Shotokan Karate-Do International Federation

(SKIF) Headquarter - Tokyo-Japan

Shotokan Karate-Do International Federation (SKIF) was established in 1977 by Kancho Hirokazu Kanazawa who had studied directly under the Grand Master Gichin Funakoshi, the founder of Shotokan Karate-Do .  Kanazawa Sensei was the director and general Manager for Foreign Affairs Division of the Japan Karate Association before he founded SKIF .  SKIF, a Government recognized Specified Non- Profit Organization in Japan has been expanding its activities since its founding and now  has affiliated group in over 120 countries with several millions members worldwide.


The philosophy of Shotokan Karate-Do is based on the traditional budo spirit of karate which seeks for the perfection of character through hard training and discipline.  In addition to the traditional philosophy underpinned by the Rei-to-Setsu and Dojo Kun , SKIF also seeks the healthy mental and physical growth of youth and peaceful international exchange of friendship through the training and competition.

Rei and Setsu :  when interacting with others , rei (bowing) serves as a means of initially displaying respect for a person’s character, contributes to well-balanced relationship between people , and provides a way for preserving social order.  Setsu (principles) represent the proper etiquette for expressing this concept .  It is essential that those who practice karate maintain a deep internal understanding of rei and act in strict accordance to the code of setsu .