GICHIN FUNAKOSHI (1868-1957)

Funakoshi O’Sensei the father of Shotokan Karate-Do, perhaps the most widely known style of karate and is attributed as being the “father of modern karate”. In 1922, Funakoshi introduced Shotokan Karate to Japan and the world, standardizing many of the forms that we practice today for teaching in elementary school, high school, and college levels.
Notable Students: Hironori Ōtsuka, Gigō Funakoshi, Isao Obata, Shigeru Egami, Teruyuki Okazaki, Tetsuhiko Asai, Masatoshi Nakayama, Yasuhiro Konishi, Hidetaka Nishiyama, Tsutomu Oshima, Taiji Kase, Hirokazu Kanazawa, Mitsusuke Harada, Masutatsu Oyama, Tetsuji Murakami, and many others.

MASATOSHI NAKAYAMA (1913-1987)

One of the founders of the Japanese Karate Association, holding the position of Chief instructor for many years. Formed the JKA Instructor Trainee Program which has created some of the finest Karate Instructors in the world. He was an internationally famous Japanese master of Shotokan karate, wrote many textbooks on karate, which served to popularize this martial art. For 40 years he worked to spread Shotokan Karate around the world. He was the first master in Shotokan history to attain the rank of 9th dan while still alive and was posthumously awarded the rank of 10th dan.
Notable Students: Keigo Abe, Tetsuhiko Asai, Keinosuke Enoeda, Hirokazu Kanazawa, Takayuki Mikami, Teruyuki Okazaki, Hidetaka Nishiyama, Taiji Kase, Hiroshi Shirai, Shojiro Sugiyama, Tatsuya Naka, and many others.

HIDETAKA NISHIYAMA (1928-2008)

Student of Funakoshi and Nakayama, and a prominent Japanese master of Shotokan karate. He was an internationally recognized instructor, author and administrator. Was one of the original students of the JKA, Nishiyama helped establish the Japanese karate Association. He was also one of several JKA Instructors to find karate associations in the United States and around the world including the International Traditional Karate Federation (ITKF). He was one of the last surviving students of Gichin Funakoshi until his death in 2008. He was a pioneer of karate in the US and was awarded the rank of 10th dan in Shotokan by ISKA while still alive.

VINCENT A. CRUZ (1937-2015)

Founder of the International San Ten Karate Association (ISKA). Student of Hidetaka Nishiyama, Kaigate, Isao Obata, Kyuzo Mifune, H. Kotani, T. Tomiki, M. Hosakawa, and many others.
Notable students: Rick Johns (Panama), Ricardo Llewelyn (Panama and USA), and many others.

RICARDO LLEWELYN

Sensei Ricardo Llewelyn has been practicing Shotokan Karate since 1970. He holds a Kyu-Dan (9th Degree Black Belt) in Shotokan Karate and has been granted titles of Shihan, Kyoshi and Hanshi with the International San Ten Karate Association (ISKA). Hanshi Llewelyn is the President of ISKA, founded by Sensei Vincent Cruz in 1979. Sensei Llewelyn is also ranked with the Dai-Ichi Shotokan Karate Association (DSKA), headed by Sensei Ricardo Johns and the International Traditional Karate Federation (ITKF), headed by the late great Master Hidetaka Nishiyama.