Who founded Shūdōkan?

Shūdōkan was founded by Toyama Kanken (遠山寛賢, 1888–1966).

Where and when did Shūdōkan originate?

Shūdōkan originated in Japan and dates to the Early–mid 20th century.

What does Shūdōkan emphasise?

Shūdōkan emphasises Itosu's Shuri-te curriculum, Karate taught without a rival style name, A broad set of kata.

What weapons does Shūdōkan use?

Shūdōkan trains with Unarmed.

Shūdōkan, Ryūpedia

Shūdōkan is a school of karate founded by Toyama Kanken (1888–1966), a direct student of Itosu Ankō who opened his dōjō in Tokyo in 1930. Toyama declined to set up a named style in rivalry with others, holding that he passed on Itosu's karate whole, and several organisations descend from his teaching today.

Toyama's school in Tokyo

Shūdōkan (修道館) is a school of karate founded by Toyama Kanken (遠山寛賢, 1888–1966), who was born in Shuri, Okinawa, and opened his dōjō of that name in Tokyo, on mainland Japan, in 1930. The word Shūdōkan names the hall, "the place for training in the way", and came to stand for the karate taught there.

An Itosu inheritance

Toyama was a direct student of Itosu Ankō, the Shuri master who did most to bring karate into the Okinawan schools, and he taught a curriculum rooted in that Shuri-te. He declined to set up a named "style" in rivalry with others, regarding himself as passing on Itosu's karate whole rather than a personal invention.

To pass on Itosu's karate whole, not a personal invention.

Lines from the Shūdōkan

Many later teachers trained at the Shūdōkan and carried its karate onward, and several distinct organisations descend from Toyama's teaching today. The school's history is securely documented from Toyama's well-recorded career as a schoolteacher and karate master.