The origins of modern Karate go back to 1922 when Gichin Funakoshi, the founder of Shotokan karate, and a student of both Asato Ankō and Itosu Ankō . Was invited from Okinawa to demonstrate at the All Japan Athletic Exhibition, by Crown Prince Hirohito. His demonstration caused such a stir that he was encouraged to stay in Japan and teach Karate to the Japanese.

Funakoshi changed the names of many kata and the name of the art itself, in order to get karate accepted by the Japanese. Funakoshi also gave Japanese names to many of the kata. The five pinan forms became known as heian, the three naihanchi forms became known as tekki, seisan as hangetsu, Chintō as gankaku, wanshu as enpi, and so on. These were mostly political changes, rather than changes to the content of the forms,

In 1957, the Japan Karate Association was formed with Masatoshi Nakayama, one of Funakoshi Sensei’s top students, as the Chief Instructor. Nakayama was director of physical education at Takushoku University in Tokyo. He encouraged the top students from the karate club in that university to train as full time instructors in the special two year Instructor Training Programme that he set up at the Japan Karate Association.

After Masatoshi Nakayama’s death in 1987 the Japan Karate Association experienced some splintering of the organisation, Notable splinter groups formed as follows:

• 1977, JKA instructor Shiro Asano formed , with Hirokazu Kanazawa as chief instructor.  Shotokan Karate-Do International Federation (SKIF).
• Taiji Kase and Hiroshi Shirai,  formed the World Karate-Do Shotokan Academy.
• Taketo Okuda, JKA chief instructor in Brazil, formed, Butoku-kan.
• 1990, a legal dispute between  Tetsuhiko Asai, and Nobuyuki Nakahara. For the  the Japan Karate Association name started. The matter was resolved in favour of Nakahara’s group.
• Tetsuhiko Asai, formed Japan Karate Shotorenmei
• Keigo Abe formed Japan Shotokan Karate Association
• Mikio Yahara,  formed  Karatenomichi World Federation
• 2007, the International Shotokan Karate Federation (ISKF),  led by Teruyuki Okazaki, 10th dan, became independent.
• 2009, Takahashi Shunsuke formed the TSKF Australia (Traditional Shotokan Karate-Do Federation).
• 2011 Masao Kawazoe, 8th Dan, returned to the JKA, but continues as ITKF Chief Instructor

Due to these divisions, the JKA karate style is taught by instructors who are not affiliated with JKA although some of them are former JKA instructors.