Shotokan Karate
Funakoshi
The name 'Shotokan' comes from the name 'Shoto' which was Funakoshi's pen name. In addition to being a karate master, Funakoshi was an avid poet and philosopher who would reportedly go for long walks in the forest where he would meditate and write his poetry.
In 1936, Funakoshi built the first Shotokan dojo in Tokyo. He changed the name of karate to mean "empty hand" instead of "China hand"; the two words sound the same in Japanese, but are written differently.
Karate had borrowed many aspects from Chinese boxing which the original creators say as being positive, as they had done with other martial arts.
Young Funakoshi
In addition, Funakoshi argued in his autobiography that a philosophical evaluation of the use of "empty" seemed to fit as it implied a way which was not tethered to any other physical object.
Since Shotokan Karate is a traditional martial art, the development of character and mental disciplines are as important as the development of the physical skills. Shotokan Karate is meant to be accessible for all ages and abilities.