As you know, the NHPC Karate Ministry exists as a small, independent group of karateka, belonging to the ohana of New Hope Pearl Community. Our mission is to share the benefits of Shotokan Karate in a Christian environment with our members, hopefully without the ego, competition, and politics that one sometimes finds in dojos and larger organizations. To be sure, there are many good dojos out there, ranging from large modern commercial facilities to small backyard/garage clubs. While many are independent clubs, it’s likely that the majority of students train in a dojo that is affiliated in some way with a larger organization.

Personally, I’ve spent the majority of my time in karate in dojos that were in some way, under the umbrella of the Japan Karate Association (JKA). The JKA was created just around the time I was born in 1951. The Chief Instructor for its first three decades was Master Nakayama. Of course, the founder of Shotokan, Master Funakoshi lived until 1957 and was seen as the official head of the organization, though he was already in his eighties and really more of a figurehead or symbol.

The first generation of Shotokan students in pre-war Japan were training during very militaristic/nationalistic times and not surprisingly, karate was strongly accepted within the universities, the Imperial Army and the Imperial Navy. After the war, with so many of its practitioners lost during WWII, its dojo destroyed during bombing raids, Shotokan was to be reborn primarily within the various university clubs (perhaps similar to how our top professional football and basketball players are heavily cultivated within the NCAA system of teams). In the early 1950’s, senior JKA members were fortunate enough to be selected as the karate representatives (along with Judo and Aikido senseis) to lead a program designed to teach the Japanese martial arts to many of the US Air Force SAC’s top physical education instructors. This experience was to have a great influence on Shotokan teaching methods, especially as applied to Americans. Master Nakayama and many of the early JKA instructors were graduates of Takushoku University, whose focus was on international business. Amongst considerable division amongst Master Funakoshi’s senior followers, the JKA decided to pioneer karate tournaments, which characterizes much of the karate we see globally today. In addition, they organized and sent out some of their top instructors over to America, the Philippines, Europe , etc; beginning around 1960. One undeniable benefit of their strategy was the creation of a very select and rigorous “post-graduate” instructors course at the JKA. It produced many of the old JKA Shotokan greats.

In Hawaii, the Karate Association of Hawaii (KAH), was established as an early international arm of the JKA. For its first ten years, it was led in turn, by three JKA stalwarts: Kanazawa Hirokazu (first all-JKA champion, graduate of the instructors school), Mori Masataka, and Asai Tetsuhiko (all-JKA champion, graduate of the instructors school). Their decade-long presence here had an indelible influence on my own instructors, who constantly trained with them during those years. As a result, their influence on your own training is greater than you know.

Similarly, Master Enoeda was to influence Great Britain and Europe, Masters Nishiyama, Mikami, and Okazaki the U.S., and so on, JKA instructors were dispatched throughout the world during the 1960’s and 1970’s. At its height, the JKA was recognized as the undisputed, premier karate organization in the world, with millions of students, numerous instructional books and films, a teaching syllabus that was second-to-none, and with many of the finest technicians anywhere.

Like all golden ages, like most large organizations, the JKA began to fragment, particularly after the passing of Master Nakayama in 1987. As might be imagined, various instructors in different countries began to go their own way, pulling large groupings of clubs with them. In Japan, there were lawsuits over which of two surviving factions following Master Nakayama’s death had the legal right to the JKA name. There was even legal wrangling over the JKA symbol between the JKA and a large maker of karate uniforms. The dreams of karate becoming an Olympic sport never happened, much of this, due to the inability of the different karate organizations and styles to agree on common standards, so necessary for a world-wide Olympic sport to become established.

The JKA, as we knew it, is gone forever. However, when you really look at it, it was just an organization made up of folks with all of the weaknesses and foibles that you and I share. I do believe, though, that the best parts of the JKA; the universal principles of karate-do, the love for the art and for people, the cultivation of strength and spirit, to share and serve others… these ideals still exist, in organizations large and small, in beautiful, modern dojos, in numerous backyard/garage clubs, and yes, in Christian ministries… you just have to look for and find the one that’s right for you.