Kentucky Shotokan Karate Association

The Kentucky Shotokan Karate Association is nationally affiliated with the International Shotokan Karate Federation (ISKF), whose headquarters are in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The ISKF's chief instructor, Mr. Teruyuki Okazaki , directs many regions throughout the Americas. The Kentucky Shotokan Karate Association is a member of the Mid-America Karate Region, which is composed of karate clubs throughout the Mid-America Region of the United States. The ISKF maintains more than a dozen regions in the United States, and the Mid-America region includes Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin. We are also affiliates of the Japan Karate Association (JKA), an international organization with over 6 million members worldwide. The JKA has its headquarters in Tokyo, Japan.

Karate training is designed to enhance the total development of the student, disciplining the mind and training the body. Karate emphasizes many aspects of mental condition -- concentration, discipline, confidence, and respect for others. Karate also improves many aspects of physical condition -- coordination, strength, flexibility, endurance, and fitness. Students of karate learn to coordinate body and mind. The practice of karate is an endeavor of developing one's own character. As Master Funakoshi stated,

"The ultimate goal of karate does not lie in the victory but in the perfection of the character of the participants."

History of Karate

 It is believed that karate has evolved from a system of physical exercises taught to monks at the Shaolin Temple in Sung Shan, China in the sixth century. The instructor, Bodhidharma (Daruma Taishi in Japanese) was himself a Buddhist monk from India. Around the year 1600, these exercise methods made their way to the island of Okinawa, near Japan. It was in Okinawa that karate originated. Master Gichin Funakoshi (1868-1957), the father of modern karate and founder of Shotokan karate, traveled from Okinawa to Japan in 1922 to teach karate at several universities throughout Japan. The Japan Karate Association was formed in 1948, with Master Funakoshi as the chief instructor.

Karate as a sport stresses mental discipline as well as physical strength, and is practiced throughout the world. Competitive events in both Kata (Forms) and Kumite (Sparring) are held annually on the regional, national, and international levels.