Master Giei Funakoshi (1900 – 1961)

Eldest Son of Gichin Funakoshi • Second President of Nihon Karate-do Shotokai

Primary Source Reference:
This biography is documented in the official publication "There Is No First Strike in Karate-do: English Translation of the Nihon Karate-do Shotokai Booklet" (Pages 10–11, published May 16, 2023 by Nihon Karate-do Shotokai Central Headquarters Dojo Shotokan, 2-1-7 Kikukawa, Sumida-ku, Tokyo, Japan).
• Download Official English PDF Document
• View Official Announcement on Shotokai.jp (News #5329)

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Eldest Son and Pillar of the Funakoshi Family

Giei Funakoshi (船越 義英, 1900 – March 20, 1961) was the firstborn son of Supreme Master Gichin Funakoshi. Born in Shuri, Okinawa, Giei grew up in the disciplined environment of an Okinawan samurai-scholar household (shizoku).

While his younger brother Yoshitaka (Gigō) Funakoshi became the legendary technical revolutionary who overhauled stances and kicking dynamics, Giei provided administrative leadership, steadfast moral support, and cultural preservation for his father throughout decades of migration, wartime destruction, and postwar reconstruction. He also worked in maritime commerce (founding Nankai Bussan) and was active in movements supporting Okinawa's postwar rehabilitation.

Protecting the Founder's Legacy After 1957

Following the passing of Master Gichin Funakoshi on April 26, 1957, deep ideological fractures arose within mainland karate. Commercial and collegiate factions sought to transform karate into an adversarial spectator sport focused on point tournaments, referee scoring, and commercial matches.

Giei Funakoshi, alongside his father's closest senior disciples—notably Shigeru Egami, Genshin Hironishi, and Tsunejiro Uemura—vehemently opposed this commercial drift. They insisted that karate-do was an austere, lethal art of self-cultivation where competition invited vanity, superficial slapping techniques, and the loss of true martial effectiveness.

The Legal Incorporation of Nihon Karate-do Shotokai (1958)

To preserve the authentic teachings and maintain an institutional bulwark against sportification, Giei stepped forward as the Second President of Nihon Karate-do Shotokai (succeeding his father).

On February 24, 1958, Giei Funakoshi officially registered and legally incorporated Nihon Karate-do Shotokai (日本空手道松濤會) with the Tokyo Metropolitan Government as an official non-profit public-interest cultural and budo association.

Under Giei's presidency:

• Shigeru Egami was confirmed as Chief Technical Director (Shihan).
• Genshin Hironishi took charge of university dojos and administrative operations.
• The university karate clubs of Chuo, Gakushuin, Senshu, and Seijo unified under the Shotokai banner.
• A nationwide fund drive was launched to build a permanent, dedicated Central Headquarters Dojo ("Shotokan") to replace the original dojo destroyed in the 1945 wartime air raids.

Passing and Enduring Impact

Giei Funakoshi led Shotokai with selflessness and quiet dignity until his passing on March 20, 1961 at the age of 58. His steadfast leadership during the critical transitional years immediately after Gichin Funakoshi's death ensured that the name and true spirit of Shotokan remained tethered to its original non-competitive essence under Nihon Karate-do Shotokai.

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Key Historical Data

• Born: 1900, Shuri Gibo-cho, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan
• Died: March 20, 1961, Tokyo, Japan (aged 58)
• Family: Eldest son of Gichin Funakoshi; elder brother of Yoshitaka Funakoshi.
• Tenure as President: 1958 – 1961 (2nd President of Nihon Karate-do Shotokai)
• Key Milestone: February 24, 1958 legal incorporation of Nihon Karate-do Shotokai in Tokyo.