Japan Karate Association's motto is 'Keepers of Karate's Highest Tradition'.
Japan Karate Association was created in 1949.
Professional Karate Association was created in 1974.
International Karate Organization was created in 1964.
All Japan Karate do Association. Founded by Kanken Toyama
American Karate Association
That will depend on what it is you are looking for. If there is a specific style of karate, your organization is probably the best bet. If you are looking for karate in general Mark Bishop's book Okinawan Karate is a good source. Haines Karate's History and Tradition is another source.
Thomas Casale or Sensei Casale
Shotokan Karate of America was founded in the year 1959. It is a non-profit organization that aims to teach traditional Karate-Do in the USA. It is led by Tsutomu Ohshima.
Usually the only martial artists who have proof of their ranking are those who belong to a traditional organization like the ISKF (International Sport Karate Fed.), JKA (Japan Karate Association), ITF (International TKD Fed.), WTF (World TKD Fed.) etc. Other than that, there is only the reputation of the instructor.
Jean Claude Van-Damme
There is no single international governing body. International governing bodies include World Association of Kickboxing Organizations, World Kickboxing Association, International Sport Karate Association, International Kickboxing Federation, World Sport Kickboxing Federation, among others. Consequently, there is no single kickboxing world championship, and champion titles are issued by individual promotions, such as K-1, It's Showtime, Lumpinee Boxing Stadium, among others.however; The International Sport Karate Association(ISKA) is one of the major international bodies regulating karate and kickboxing matches, and is based in the United States. It was established in 1985 as a response to legal and revenue issues that sent the Professional Karate Association (PKA) into decline.[Source; Wikipedia