A Global Community of Karate

Karate comes to us from Japan, more specifically, Okinawa. It came to Okinawa from China where it is rooted in the earliest forms of martial art. Today Karate is practiced in every country on earth by millions of Karate-ka (students), from children to senior citizens. It is practised for fitness, health and personal interest. It is still practised for self-defense, but for its original practitioners, Karate was not a leisurely pursuit: it was a means of survival.

Okinawan Karate grew out of necessity. Under the last Okinawan king it was illegal for peasants to own weapons of any kind. Under this rule excess was common--people were often used to 'test' the weaponnry of the priviledged classes.

During their occupation of Okinawa the Japanese ruling class -- the Samurai -- maintained the ban on weapons, and the brutal policies towards the common people. Karate provided the means for the unarmed peasants to defend themselves against the deadly weapons and skill of the Samurai. Its practise was, of course, banned; anyone caught training or teaching it could be executed without a trial. But the will to survive proved stronger than the fear of death, and Karate flourished in Okinawa.

Japan wasn't completely ready for Karate when Gichin Funakoshi opened his first dojo. Sumo was the national sport, but Judo was the national passion. Many Japanese did not initially welcome the strange new martial art, and its first students were the subject of ridicule and scorn. Still it grew, through the persistent practise of its early students, and through public demonstrations--some widely reported by news media. Karate eventually earned the respect of the Japanese, and has been growing in popularity ever since.

Today the International Shotokan Karate Federation (ISKF) preserves the links to the past while continuing to evolve the form of Shotokan. In dojos all over the world the style is practised in essentially the same way, and ISKF students travelling or at home can enjoy a global community of traditional Karate.

Coming Soon: Profiles for Sensei Kurt Taylor, Yondan (Edmonton), Sensei David Jones (Calgary), Sensei Frank Woon-A-Tai, and our Chairman, Sensei Teruyuki Okazaki.

Sensei Sean Carter, Godan
Sean is the founder of Edmonton ISKF, and a lifetime Karate student. He is also a fulltime self-defense trainer for law enforcement agencies across Alberta. more >>>

Sensei Yutaka Yaguchi, Hachidan

Chief Instructor for the ISKF in Western U.S. & Canada, and ambassador to the heart and soul of traditional Shotokan. more >>>