SKIF TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO
AFFILATED MEMBER OF SHOTOKAN KARATE DO INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION
HEADQUARTERS TOKYO JAPAN
"Where Life Champions are born."
What is Karate-do?
Karate-do is a traditional Japanese martial art system that has roots in Chinese martial arts and Okinawan karate.
The term karate-do translates to kara (empty), te (hand) do (the way), the “way of the empty hand”. Karate promotes the development of defensive and counterattacking techniques, which is designed primarily for self defense.
However, the aspect of “do” adds a deeper meaning and gives karate-do do a deeper purpose.
Interwoven in the physical aspects there are elements of developing and strengthening mental and moral aspects, with the focus on the overall improvement of the individual.
Today there are many styles of karate-do some based in Okinawa and some in Japan, but the four popular main styles of karate in Japan: Shotokan, Goju-ryu, Shito-ryu, and Wado-ryu.
The style we practise at SKIF Trinidad and Tobago is SHOTOKAN.
Shotokan karate-do was created by Gichin Funakoshi and further developed by Sensei Masatoshi Nakayama. In 1957 Sensei Nakayama founded the Japanese Karate Association (JKA), and part of their mandate to spread karate-do to the world, which included the instructor programme, the first of its kind, to train international instructors.
The programme was conducted byi Hidetaka Nishiyama and Teruyuki Okazaki. One of the top graduates of the programme was Hirokazu Kanazawa.
Kanazawa was a top level karateka of the JKA with many notable achievements. He was the first instructor sent out to spread karate-do the world, starting in the 1960’s.
By 1978 Kanazawa left the JKA and formed the Shotokan Karate-do International Federation (SKIF). Kanazawa was the head of SKIF until his death in 2019. Today his organization is run by his eldest son Kancho Nobuaki Kanazawa.
Our organization in its current iteration was founded in 2009, however our chief instructor, Ian Sammy was one of the original members of SKIF's local branch, when it was established in 1989.