MARTIAL ARTS

Gichin Funakoshi

1868 - 1957

Photo of Gichin Funakoshi

Icon of person Gichin Funakoshi

Gichin Funakoshi (船越 義珍, Funakoshi Gichin, November 10, 1868 – April 26, 1957) was the founder of Shotokan karate. He is known as a "father of modern karate". Following the teachings of Anko Itosu and Anko Asato, he was one of the Okinawan karate masters who introduced karate to the Japanese mainland in 1922, following its earlier introduction by his teacher Itosu. Read more on Wikipedia

Since 2007, the English Wikipedia page of Gichin Funakoshi has received more than 652,903 page views. His biography is available in 45 different languages on Wikipedia (up from 43 in 2019). Gichin Funakoshi is the 3rd most popular martial arts, the 41st most popular biography from Japan (down from 33rd in 2019) and the 2nd most popular Japanese Martial Arts.

Gichin Funakoshi is most famous for being the founder of Shotokan karate.

Memorability Metrics

  • 650k

    Page Views (PV)

  • 69.12

    Historical Popularity Index (HPI)

  • 45

    Languages Editions (L)

  • 11.34

    Effective Languages (L*)

  • 2.45

    Coefficient of Variation (CV)

Among MARTIAL ARTS

Among martial arts, Gichin Funakoshi ranks 3 out of 179Before him are Ip Man, and Kanō Jigorō. After him are Morihei Ueshiba, Mas Oyama, Huo Yuanjia, Wong Fei-hung, Randy Couture, Linda Lee Cadwell, Choi Hong Hi, Ankō Itosu, and Kenwa Mabuni.

Most Popular Martial Arts in Wikipedia

Go to all Rankings

Contemporaries

Among people born in 1868, Gichin Funakoshi ranks 12Before him are Karl Landsteiner, Constantine I of Greece, Robert Andrews Millikan, Archduchess Marie Valerie of Austria, Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg, and Emanuel Lasker. After him are Fuad I of Egypt, Arnold Sommerfeld, Florence Foster Jenkins, Peter Behrens, Theodore William Richards, and Paul Claudel. Among people deceased in 1957, Gichin Funakoshi ranks 16Before him are Johannes Stark, Wilhelm Reich, Arturo Toscanini, Oliver Hardy, Henry van de Velde, and Constantin Brâncuși. After him are Gerty Cori, Gabriela Mistral, Walther Bothe, Richard E. Byrd, Irving Langmuir, and Heinrich Otto Wieland.

Others Born in 1868

Go to all Rankings

Others Deceased in 1957

Go to all Rankings

In Japan

Among people born in Japan, Gichin Funakoshi ranks 41 out of 6,245Before him are Yasujirō Ozu (1903), Itō Hirobumi (1841), Isao Takahata (1935), Emperor Kōmei (1831), Richard von Coudenhove-Kalergi (1894), and Hiroshige (1797). After him are Hiroo Onoda (1922), Morihei Ueshiba (1883), Takeda Shingen (1521), Takeshi Kitano (1947), Minamoto no Yoritomo (1147), and Minamoto no Yoshitsune (1159).

Among MARTIAL ARTS In Japan

Among martial arts born in Japan, Gichin Funakoshi ranks 2Before him are Kanō Jigorō (1860). After him are Morihei Ueshiba (1883), Ankō Itosu (1831), Kenwa Mabuni (1889), Chōjun Miyagi (1888), Masatoshi Nakayama (1913), Higaonna Kanryō (1853), Hironori Ōtsuka (1892), Motobu Chōki (1870), Koichi Tohei (1920), and Matsumura Sōkon (1809).