Transylvania
University Karate Club
Transylvania
University Karate Club
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ISKF Dojos in Kentucky 4.
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Organization and Affiliation
The Transylvania University Karate Club is dedicated to the study and teaching of the traditional Japanese Shotokan Karate-do. The TU Karate Club was founded by Dr. G. Rod Erfani in 1986 and is a member of the Kentucky Shotokan Karate Association (KSKA). The KSKA is nationally affiliated with the International Shotokan Karate Federation (ISKF), whose headquarters are in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The ISKF's current chief instructor, Master Teruyuki Okazaki directs many regions throughout the Americas. The Kentucky Shotokan Karate Association is a member of the Mid-America Karate Region Association, 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. All belt rankings are nationally as well as internationally certified and recognized.
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 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.
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