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Karate History Overview
The Japanese word "kara" translates as empty and the word "te"
means hand. The third word "do" is generally translated as the
way or way. Thus, karate-do means the "empty hand way" or the
"way of the empty hand."
Karate-do is a martial art based upon the principles of
self-defense. It was developed on the island of Okinawa by
peasants who were denied the possession of weapons by their
rulers. In order to defend themselves, the Japanese peasants
refined the ancient Chinese fighting methods into a highly
effective combat art. Their hands and feet became their weapons
and through persistent training they were able to defend
themselves effectively.
When karate-do was no longer needed for everyday survival, it
continued as an art form. Since the knowledge and teaching of
karate-do was strictly forbidden by the military government, its
masters taught in secrecy for generations. In the 1900's,
karate-do was reintroduced to the Japanese people, who refined
its techniques. Gradually, karate-do spread to western
civilizations. Today, there are four major karate systems
recognized in the world: Shito-ryu, Shotokan, Goju-ryu, and
Wado-ryu.
Karate Historical Perspective
Okinawa is one of several tiny islands south of Japan. Because
of its favorable location, it was often visited by the Japanese,
Chinese, Koreans, and other foreigners. Likewise, many of its
people visited, worked and studied in these countries. This led
to the exchange of not only goods and services, but also
knowledge. It is unclear whether this exchange of knowledge had
a major influence on the development of the native fighting art,
known as Okinawa-te. But there is little doubt that necessity
had the strongest role in Okinawa-te's development into what is
commonly known today as karate.
Okinawa had always experienced problems with rivals, but in 1429
the kingdoms were united and in order to maintain this unity, a
decree was issued which banned possession of all weapons. This
seemed to work well until 1609, when Okinawa was conquered by
the rulers of the Satsuma Domain of Kyushu. Obviously, there was
no incentive for the new rulers to permit the Okinawans to own
weapons and they even put restrictions on their farming
implements that could double as weapons. Without weapons for
defense, the Okinawans began to develop the art of empty-handed
combat. It was taught and trained in secret. Because much of the
training was done at night the practioners trained in their
sleeping garments, which developed into the modern karate "gi."
Over the years the prohibition against karate training began to
lessen and the masters and their styles came into the forefront.
It is during the early years of Gichin Funakoshi, the founder of
Shotokan, that great changes swept through Okinawa and mainland
Japan. The government actively sought to develop a stronger
sense of nationalism and militarism and martial arts was
definitely a major player in nationalist pride. In 1902,
Funakoshi performed the first formal recorded demonstration of
karate. As a result of this and other demonstrations throughout
Japan, karate not only earned the approval of the Ministry of
Education and was introduced into public school curriculums, but
it also became an institution in Japanese youth organizations,
the military, colleges, commercial businesses, and with the
general public. Funakoshi was extensively sought after as an
instructor and found himself permanently relocating to Japan to
pursue instruction of karate to the Japanese. His students
initiated the building of the first public training hall, called
a karate dojo, which opened in 1939 and which was called the
"Shoto-kan." The name being based on its founder Funakoshi and
the word for hall.
Karate flourished in Japan and in 1948 the Japan Karate
Association (JKA) was founded. The establishment of the JKA lead
the way to the spread of karate throughout the world. Masatoshi
Nakayama, one of Funakoshi's greatest students, succeeded him as
the head of the JKA. Nakayama played a vital role in the
expansion of karate throughout the world. Eventually, the
International Shotokan Karate Federation (ISKF) was formed. The
four major karate systems recognized in the world today are
Shito-ryu, Shotokan, Goju-ryu, and Wado-ryu. The systems
continue to flourish and enrich the lives of countless adults
and young people throughout the world.
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