The Japan Karate Association (JKA) is one of the primary shotokan karate organizations. Okinawan professor Gichin Funakoshi introduced karate to Japan in 1922. His pen name for his poetry was Shoto, hence his approach to karate became known as Shotokan. With his work, karate became part of the Japanese school system, adjusted to reduce injury and merge with modern approaches of athletic training. In the late 1940s, towards the end of his life, Funakoshi and his senior students formed a special institute, dedicated to research, promotion, events management, and education. This was the Japan Karate Association. Under Chief Instructor Masatoshi Nakayama, a generation of respected instructors spread karate worldwide, guided from the JKA headquarters in Tokyo. Following Nakayama's death in 1987, the JKA began to splinter, both at the Tokyo headquarters and worldwide. However, it is still the largest and among the most influential of modern karate organizations.

For more information please visit http://www.jka.or.jp/english/e_index.html

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