Japan Karate Association
Japan Karate Association is one of the most influential Shotokan karate organizations in the world. It is also one of the oldest karate organizations continuously in operation until the present.
Origins
played a major role in introducing karate from Okinawa to Japan, adjusted to reduce injury and merged with approaches for athletic training. On May 27, 1949, some of his senior students including Isao Obata, Masatoshi Nakayama, and Hidetaka Nishiyama, formed a karate organization dedicated to research, promotion, events management, and education: the Japan Karate Association. Funakoshi, then around 80 years old, held a position equivalent to chief instructor emeritus, with Nakayama as the chief instructor.The JKA emerged from karate clubs at Japanese universities located in the Tokyo region. Most of these universities, however, distanced themselves from the JKA during the 1950s. Takushoku University always kept strong ties with the JKA, being the alma mater of many of the senior JKA instructors, such as Nakayama, Nishiyama, Okazaki, Asai, Kanazawa, and Enoeda, who were responsible for the JKA's consolidation during the 1960s and 1970s.
General uneasiness on how karate was taught by the JKA instructors and disagreements on Funakoshi's funeral arrangements in 1957 motivated some of the senior karateka connected with Funakoshi, but not associated with the JKA, such as Shigeru Egami, Genshin Hironishi, and Tsutomu Ohshima, to form their own organizations, such as Shotokai and Shotokan Karate of America). They claimed to practice a version of Shotokan karate closer to what Funakoshi taught, as compared to the JKA style. The JKA Shotokan approach is also based on Funakoshi's karate, but with significant adaptations introduced mostly by Nakayama, who was JKA chief instructor until his death in 1987. Under Nakayama's leadership, a generation of respected instructors spread karate worldwide, guided from the JKA headquarters in Tokyo.
Nakayama's books, which include Dynamic Karate and the Best Karate series, are fundamental reference materials on Shotokan karate as practiced under the JKA. Clive Nicol, in his classic book Moving Zen, describes the karate practice at the JKA's honbu dojo in Tokyo during the early 1960s, from his unique perspective as a western karate student going from white to black belt in a few years.
Splinter groups
The JKA experienced several divisions from the 1970s onwards. Notable splinter groups formed as follows:- In 1977, JKA instructor Shiro Asano formed his own organization, and invited master Hirokazu Kanazawa to take his place as chief instructor. The group is now known as Shotokan Karate-Do International Federation.
- Following Nakayama's death in 1987, the JKA experienced a turbulent period, both at the Tokyo headquarters and worldwide. Taiji Kase and Hiroshi Shirai, senior JKA instructors in Europe quit to form the World Karate-Do Shotokan Academy. Taketo Okuda, JKA chief instructor in Brazil, quit to focus on his own organization, Butoku-kan.
- In 1990, a legal dispute started between two groups about the control of JKA. One group was led by Tetsuhiko Asai, the other by Nobuyuki Nakahara. After several court rulings, the issue was ultimately settled by the Japanese Supreme Court on June 10, 1999, in favor of Nakahara's group, which included Masaaki Ueki and Masahiko Tanaka. The other group, led by Tetsuhiko Asai, JKA chief instructor after Nakayama, and including Keigo Abe and Mikio Yahara, left JKA to form other organizations: Japan Karate Shotorenmei, Japan Shotokan Karate Association, and Karatenomichi World Federation, respectively.
- In 2007, the International Shotokan Karate Federation, with headquarters in the US, led by Teruyuki Okazaki, 10th dan and one of the most senior JKA instructors, became independent. However, by 2010 at least two senior Instructors returned to the JKA.
- In 2009, Takahashi Shunsuke broke away from JKA Australia to form the TSKF Australia. TSKF joined Teruyuki Okazaki's ISKF in 2011.
- By 2011, it was acknowledged that Masao Kawasoe, 7th Dan JKA, had returned to the JKA.
