Training is usually divided into three sections: kihon or "basics", kumite or "sparring", and kata (forms or patterns of moves). Shotokan techniques in kihon and kata are characterised by deep, long stances which provide stability, powerful movements and also helps strengthen the legs. Strength and power are often demonstrated instead of slower, more flowing motions. The kumite techniques mirror these stances and movements at a basic level, but progress to being more "free" and flexible at a higher level. Funakoshi is said to have found the traditional martial arts (such as sumo, jujutsu and kenjutsu) to be too focused on combat, and he put more emphasis on health, breathing, releasing energy and outstanding mind and body control.^{[citation needed]} Shotokan can be regarded as a hard and 'external' martial art.

Before his students established the Japan Karate Association, Master Funakoshi Gichin laid out the Twenty Precepts of Karate, which form the foundations of the art. Within these twenty principles, based heavily on Bushido and Zen, lies the philosophy of Shotokan.

1. Never forget: karate begins with rei and ends with rei (Rei means courtesy or respect, and is represented in karate by bowing)
2. There is no first attack in karate
3. Karate supports righteousness
4. First understand yourself, then understand others
5. The art of developing the mind is more important than the art of applying technique
6. The mind needs to be freed
7. Trouble is born of negligence / ignorance
8. Do not think karate belongs only in the dojo
9. Karate training requires a lifetime
10. Transform everything into karate; therein lies its exquisiteness
11. Karate is like hot water, if you do not give it heat constantly, it will again become cold water
12. Do not think that you have to win, rather think you do not have to lose
13. Transform yourself according to the opponent
14. The outcome of the fight depends on one's control
15. Imagine one's arms and legs as swords
16. Once you leave the shelter of home, there are a million enemies
17. Postures are for the beginner; later they are natural positions
18. Perform the kata correctly; the real fight is a different matter
19. Do not forget control of the dynamics of power, the elasticity of the body and the speed of the technique
20. Apply the way of Karate to all things. Therein lies its beauty.

Also, Dojo Kun is very important:

1. Hitotsu, jinkaku kansei ni tsutomuro koto.
   First, seek perfection of character.
2. Hitotsu, makoto no michi wo mamoru koto.
   First, defend the path of truth and sincerity.
3. Hitotsu, doryoku no seishin o yashinau koto.
   First, foster the spirit of effort.
4. Hitotsu, reigi o omonzuru koto.
   First, respect the principles of etiquette.
5. Hitotsu, kekki no yu o imashimuru koto.
   First, have self control to refrain from impetuous and violent behavior.

The prefix Hitotsu (variously tranlated as one or first) is used to indicate that all five principles are equally important. Another less literal translation of the Kun, though possibly a better contextual translation, used by many:

1. Exert oneself in the perfection of character
2. Be faithful and sincere
3. Cultivate the spirit of perseverance
4. Respect propriety
5. Refrain from impetuous courage and reckless behaviour

Funakoshi also wrote the Ultimate Aim of Karate-do:

"The Ultimate aim of Karate lies not in victory or defeat, but in the perfection of the character of the participant."

Shotokan Today

Today, Shotokan remains a very popular style worldwide:

The earliest organisation propagating Shotokan was the Nihon Karate-do Kyokai, more widely known as the Japan Karate Association (JKA). This was the first formal Shotokan organisation, formed by the Shotokan karate clubs of Japanese universities of the time, members mainly coming from Takushoku university, but also from Hosei, Waseda, Gakushuin and Keio universities. The JKA was headed by Masatoshi Nakayama, with Gichin Funakoshi holding the position equivalent to Professor Emeritus. JKA grew to be one of the biggest karate organisations in the world. Differences between senior instructors and administrators gave rise to a number of breakaway groups, eventually resulting in the JKA itself splitting into two distinct factions.

