The style traces back to Okinawan masters Soshu Matsumura and Anko Itosu. Originally called Itosu-ryu, the name "Karate" was changed in 1936 from meaning "China Hand" to "Empty Hand" to align with Japanese sentiment prior to World War II.
Karate moved to mainland Japan at the Butokukai Military Arts College in Kyoto. Master Yun Pon Gun, a student of Kenwa Mabuni, eventually led a group called Shimpu-ren (God’s Wind), a name rooted in the historical "kamikaze" typhoons.
After martial arts were outlawed by the American military government in 1945, practitioners like Yoichi Nakachi continued training in secrecy until the ban was lifted in 1948.
Yoichi Nakachi brought the art to Seattle in 1959. He eventually renamed the style Butokukan ("Training Hall of the Virtue of Martial Arts") to create a new identity, even exchanging ideas with Bruce Lee during his time in Washington.
In 1965, Nakachi returned to Japan and left Robert Hill in charge of the association. Hill expanded the organization in Bremerton while Nakachi transitioned to teaching swimming and adapting karate for the elderly in Japan.