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.
Master Shigeru Egami (1912 - 1981)
Birth of Shigeru Egami in Miyanoura-cho, Omuta, Fukuoka Prefecture.
Egami begins judo at age thirteen; later practices kendo and an aiki art.
Egami training at Waseda University
Egami enters Waseda University School of Commerce; trains under Takeshi Shimoda and Gichin Funakoshi.
Master Takeshi Shimoda
Passing of assistant Takeshi Shimoda; Yoshitaka Funakoshi assumes technical leadership.
Karate-do Kyohan (1935)
Founding of the Shotokai association to support Master Funakoshi.
Egami appointed to the Shotokan Evaluation Committee at age 24.
Original Shoto-kan Dojo (Mejiro)
Opening of the first dedicated dojo building, named Shotokan, in Zoshigaya, Tokyo.
Egami teaches unarmed combat at the Army Nakano Espionage Academy alongside Yoshitaka Funakoshi and Tadao Okuyama.
Marriage of Shigeru Egami and Chiyoko through an arranged match.
Wartime evacuation to Omuta; Egami opens a two-room dojo teaching self-defense and character.
Master Yoshitaka Funakoshi
Destruction of Mejiro Shotokan in air raids; passing of Yoshitaka Funakoshi.
Master Mitsusuke Harada, MBE
Mitsusuke Harada departs for Brazil, maintaining voluminous letter exchanges with Egami.
Master Tsutomu Ohshima
Tsutomu Ohshima arrives in the United States; later starts the Caltech club (1957) and SCKA (1959).
Master Egami demonstrating soft penetration
Egami begins the 'Funakoshi-Egami Style' overhaul, discarding rigid tension and makiwara training.
Severe gastric surgeries at Keio Hospital; cardiac crisis on the table where Egami is gone for ten minutes.
Supreme Master Gichin Funakoshi
Passing of Master Gichin Funakoshi; Egami is the sole student at his hospital bedside.
Funakoshi funeral conducted by Shotokai; JKA declines to attend, marking the formal institutional division.
Master Shigeru Egami at Tokyu Dojo
Formal opening of the Tokyu Karate Dojo with Egami appointed shihan.
Master Genshin Hironishi
Legal incorporation of Nihon Karate-do Shotokai; Hironishi becomes president, Egami chief instructor.
Egami initiates systematic inquiry into bio-magnetic waves, solar cycles, and distance projection (toate).
Master Hiroyuki Aoki at Iwai Beach
Founding of Rakutenkai at Iwai Beach; radical experiments in holistic movement (Sogo Budo).
Master Atsuo Hiruma
Atsuo Hiruma moves to Spain; Kazuhiko Sekine establishes the Sapporo branch in Hokkaido.
Master Tetsuji Murakami
Tetsuji Murakami aligns his European dojo network with Shotokai.
Hiroyuki Aoki founds Shintaido; Masatake Egami joins him; Master Egami maintains policy of non-pursuit.
Karate-do Nyumon (1970)
Publication of Karate-do: For the Specialist; Hiroyuki Aoki and Rakutenkai serve as technical photo models.
Master Tomoji Miyamoto
Tomoji Miyamoto films the definitive 16-Kata video archive under Egami's direct eye.
Publication of The Way of Karate: Beyond Technique (Kodansha); Tomoji Miyamoto serves as sole technical photo model.
Master Jotaro Takagi
Dedication of the rebuilt Central Headquarters Dojo Shotokan in Kikukawa, Tokyo.
European journey across France, Switzerland, Italy, and Portugal; Egami writes the Soku-Ze-Dojo letter.
Visits to Taiwan (Taipei/Taichung) and Spain (Madrid/Seville/Valencia); severe physical exhaustion.
Egami collapses during an instructors' seminar; cerebral hemorrhage on Oct 12; hospitalization at Keio.
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.
Chiyoko Egami publishes Kimikageso
Passing of Chiyoko Egami (age 71); Kimikagesō preserved as a vital historical record.
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).
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.
Passing of Master Fumito Sugimoto.
Passing of Master Jotaro Takagi; Yoshinori Takita appointed 4th Kancho.
Continuing global transmission of orthodox Shotokai, Egami-ryu, KDS, and Shintaido.
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.