Kenshusei (instructor intern) training program
In 1956, the JKA started its kenshusei instructor intern training program at the JKA honbu dojo, in Yotsuya, Tokyo, which had been built in 1955. This program was instituted by Masatoshi Nakayama. The training program has promoted the consistency and quality control of JKA training practices over the years, graduating some of the world's most well known karateka, as listed below.Graduates
The following table lists JKA kenshusei training program graduates in order of year of graduation. The reported rank of graduates no longer with the JKA is that from their current organization. Such rank is not necessarily recognized by the JKA.| Name | Year of Graduation | Rank | Position |
| Mikami Takayuki | 1957 | 9th dan | USA JKA/AF Southern |
| Takaura Eiji | 1957 | ||
| Kanazawa Hirokazu | 1957 | 10th dan | Founder SKIF |
| Tsushima Toshio | 1958 | ||
| Yaguchi Yutaka | 1958 | 9th dan | USA ISKF Mountain States |
| Ouchi Kyo | 1959 | ||
| Sato Masaki | 1959 | ||
| *Saito Shigeru | 1959 | ||
| Inaba Mitsue | 1960 | ||
| Kano Masahiko | 1960 | ||
| Watanabe Gunji | 1960 | ||
| *Ogata Kyoji | 1960 | ||
| Kisaka Katsuharu | 1961 | 8th dan | USA - JKA New Jersey since 1967 |
| Nakaya Ken | 1961 | ||
| Ogawa Eiko | 1961 | ||
| Ueki Masaaki | 1961 | 9th dan | HQ Shihan Chief Instructor Worldwide |
| Keinosuke Enoeda | 1961 | 9th dan | Deceased March 29, 2003 |
| *Miyazaki Satoshi | 1961 | 8th dan | Deceased May 31, 1993 |
| *Mori Osamu | 1961 | ||
| *Takahashi Yoshimasa | 1961 | ||
| *Majima Kenshiro | 1962 | ||
| Sakai Ryusuke | 1962 | 8th dan | |
| Jitsuhara Shoji | 1963 | ||
| Ochi Hideo | 1963 | 9th dan | DJKB |
| Takahashi Yasuoki | 1963 | ||
| Itaya Michihisa | 1963 | 6th dan | South America JKA - "Deceased 1972" |
| Abe Keigo | 1965 | 9th dan | Japan JSKA |
| Oishi Takeshi | 1965 | ||
| *Tabata Yukichi | 1965 | ||
| Takashina Shigeru | 1966 | 8th dan | USA JKA/WFA Deceased September 3, 2013 |
| Kawazoe Masao | 1967 | 8th Dan | |
| Higashi Kunio | 1967 | ||
| Iida Norihiko | 1967 | ||
| Okamoto Hideki | 1967 | 8th dan | Egypt - "Deceased 2009". |
| Takahashi Shunsuke | 1967 | 8th dan | Chief Instructor TSKF Australia |
| Yano Kenji | 1967 | ||
| Okuda Taketo | 1967 | 8th dan | Butoku-kan |
| Baba Isamu | 1970 | ||
| Horie Teruo | 1971 | ||
| Nishino Shuhei | 1971 | ||
| *Hayakawa Norimasa | 1971 | ||
| Kanegae Kenji | 1972 | ||
| Osaka Yoshiharu | 1972 | 8th dan | HQ Full-Time Instructor |
| Sato Teruo | 1974 | ||
| Mori Toshihiro | 1975 | ||
| Imura Takenori | 1977 | 7th dan | HQ Full-Time Instructor |
| Kurasako Kenro | 1977 | 7th dan | HQ Full-Time Instructor |
| Minoru Kawawada | 1978 | 7th dan | HQ Full-Time Instructor |
| Komaki Masaki | 1978 | ||
| Omura Fujikiyo | 1978 | 7th dan | JKA Thailand |
| Fukami Akira | 1979 | ||
| Kaneko Taneaki | 1979 | ||
| Sakata Masashi | 1979 | ||
| Abe Miwako | 1980 | ||
| Tsuchii Takayuki | 1980 | ||
| Yamamoto Hideo | 1980 | ||
| Ohta Yoshinobu | Attendee | 7th Dan | Head JKA England |
| Ogura Yasunori | 1982 | 7th dan | HQ Full-Time Instructor |
| Imamura Tomio | 1983 | 7th dan | HQ Full-Time Instructor |
| Kashiwagi Nobuyuki | 1984 | ||
| Koike Tsuyoshi | 1984 | ||
| Yokomichi Masaaki | 1984 | ||
| Izumiya Seizo | 1986 | 6th dan | HQ Full-Time Instructor |
| Shiina Katsutoshi | 1986 | 6th dan | HQ Full-Time Instructor |
| Hanzaki Yasuo | 1987 | 6th dan | HQ Full-Time Instructor |
| Nakamura Yoko | 1987 | ||
| Naka Tatsuya | 1989 | 7th dan | HQ Full-Time Instructor |
| Noda Kenichi | 1990 | ||
| Taniyama Takuya | 1990 | 6th dan | HQ Full-Time Instructor |
| *Imai Hiromitsu | 1991 | ||
| Takahashi Satoshi | 1992 | 5th dan | HQ Full-Time Instructor |