Aside from the JKA, Gichin Funakoshi is believed to have given direct permission to Mr. Tsutomu Ohshima, to start a karate organization in the United States of America. Shotokan Karate of America is a nonprofit organization that has been teaching traditional karate-do in the United States since 1955. SKA is still led by Tsutomu Ohshima to this day. Mr. Ohshima is also recognized as the chief instructor of many other SKA-affiliated national Shotokan organizations worldwide. SKA maintains its national headquarters in Los Angeles.

Hirokazu Kanazawa (1931-present), was the first to break away from the JKA to found his own organisation, called Shotokan Karate International. He studied under Masatoshi Nakayama(1913-1987), late headmaster of the JKA and Hidetaka Nishiyama (1928-present), both disciples of Gichin Funakoshi. Kanazawa's group introduced elements of Tai Chi Chuan, particularly in the matter of flow and balance, and actively promoted the evolution of shotokan while maintianing the traditional core of the art. Kanazawa is considered one of the most technically brilliant practitioners of shotokan, and was a top contender in competition. Most notably, he won the Kumite championship at the first JKA open tournament in 1957 with a broken hand. He was awarded 10th Dan in April 2000, and is the only karate practitioner to have held this grade while still alive.

Taiji Kase (1929-2004) also founded his own group, called the World Shotokan Karate Academy[1], since re-born as the Shotokan-Ryu-Kase-Ha Instructor Academy. He studied martial arts under his father (a Judo instructor), as well as both Gichin Funakoshi and his son Yoshitaka Funakoshi. He left Japan in 1964 to teach karate internationally, but started teaching his own style of Shotokan to avoid the power struggles in the art. The SRKHIA is an organisation for 3rd Dans and above as individual members; it does not register national associations and as such its mission is for the technical development of its members to continue.

Keigo Abe (1938-present) born from a very old and highly respected samurai family, in the town of Iyoshi in Ehime prefecture on the island of Shikoku, Japan , he is seen by many traditional karate-ka as being one of the most senior and innovative Shotokan instructors in the world today. As a student at the Japan Karate Association honbu, Keigo Abe's tutelage came directly under Masatoshi Nakayama (1913-1987) a situation which is reflected in his deference to Masatoshi Nakayama, as being his only headmaster. Keigo Abe was a former senior instructor at the JKA Honbu, having graduated from the world renowned instructors class and as a senior member of the JKA, held the office of Director of Quaifications in the original, pre-split Japan Karate Association. However after the split in 1990, he became the Technical Director of the JKA (Matsuno Section) a position which he held during some of the association's most turbulent years. In his youth with the JKA he was deemed a highly competent and aggressive tournament fighter, and took 3rd place in the very first JKA National Championships; was the captain of the Japanese team at the second World Championships in Paris, France; won 1st place at the JKA international Friendship Tournament in 1973, and took 1st place in the second and third JKF National Championships as a representative of Tokyo. Renowned for his strong traditional approach to Shotokan karate which is reflected in his instruction, he retired from the JKA in 1999 to form his own international organisation, the Japan Shotokan Karate Association (JSKA) based in Japan, which has a large following worldwide. It is represented by regional groups in each country, an example being the JSKA-Great Britain[2]. A highly respected karate-ka both in Japan and internationally, Mr Abe is one of a few senior Shotokan instructors alive today, who truly teaches the concepts and methodology of his former grandmaster, Mr Masatoshi Nakayama. He was also responsible for formulating the Shobu Ippon tournament rules, used by most Shotokan stylists in the world today.

Mikio Yahara, (1947- present) Chief Instructor of the Karatenomichi World Federation, graduated from Kokushikan University and became an Instructor of the Japan Karate Association during its zenith in the 1970s and 1980s. In over a decade of competition, Yahara distinguished himself as a predatory fighter, monopolizing the high ranks of domestic, international and world championships, but as Kata World Cup Champion, he is probably most famous for his performance of Unsu. Yahara is regarded by some, along with Hirokazu Kanazawa and Tetsuhiko Asai as one of the most technically brilliant, naturally talented and controversial Karateka that the Japan Karate Association ever produced. In Japan and abroad, he is somewhat of a controversial legend. When Tetsuhiko Asai, Yahara, Keigo Abe, Akihito Isaka and other leading JKA Karateka formed the Matsuno Section of the JKA, Yahara became Assistant Chief Instructor. In 2000, Yahara formed the Karatenomichi World Federation (KWF) with Isaka. The KWF is represented in over 40 countries. At 59, Yahara is still a lethal fighter, fracturing three of his opponent's ribs during kumite in July 2006, when he was awarded 8th Dan. KWF claims that no other senior karate instructor has ever submitted himself or herself to real kumite, in front of juniors and in front of the camera, for his 8th dan.

