Master Gichin Funakoshi was the founder of modern karate. Born in 1868, he began to study karate at the age of 11, and was a student of the two greatest masters of the time. He grew so proficient that he was initiated into all the major styles of karate in Okinawa at the time.

In 1922, Master 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. At the urging of friends and officials, he remained in Tokyo to teach.