About Karate

What is Karate? 

“True karate is this: that in daily life one’s mind and body be trained and developed in a spirit of humility, and that in critical times, one be devoted utterly to the cause of justice.”  –Gichin Funakoshi

Karate can also be described as a martial art, or fighting method, involving a variety of techniques, including blocks, strikes, evasions, throws, and joint manipulations. Karate practice is divided into three aspects: kihon (basics), kata (forms), and kumite (sparring).
The word karate is ... read more

Tsutomu Ohshima
Tsutomu Ohshima is the founder and Shihan (Chief Instructor) of Shotokan Karate of America (SKA), and is also recognized as chief instructor of many other international Shotokan organizations. Mr. Ohshima’s branch of the Shotokan world has become known as Shotokan Ohshima Karate.
Mr. Ohshima was born on August 6, 1930, and by the age of five had already entered the disciplined and rigorous world of Japanese martial arts. Practicing daily, he ... read more...


History of Karate
Karate history can be traced back some 1400 years, to Daruma, founder of Zen Buddhism in Western India. Daruma is said to have introduced Buddhism into China, incorporating spiritual and physical teaching methods that were so demanding that many of his disciples would drop in exhaustion. In order to give them greater strength and endurance, he developed a more progressive training system, which he recorded in a book, Ekkin-Kyo, which can be considered the first book on karate of all time... read more ...