Isao Obata

was a pioneering Japanese master of Shotokan karate. He was a senior student of Gichin Funakoshi, who is widely recognized as the founder of modern karate, and was a key figure in the establishment of the Japan Karate Association (JKA) under Funakoshi in 1949. Obata also helped introduce karate to the United States of America through his demonstrations of the art to United States Air Force personnel, and through his students, most notably Tsutomu Ohshima. In 1954, he left the JKA when the organization became increasingly commercial and militaristic in nature.

In his final years, Obata lived with his wife in the outskirts of Tokyo, spending his days teaching karate or tending to his garden.