First, where did the name "karate" come from?
As you now know (you've been to the History pages, right?) Shotokan is an amalgam of two Okinawan martial arts, Naha-te and Shuri-te. As such, the style soon to be known as Shotokan was originally called just Te, or "Hand". However, when Funakoshi-sensei brought it to Japan, the style was named kara-te, or "Chinese Hand". However, Funakoshi was not happy with the name "Chinese Hand". Luckily, there was another "kara" character to replace the "Chinese" character used in the name. That ideogram meant "Empty". Funakoshi felt this was a much better interpretation for the name. "Empty Hand" symbolized that the practitioner did not need a weapon. It also was meant to symbolize the gentleness of the art. "Try to use an empty hand to diffuse a situation before you resort to force", or more simply, "Don't fight unless you absolutely have to".
Where did "Shotokan" come from?
Funakoshi himself said that he used to gain inspiration for his writing by walking through the pine forests on Mt. Torao. He also said that when the wind below through the trees, it sounded like waves on the shore. Therefore, Funakoshi decided to take the pen name of "Shoto", which means "wind through the pines" or "waves in the pines" (it depends upon who you ask).
Later, when Funakoshi was teaching karate in Japan, his students built a school for him. They named the building the "Shotokan", or "school of Shoto". Hence, the name.
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