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 History
    This is a brief history of the evolution, background of karate and what we practice, train  and promote at our dojo.  To begin, the technical basis of Traditional Karate began in what is known as, To-de, the weapon-less fighting art that developed in Okinawa, Japan. Okinawan To-de was based upon the Chinese fighting art known as Chuan-fa which dates back more than one thousand years. Its believed that the Chuan-fa fighting art, called "Nan-Pei-Chun", developed in the Fukien Province of China and had the greatest influence on the development of Okinawan To-de. 

    During the timeframe of 1600, various Japanese fighting arts came together in both, technical principle and philosophy. This is when the technical basis of To-de was added to the martial arts philosophy defining the beginning of Budo and the goal of continual seeking for the highest human development. This is a goal that is set forth on all practitioners of Traditional Karate.

    Within Traditional Karate there are many so-called styles (school systems). However, they are divided along two lines: Shuri-te (including Tomari-te) and Naha-te. Shuri-te developed in the Shuri area of Okinawa (presently part of the City of Naha) and was based on the Chinese Chuan-fa from the era of 1400 A.D. It later developed in its own unique way under the geographic and political conditions of Okinawa. On the other hand, Naha-te traces its origins to the Nan-Pei-Chun of the era of 1900s. It was directly introduced to the Naha area of Okinawa from the province of Fukien, China. 

    In 1879, at the age of eleven, a young man named Gichin Funakoshi, born in Shuri Okinawa, started training in Okinawan To-de under two great masters, Yasutsune Azato and Yasutsune Itosu. In 1922, having mastered two major styles of karate, Gichin Funakoshi, then President of the Okinawa association of the Spirit of Martial Arts, was chosen to demonstrate karate at the first National Athletic Exhibition in Tokyo. 

    This led to the introduction of the ancient martial art to the rest of Japan and to the urging of friends and officials that Funakoshi remain in Tokyo to teach. That he did.  Today, Gichin Funakoshi is regarded as the founder and father of Shotokan Karate and is responsible for spreading karate in Japan and ultimately throughout the rest of the world through his students. 

    The style of traditional karate we practice at our dojo is referred to as JKA-Shotokan. The style has no name it is simply karate, (empty hand).  The nameof the style, Shotokan, came about when in 1936 several of Gichin Funakoshi’s students got together and built the first free-standing karate dojo in honor and respect to their teacher and named it "The Shotokan", the house of Gichin Funakoshi.  Therefore, “Shotokan” literally means the house of Gichin Funakoshi.  

    Later, the Japan Karate Association, JKA, was established with Gichin Funakoshi as the chief instructor. As Gichin Funakoshi reached retirement, 1955, leadership of the JKA was passed on to Masatoshi Nakayama and Hidetaka Nishiyama. Our dojo lineage stems from both,  Mr. Nakayama and Mr. Nishiyama.  This coupled with the explanation on the previous  paragraph is why the style of karate we practice at our dojo is referred to as JKA-Shotokan. Next, lets look at the expansion of karate to the west. 

    The expansion of karate to the western hemisphere began as early as 1948. At that time the US Air Force arranged for a series of martial arts demonstrations at their installations overseas in Tachikawa, Kisarazu, Tokorozawa and Yokosuka. Isao Obata and Masatoshi Nakayama conducted the karate demonstrations. The demonstrations brought interest to many airman and soon karate and judo clubs were established on the installations. In 1951, Strategic Air Command (SAC) under the command of General Curtis P. LeMay hired Mel Bruno, a judo man to organize and direct a physical training program in martial arts for SAC personnel. This program was successful and by 1953 the Air Force decided to expand the concept and sponsor a six-month tour to selected installations in the U.S.  

    The tour included ten of the highest-ranking judo men and three premier karate men from the JKA to include, Isao Obata, Toshio Kamate and Hidetaka Nishiyama. This tour brought awareness to the American public as to the existence of karate and further  provided an opportunity  for Mr. Nakayama and Mr. Nishiyama to export the art to the western hemisphere. Both of these men committed themselves to spreading karate to the rest of the world and within the western hemisphere found to do so with the United States Air Force. 

    One of Mr. Nakayama’s American students in the late 1950s was a young airman named Peter Velez.  When Mr. Velez transferred back to the United States from overseas, he continued his training and teaching under the guidance of Mr. Nishiyama. Mr. Velez, a pioneer in his own right, was instrumental to spreading karate in the Air Force and to the civilian populace.  In the early 70s, Mr. Velez relocated to San Antonio, Texas   where he retired from the Air Force and continued to work as a civil service architectural designer. 

    Here, he established a growing Shotokan organization, Randolph JKA Karate Club. Later, in the early 90s,  the Air Force Base closed our training facility and we were forced to change location to off base. Along with the new training dojo came the change from Randolph JKA Karate Club to JKA San Antonio Dojo-Sho and ultimately San Antonio Dojo-Sho. 

    We are members of the American Amateur Karate Federation (AAKF) and International Traditional Karate Federation (ITKF).  

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