JKA ARMENIA
SHOTOKAN KARATE FEDERATION
Traditional Shotokan Karate-Do
Traditional Shotokan Karate-Do is a way of a person going for self-development. It is a universal art that plays a very important essential role not only in the development of health and physical endurance, but for mental and will traits as well. Traditional Karate grants the ability to appreciate, respect and to possess such human traits as honesty, courtesy, healthy judgement, confidence, modesty, hard-working, sense of debt and responsibility, civil courage.
Traditional Karate allows a person to orientate in life and decide correctly what to do, decide one's true lifestyle. That person always tries to improve his/her character, life, reach a higher level, is able to look at him/herself from a side in order to see and correct his/her drawbacks, is able to correctly choose the means and the ways to reach a goal.
A true Karate master is strong, he/she does not fight, but struggles and wins.
Karate is a creative way of the spirit, the mind and the body, thus it is an art, which allows to develop person's mental and physical qualities, making him/her healthy, beautiful, strong, polite, moral, of free will and spirit and ready to struggle for real human merits.
Shotokan [shoto+kan] Karate-Do; one of the main styles of Japanese Karate that was founded by one of the greatest masters of martial arts Gichin Funakoshi (1868-1957) in mid 30s of XX century, based on the principles of the Okinawan Shorin-Ryu direction. "Shotokan" in Japanese means "House of Shoto" and it has existed under that name since 1936. Shotokan Karate is the most widespread style not only in Japan but also worldwide and is classified among the four main styles: Goju-Ryu, Shito-Ryu and Wado-Ryu.
In 1935 relatives and supportes of Funakoshi had gathered considerable means for the construction of the first Karate dodzio (school) in Japan. The dodzio designed by Funakoshi was built in Zosiga (Tokyo) in 1936. The school received the name of "Shoto-Kan". According to Shigeru Egami the building was destroyed during the US naval air attack on Tokyo. In gratitude towards the master a textboard was set at the entrance door, with "Sho", "To" and "Kan" hieroglyphs. The word "Shoto" is Funakoshi's literary pseudonym, which the master adopted still at his youth, being an elegant fan of folklore. The "Shoto" hieroglyph literally means "pines and waves", as for "kan", it means "home". Explaining the oringin of his pseudonym, in his memoirs "The Night-Time Conversations of Funakoshi" ("Shoto Yova") Funakoshi tells how during his student years he liked to get isolated from the crowded mayhem of the city of Shuri on a small island, where powerful old pine used to grow. Listening to the sound of the wind in the pines and to the noisy waves, he contemplated about the human, the nature, about the creation of the world, coming up with the idea of creating a global humanitarian Karate. His desires mostly had to come true.
Shotokan style Tiger origin;
The Tiger was drawn by famous Japanese painter Hoan Kosugi in the honour of master Gichin Funakoshi, who inserted this painting symbolising strenght and courage on the cover of his first book. The unproportionate sides shows that the painting was drawn with a singe paintbrush strike. The hieroglyphs near the Tiger's tail read the painter's name.
Traditional Shotokan Karate-Do, having a traditional orientation, on its activities is guided by the following principles; Karate is not a sport, but a martial art, where supercedes moral code, dignity, modesty, honour and pride, since it, as an art, has wider borders, as wide as a person's mind can be. The borders of Sport Karate end in the point, where simple victory is held over the rival, Martial Art Karate is always in a search of new ways, methods and values, constantly expanding its areas, not being satisfied with what there is, going for higher values and level. To reach that goal the federation follows the high standards and principles typical of Okinawan and Japanese martial arts: stable temperament, sincerity, vigour, politeness and self-control. The objective of a martial art is not the simple victory, its objective is perfection. Because there is always the stronger than the strong.
True Karate master always learns and practices; this is the call of life.
Our motto is healthy body, healthly soul, healthly mind.
In the Shotokan Karate forge following international traditional Karate principles have learnt and educated many young people, who have reached high levels; up until IV dan: Sevak Hakobyan, Mkrtich Hakhverdyan, Sahak Azatyan, Tigran Karapetyan, Arthur Bayramyan, Artyom Vanesyan, Tigran Harutyunyan, Henrikh Mkrtchyan, etc.
JKA ARMENIA SHOTOKAN KARATE FEDERATION is full member of Japan JKA and participates in all organised events. During 2017 federation members have been to and participated in JKA world (Ireland) and JKA Europe (Netherlands) tournaments, as well as Russian JKA open tournament.
The child or the youth, practicing traditional Karate, already has security for his/her further life for having a healthy, beautiful and protected body, as well as being educated, diversely developed, strong, daring and intelligent person.