"Shotokan" is a splintered style of karate and has been at least since the death of Master Funakoshi. I get the impression (though I lack personal exp...

“Shotokan” is a splintered style of karate and has been at least since the death of Master Funakoshi. I get the impression (though I lack personal experience) that the Japanese Karate Association (JKA), by now a large international group, is fairly sports and tournament oriented. There are, however, other groups, such as Shotokan Karate of America (SKA), of which the group to which I belong (Canada Shotokan Karate, CSK) is a daughter organisation.

While SKA/CSK does arrange a few tournaments (indeed, our shihan, Tsutumo Ohshima, created the present format of judging for such tournaments), there is no emphasis thereon. To quote Ohshima-sensei, “We all knew the object of martial arts was not competition. Competition was only to bring martial arts to the general public, so that we would have enrollment in the traditional martial arts from the next generation.”

In the splintered world of Shotokan, it may be that some have lost track of the true goal of karate-do, but that should not mislead people to believe that all have. Speaking as a practitioner (however novice) of Ohshima Shotokan karate, I am confident, at least, that I had the fortune of starting on a path more meaningful.

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