THE HISTORY OF THE JAPAN KARATE ASSOCIATION
THE HOME OF JKA
The Japan Karate Association is a corporate organisation, with a membership of thousands of active karate students. A board of representatives, selected from the nation wide members, are vigorously promoting the evolution of JKA. The executives of the association are selected from the board of representatives and are organised into a board of executives, headed by the President of the board of Directors, who are in charge with the management of the Japan Karate Association.
The Secretariat, situated in the main dojo, is in control of the administrative affairs of the nation-wide organisations. The instructors are organised in a board of instructors, centred around the Chief Instructor and are delegated to many different parts of the world.
In Japan, about 500 organisations are affiliated with the main dojo, such as regional and prefectural main and branch dojos, governmental and municipal associations, the Self-Defence Forces, university and high school clubs.
The Operational Structure of the Japan Karate Association:
In March 1955, the Japan Karate Organisation founded a dojo in Yotsuya and officially started the karate training's, pursuing the exquisite spiritual and technical features displayed by Master Funakoshi.
Within a short period, karate-do gained enormous popularity especially among university students and in the following year the Japan Karate Association organised the "instructor’s" course, developing young trainees into highly qualified instructors.
In 1957, the Ministry of Education officially recognised the Japan Karate Association as the first unique karate corporation in Japan.
In October of that same year, the Japan Karate Association held its first annual all Japan Karate Championships. The competition was regulated according to fixed rules and appeared to be a unique event in the history of karate-do.
As a result of the great enthusiasm among the Japanese people, the Japan Karate Association had the honour to hold the all Japan Karate Championships in the presence of the Emperor, in 1961, displaying the structural and organisational features of its well respected organisation.
The annual Championships became the cornerstone of the development of karate as a competitive sport, in Japan and the rest of the world.
The Policy of our Instructors:
The instructors of our Japan Karate Association always endeavour with great force to become very strong athletes and highly qualified instructors by an intensive study of karate.
Especially during the two-year instructor course, which was established since the foundation of our association, our trainees do not only study and exercise the techniques of karate, but also learn the general principles of medical sport and physical health education, which are necessary for the development of modern martial arts.
In our present dojo, 24 instructors are daily employed and they hardly attain to provide our members with their good advice. Our instructors teach karate to every new student with severity and effection, neatly trying to make distinction between the physically weak and strong, young and old, man and women, and they attempt to provide all the students with feelings of satisfaction.