Traditional Japanese Karate-do & Budo Archives

The Shotokai Encyclopedia

Shotokai, founded by Master Gichin Funakoshi • The Non-Contraction Way, Natural Posture, and Spiritual Sincerity

Historical Monograph • 68 Chapters
Historical Annex 1912 - 1998 • 40 Documented Milestones

Historical Chronology: The Life of Shigeru Egami & Milestones of Shotokai

An exhaustive chronological record featuring archival photos, traditional kanji calligraphic motifs, and thematic links placing the life of Shigeru Egami within the broader evolution of traditional Karate-do.

誕生
1912 Dec 7 誕生
Master Shigeru Egami (1912 - 1981)

Master Shigeru Egami (1912 - 1981)

Birth of Shigeru Egami in Miyanoura-cho, Omuta, Fukuoka Prefecture.

千代子
1920 千代子
Chiyoko Egami (1920 - 1991)

Chiyoko Egami (1920 - 1991)

Birth of Chiyoko Egami.

修行
1925 修行

Egami begins judo at age thirteen; later practices kendo and an aiki art.

早稲田
1932 April 早稲田
Egami training at Waseda University

Egami training at Waseda University

Egami enters Waseda University School of Commerce; trains under Takeshi Shimoda and Gichin Funakoshi.

下田
1934 下田
Master Takeshi Shimoda

Master Takeshi Shimoda

Passing of assistant Takeshi Shimoda; Yoshitaka Funakoshi assumes technical leadership.

教範
1935 教範
Karate-do Kyohan (1935)

Karate-do Kyohan (1935)

Founding of the Shotokai association to support Master Funakoshi.

昇段
1937 昇段

Egami appointed to the Shotokan Evaluation Committee at age 24.

道場
1939 Jan 29 道場
Original Shoto-kan Dojo (Mejiro)

Original Shoto-kan Dojo (Mejiro)

Opening of the first dedicated dojo building, named Shotokan, in Zoshigaya, Tokyo.

中野
1939-1943 中野

Egami teaches unarmed combat at the Army Nakano Espionage Academy alongside Yoshitaka Funakoshi and Tadao Okuyama.

婚姻
1941 Autumn 婚姻

Marriage of Shigeru Egami and Chiyoko through an arranged match.

疎開
1943 疎開

Wartime evacuation to Omuta; Egami opens a two-room dojo teaching self-defense and character.

義豪
1945 Spring/Autumn 義豪
Master Yoshitaka Funakoshi

Master Yoshitaka Funakoshi

Destruction of Mejiro Shotokan in air raids; passing of Yoshitaka Funakoshi.

南米
1954 南米
Master Mitsusuke Harada, MBE

Master Mitsusuke Harada, MBE

Mitsusuke Harada departs for Brazil, maintaining voluminous letter exchanges with Egami.

渡米
1955 渡米
Master Tsutomu Ohshima

Master Tsutomu Ohshima

Tsutomu Ohshima arrives in the United States; later starts the Caltech club (1957) and SCKA (1959).

脱力
ca. 1955 脱力
Master Egami demonstrating soft penetration

Master Egami demonstrating soft penetration

Egami begins the 'Funakoshi-Egami Style' overhaul, discarding rigid tension and makiwara training.

手術
1956-1957 手術

Severe gastric surgeries at Keio Hospital; cardiac crisis on the table where Egami is gone for ten minutes.

開祖
1957 April 26 開祖
Supreme Master Gichin Funakoshi

Supreme Master Gichin Funakoshi

Passing of Master Gichin Funakoshi; Egami is the sole student at his hospital bedside.

本葬
1957 May 本葬

Funakoshi funeral conducted by Shotokai; JKA declines to attend, marking the formal institutional division.

東急
1957 Sept 1 東急
Master Shigeru Egami at Tokyu Dojo

Master Shigeru Egami at Tokyu Dojo

Formal opening of the Tokyu Karate Dojo with Egami appointed shihan.

博西
1958 Feb 24 博西
Master Genshin Hironishi

Master Genshin Hironishi

Legal incorporation of Nihon Karate-do Shotokai; Hironishi becomes president, Egami chief instructor.

英国
1963 英国

Mitsusuke Harada settles in Great Britain, founding Karate-do Shotokai (KDS).

氣感
1963 氣感

Egami initiates systematic inquiry into bio-magnetic waves, solar cycles, and distance projection (toate).

