The Indian Academy of Shotokan Karate (IASK) was established in 23rd January 2014. IASK is International Associates of Shotokan Karate South Africa. IASK is member of Karate Association of India (KAI), the only governing body of all style karate. The IASK is a highly-disciplined organization that adheres to the traditional way of Shotokan karate. Shotokan (松濤館 Shōtōkan) is a style of karate, deve
loped from various martial arts by Gichin Funakoshi (1868–1957) and his son Gigo (Yosh*taka) Funakoshi (1906–1945). Gichin was born in Okinawa and is widely credited with popularizing "karate do" through a series of public demonstrations, and by promoting the development of university karate clubs, including those at Keio, Waseda, Hitotsubashi (Shodai), Takushoku, Chuo, Gakushuin, and Hosei. Funakoshi had many students at the university clubs and outside dojos, who continued to teach karate after his death in 1957. However, internal disagreements (in particular the notion that competition is contrary to the essence of karate) led to the creation of different organizations—including an initial split between the Japan Karate Association (headed by Masatoshi Nakayama) and the Shotokai (headed by Motonobu Hironishi and Shigeru Egami), followed by many others—so that today there is no single "Shotokan school", although they all bear Funakoshi's influence. As the most widely practiced style, Shotokan is considered a traditional and influential form of karate do.
