You all know that you practice Shotokan Karate-Do, but how many of you have ever heard of its close cousin, Shotokai Karate-Do?
A Bit of History
Master Gichin Funakoshi introduced what would become the Shotokan Karate-Do system into Japan in 1922. As with most things in the world, the passage of a century inevitably brought changes, and Karate-Do was no exception. In 1934, one of his main disciples, Hironori Otsuka (who was also an expert in jujitsu) left to establish his own style, known today as Wado-Ryu. In the 1940s, Mas Oyama would study Shotokan as well as Goju-Ryu and go on to create his own system in the 1950s, known today as Kyokushin. Both styles are popular and practiced around the world.
For a long time, the Japanese Karate Association (JKA), established in 1949, was the premier organization representing the Shotokan-Ryu. Although other large Shotokan organizations have splintered off and grown in recent decades, the style remains so consistent that you could probably enter and train in a dojo from any of these groups without having to make too many adjustments. Shotokan continues to be identified with long and low stances, explosive speed and power, and emphasis on long-distance lunges. The Shotokan practiced in any reputable dojo, under most any organization around the globe, will look very similar.
That said, there is another style that is a close cousin to Shotokan in which the basic techniques and movements are familiar….yet very different. Among the founders of JKA Shotokan, the future founders of Shotokai were also senior disciples of Master Gichin Funakoshi. In fact, they could be considered the “old guard” of the JKA. Underlying differences boiled to the surface with the passing of Master Funakoshi in 1957. A serious rift erupted into the open and resulted in a schism that split into two camps – one became JKA Shotokan and the other became Shotokai. A major disagreement was that the Shotokai leaders were, in alignment with Master Funakoshi’s own wishes, adamantly against the concept of competition and tournaments, which the JKA initiated. The Shotokai also limits dan rankings to godan (5th degree black belt) as did the Master.
The way modern Shotokan practitioners train was heavily influenced by the Master’s son, Gigo Funakoshi and Masatoshi Nakayama. Under their guidance, the JKA placed emphasis on movements in long, powerful stances based upon strong legs and hip work. This is why modern Shotokan looks different from the old-school Okinawan karate systems from which it came. The Shotokai would follow a different path, led by Shigeru Egami, who was thought by many to be the Master’s top student. Egami came to believe that the way to true power did not come through kime, but rather through refining relaxed techniques. Over time, the two systems that arose from the same source, have diverged significantly. Both are strong in their particular focus on karate.
This divergence is such, that if you were to step into a Shotokai dojo today, you’d likely be surprised by the way in which they move and you would definitely have to work at changing your techniques. You might wonder just how much do the two styles differ today? A picture (video) is worth a thousand words. Below is a sample of a kata as practiced by the Shotokai. You’ll immediately recognize it as Heian Shodan, though it’s not performed in the way you’re accustomed to..