楽天会
1964 Summer 楽天会
Master Hiroyuki Aoki at Iwai Beach

Master Hiroyuki Aoki at Iwai Beach

Founding of Rakutenkai at Iwai Beach; radical experiments in holistic movement (Sogo Budo).

渡欧
1966 渡欧
Master Atsuo Hiruma

Master Atsuo Hiruma

Atsuo Hiruma moves to Spain; Kazuhiko Sekine establishes the Sapporo branch in Hokkaido.

村上
1967 村上
Master Tetsuji Murakami

Master Tetsuji Murakami

Tetsuji Murakami aligns his European dojo network with Shotokai.

新体道
ca. 1970 新体道

Hiroyuki Aoki founds Shintaido; Masatake Egami joins him; Master Egami maintains policy of non-pursuit.

入門
1970 入門
Karate-do Nyumon (1970)

Karate-do Nyumon (1970)

Publication of Karate-do: For the Specialist; Hiroyuki Aoki and Rakutenkai serve as technical photo models.

宮本
Early 1970s 宮本
Master Tomoji Miyamoto

Master Tomoji Miyamoto

Tomoji Miyamoto films the definitive 16-Kata video archive under Egami's direct eye.

心伝
1976 心伝

Publication of The Way of Karate: Beyond Technique (Kodansha); Tomoji Miyamoto serves as sole technical photo model.

再建
1976 Nov 23 再建
Master Jotaro Takagi

Master Jotaro Takagi

Dedication of the rebuilt Central Headquarters Dojo Shotokan in Kikukawa, Tokyo.

欧州
1976 May–June 欧州

European journey across France, Switzerland, Italy, and Portugal; Egami writes the Soku-Ze-Dojo letter.

巡回
1978 巡回

Visits to Taiwan (Taipei/Taichung) and Spain (Madrid/Seville/Valencia); severe physical exhaustion.

発病
1980 Oct 10–12 発病

Egami collapses during an instructors' seminar; cerebral hemorrhage on Oct 12; hospitalization at Keio.

昇天
1981 Jan 8 昇天
Master Shigeru Egami's final legacy

Master Shigeru Egami's final legacy

Passing of Master Shigeru Egami at 7:00 PM (age 68) from pneumonia; brief bedside lucidity on Jan 7.

君影草
1991 May 20 君影草
Chiyoko Egami publishes Kimikageso

Chiyoko Egami publishes Kimikageso

Passing of Chiyoko Egami (age 71); Kimikagesō preserved as a vital historical record.

新本館
1995 新本館
Shotokai Honbu Dojo Kikukawa, Tokyo

Shotokai Honbu Dojo Kikukawa, Tokyo

Modern reconstruction of the Nihon Karate-do Shotokai Central Headquarters Dojo (Honbu Dojo Shoto-kan) at 2-1-7 Kikukawa, Sumida-ku, Tokyo (Zip 130-0024); Jotaro Takagi becomes 3rd Kancho and Fumito Sugimoto becomes Chief Instructor (Shihan).

六十年
1998 October 六十年

Commemoration of the 60th Anniversary of the Shotokan and 130th Anniversary of Master Gichin Funakoshi's birth celebrated at the Kikukawa Honbu Dojo, presided over by Master Genshin Hironishi, welcoming international delegations from Europe and the Americas.

武道
2005 March 9 武道

Passing of Master Fumito Sugimoto.

武道
2016 March 5 武道

Passing of Master Jotaro Takagi; Yoshinori Takita appointed 4th Kancho.

武道
2026 武道

Continuing global transmission of orthodox Shotokai, Egami-ryu, KDS, and Shintaido.

Central World Headquarters of Shotokai

Nihon Karate Do Shoto-kai Honbu Dojo Shoto-kan
(日本空手道松濤會 本部道場 松濤館)

Following the destruction of the original Mejiro dojo in the 1945 air raids, the central headquarters of Shotokai was re-established in Tokyo. In 1995, the modern Honbu Dojo in Kikukawa, Sumida-ku was completed, preserving the direct transmission of Master Gichin Funakoshi and Master Shigeru Egami.

Address: Zip 130-0024 • 2-1-7 Kikukawa, Sumida-Ku, Tokyo, Japan

TEL: +81-3-3635-8166 • FAX: +81-3-6659-2992

Official Site: https://www.shotokai.jp/

In 1998, the dojo commemorated the 130th anniversary of Master Gichin Funakoshi's birth and the 60th anniversary of Shoto-kan with a ceremony presided over by Genshin Hironishi.