| Kobayashi Kunio | 1993 | 5th dan | HQ Full-Time Instructor |
| Ogata Koji | 1994 | 5th dan | HQ Full-Time Instructor |
| Walter Crockford | 1996 | 5th dan | JKA Canada |
| Ikenaga Atsushi | 1996 | ||
| Hirayama Yuko | 1998 | 6th dan | HQ Secretariat |
| Okuma Koichiro | 1998 | 6th dan | HQ Full-Time Instructor |
| Iwasawa Mayumi | 1998 | 3rd dan | HQ Secretariat |
| Aragaki Misako | 2003 | 3rd dan | HQ Secretariat |
| Ubukata Koji | 2003 | ||
| Yamada Satomi | 2004 | ||
| Nemoto Keisuke | 2004 | ||
| Okuie Satomi | 2004 | ||
| Kurihara Kazuaki | 2004 | ||
| Shimizu Ryosuke | 2004 | ||
| Kumeta Riki | 2008 | - | - |
Note
This list is incomplete. For instance, it does not include some members who were expelled or resigned from the JKA see below:- Kisaka Katsuharu 8th dan JKA Instructor JKA of New Jersey, USA
- Abe Keigo, 9th dan JSKA Chief Instructor
- Aramoto Nobuyuki, 8th dan
- Asai Tetsuhiko, 10th dan JKS/IJKA Chief instructor
- Inaba Tsuneyuki, 7th dan
- Isaka Akito, 7th dan KWF
- Ishimine Minoru, 7th dan
- Kagawa Masao, 9th dan
- Kanayama Kyosho, 7th dan
- Mizuno Yoshihisa, 8th dan
- Naito Takashi, 7th dan
- Tamang Pemba, 8th dan NSKF Chief Instructor
- Yahara Mikio, 8th dan KWF Chief Instructor
- Yamaguchi Takashi, 8th dan
- Kanazawa Hirokazu, 10th dan Chief instructor SKIF
- Kase Yasuharu, 10th dan Chief Instructor SRKH
- Kasuya Hitoshi, 9th dan Chief Instructor WSKF
- Katsumata Yutaka, 7th dan
- Shirai Hiroshi, 10th dan WSKA
- Tatetsu Meicho, 7th dan
- Amos Richard, 8th dan
- Maeda Eiji, 6th dan
- Kawasaki Norio 6th dan
- Koike Yutaka 6th dan
- Fischer Malcolm 6th dan
- Montoya Leon 5th dan
Karateka such as Dave Hazard, Ennio Vezzuli, Nigel Jackson, Peté Pacheco, Malcolm Fisher, Leon Montoya, Richard Amos, Pascal Lesage and others, are mentioned in karate forums as having completed the JKA instructors' course but do not appear on the list of graduates as published in 2008 on the JKA's website.
In addition, the list does not include graduate instructors from the instructor programmes of splinter groups such as JKS and KWF, examples being
Masamichi Otsuka
Yutaka Koike
Yasuhisa Inada
Kyle Kamal Helou
Takeo Matsui
Takuya Makita
Competition
Although Gichin Funakoshi wrote that there are no contests in Karate, Nakayama Masatoshi teachings led to more scientific and competitive approach to the training and in 1957 the first All Japan Karate Championship was held, and has been held annually since.World championships
In addition, the JKA has organised a number of international tournaments amongst which the following have been considered to be the JKA's World Championships:| Year | Tournament name | Location |
| 1975 | 1st IAKF World Championships |  Los Angeles, USA |
| 1977 | 2nd IAKF World Championships |  Tokyo, Japan |
| 1980 | 3rd IAKF World Championships |  Bremen, West Germany |
| 1983 | 4th IAKF World Championships |  Cairo, Egypt |
| 1985 | 1st ShotoCup | Tokyo, Japan |
| 1987 | 2nd ShotoCup |  Brisbane, Australia |
| 1990 | 3rd ShotoCup |  Sunderland, England |
| 1992 | 4th ShotoCup | Tokyo, Japan |
| 1994 | 5th ShotoCup | Philadelphia, USA |
| 1996 | 6th ShotoCup | Ohsaka, Japan |
| 1998 | 7th ShotoCup |  Paris, France |
| 2000 | 8th ShotoCup | Tokyo, Japan |
| 2004 | 9th ShotoCup | Tokyo, Japan |
| 2006 | 10th Funakoshi Gichin Cup World Karate-do Championship | Sydney Olympic Park Sports Centre, Sydney, Australia |
| 2009 | 11th Funakoshi Gichin Cup World Karate-do Championship CANCELLED | Nihon Budo-kan, Tokyo, Japan |
| 2011 | 12th Funakoshi Gichin Cup World Karate-do Championship |  Pattaya, Thailand |
| 2014 | 13th Cup World Karate-do Championship | Nihon Budo-kan, Tokyo, Japan |
| 2017 | 14th Funakoshi Gichin Cup Karate World Championship | Ireland |