Shotokan is a widely practiced style of karate developed by Gichin Funakoshi and his son Gigo Funakoshi. Originating in Okinawa, Gichin Funakoshi played a key role in popularizing karate-dō through public demonstrations and the establishment of university karate clubs in Japan.

After Funakoshi's death in 1957, his students continued teaching, but internal disagreements led to the formation of different organizations, including the Japan Karate Association (JKA) under Masatoshi Nakayama and the Shotokai under Motonobu Hironishi and Shigeru Egami. Despite these divisions, all Shotokan schools retain Funakoshi’s influence. Today, Shotokan remains a foundational and influential style of traditional karate.

Shotokan was the name of Gichin Funakoshi's first official dojo, built in 1936 in Mejiro, Tokyo, and later destroyed in the 1945 air raids. Shōtō (松涛), meaning "pine-waves," was Funakoshi's pen name, used in his philosophical and poetic writings. Kan (館) means "house" or "hall." Funakoshi's students honored him by placing a sign reading Shōtō-kan above the entrance of the dojo. However, Funakoshi himself never named his system, referring to it simply as karate. 

Karate originated in Okinawa in the 1300s, influenced by early Chinese martial artists. After Japan's 1609 invasion of the Ryukyu Kingdom, the Ryukyuans developed unarmed combat techniques due to a ban on weapons. This martial art, known as kara-te ("Chinese hand"), emphasized self-discipline but lacked uniforms, belts, and ranking systems.

Karate faced decline after Okinawa was annexed by Japan in 1879, but it regained popularity when it was introduced in Okinawan schools in 1905. In the Taishō era (1912–1926), Gichin Funakoshi and Motobu Chōki brought karate to mainland Japan, incorporating judo-inspired elements like training uniforms and belt rankings. Its popularity surged in the 1930s after Motobu defeated a foreign boxer. During this period of Japanese nationalism, the name changed from 唐手 ("Chinese hand") to 空手 ("empty hand") to emphasize its Japanese identity.

After World War II, U.S. servicemen stationed in Okinawa helped spread karate internationally. Martial arts films in the 1960s-70s further popularized it, leading to the global expansion of karate schools (dōjōs). Karate is not just about fighting but also spiritual discipline, with many schools following dōjō kun (ethical guidelines). It was included in the 2020 Olympics, and estimates suggest between 50 to 100 million practitioners worldwide.

Originally, Okinawa had an indigenous martial art called te ("hand"), which evolved alongside a Chinese-influenced art called tōde ("Tang hand") in the 19th century. Over time, the distinction between te and tōde faded, leading to the unified term karate (唐手, "Tang hand") in Okinawa.

As tensions between China and Japan grew in the early 20th century, karate's Chinese origins became controversial. In 1933, its name was changed from 唐手 ("Chinese hand") to 空手 ("empty hand") to emphasize a Japanese identity. This change was formalized in 1936 by Okinawan karate masters.

When karate was first introduced to mainland Japan in the 1920s by Gichin Funakoshi and Motobu Chōki, it was sometimes called karate-jutsu ("Tang hand art"). By 1929, the term karate (empty hand) gained traction, influenced by Buddhist concepts of emptiness. Later, dō (道, "way") was added to emphasize spiritual discipline, as seen in karatedō ("the way of the empty hand"), similar to judo and kendo.

Since the 1980s, Kyokushin Karate popularized writing karate in katakana (カラテ), giving it a modernized appearance in Japan. Karate Day is now officially recognized on October 25 to commemorate the 1936 name change.