" in karate from the "To" (Chinese) character to the present "Kara" (empty) character, later adding "Do" (way). Kara (empty) comes from the Zen sentence "form is emptiness and emptiness is form" while Do stands for study. Master Funakoshi taught tirelessly until his death in April 26th, 1957, at the age of 88. Later, people named him the "Father of Modern KarateDo". This is not only because he spread karatedo to the world, but also because of Master Funakoshi's disposition towards the way. On the 50th anniversary of the Master's passing away, concerned persons gather from all over the world and remember the Master's virtues and merits, and thus we erect here the "Funakoshi Gichin monument".
April 20th, 2007
Okinawa Funakoshi Gichin Appreciation Society."