Tetsuhiko Asai (1935-2006) born in Ehime, Japan in 1935, as a young boy he often practiced Sumo, Judo, Kendo, and the Spear from his father. He studied at the Takushoku University in Tokyo where he studied Shotokan karate. He joined the instructors programme and became an instructor with the JKA. In later years he instructed in China, Hong Kong, America, Europe and Hawaii where he led the Hawaiian Karate Association. Mr Asai was made Chief Instructor of the JKA after Masatoshi Nakayama death in 1987, however, he along with a number of senior JKA instructors, opposed the appointment of Nakahara as Chairman and they formed a separate JKA (Matsuno Section). Following a lengthy legal battle, the Nakahara group won the rights to the JKA title and Asai's own group adopted the name of the Japan Karate Shotorenmei (JKS) which has a large following both internationally and in Japan itself.

Keinosuke Enoeda was the JKA representative in the United Kingdom for many years, with his organisation, the KUGB acting as the largest British arm of the JKA. The Karate Union of Scotland both North and South represented the JKA in Scotland, and also came under the direct leadership of Mr Enoeda's KUGB. Since his death in 2003, the KUGB has continued as an independent organisation under the leadership of Andy Sherry.The KUS has splintered into many subgroups, with the JKA being represened in Scotland by two groups; the JKA (Scotland) and the JKA World Federation (Scotland). The JKA continues to be represented in England by JKA England headed by Yoshinobu Ohta.

Hidetaka Nishiyama, Chairman of the International Traditional Karate Federation (ITKF) and President of the American Amateur Karate Federation (AAKF), was born in Tokyo in 1928 and began his karate training in 1943 under Gichin Funakoshi at the Shotokan. Two years later, while enrolled at Takushoku University, he became a member of the university's karate team, for which in 1949 he was named captain. He was a co-founder of the All Japan Collegiate Karate Federation and was elected its first chairman. In 1951 he became a –founding member of the Japan Karate Association (JKA) and was elected to the JKA board of Directors. In 1952, he was selected as a member of the martial arts combat instruction staff for the Strategic Air Command (SAC) Combat Training Program. The other karate instructors for this program included Gichin Funakoshi, Masatoshi Nakayama, and lsao Obata. He is one of the most senior Shotokan karateka in the world today and lists amongst his former students Hiroshi Shirai and Takeshi Oishi. Mr Nishiyama continues to instruct at the Central Dojo in Los Angeles and conducts a busy schedule conducting seminars and courses around the U.S. and abroad. He also is producing new texts and manuals as well as instruction video tapes concerning traditional karate.

John Fonseca is the current most decorated Shotokan Karate kumite champion in the U.S.A.

Teruyuki Okazaki (1931-present) is the head of the International Shotokan Karate Federation, which is part of the JKA. He studied under both Master Funakoshi, and Master Nakayama.

Note. Although this is a list of some of the most senior shotokan instructors and their organisations, it is not complete.

Partially due to the great politicization of Shotokan karate, many organizations exist, many with excellent instructors.

An additional note: Another group of karate practitioners, also practice the karate taught by Gichin Funakoshi. They were called the Shotokai, or association/group of Shoto (Funakoshi), and comprised of extremely talented students of Funakoshi. The karate they practice is now officially referred to as Shotokai to differentiate from Shotokan, which was the karate propagated by the JKA. The Shotokai claim Shigeru Egami, the seniormost of the Shotokai, was named successor by Funakoshi after the death of this son Yoshitaka.