Since 1971, I have been practicing Shotokan Karate, just as taught technically by the Japan Karate Association (JKA). Already in the early 1970s, I had the good fortune of witnessing Karate demonstrations by Hiroshi Shirai, Keinosuke Enoeda, Koichi Sugimura, Yasuyuki Fujinaga, and Hideo Ochi, and I early on asked myself what made the difference in Karate technique when performed by these JKA masters compared to our execution here in Germany, even though we practiced the same Shotokan style. Were the differences merely the visual distinctions of the physical physiognomy of the Japanese compared to us Europeans, or were there essential differences in the execution of the Karate techniques? I was able to answer this question for myself through training at the JKA Honbu Dojo and at the Hozoji Dojo of Norihiko Iida.
