History of Karate
Karate is a Japanese word meaning "empty hands" which
indicates that Karate is a kind of martial art that does not require weapons
other than the parts of the body. Originally, it was a method of unarmed
self-defense developed in the Okinawan Islands from various techniques
introduced from mainland China, as well as local innovations. In truth, the
origins of karate appear to be somewhat obscure and little is known about
the early development of karate until it appeared in Okinawa. Although its
origin is obscure, a popular legend prevails that the evolution of karate
began over a thousand years ago, possibly as early as the 5th BC when
Bodhidharma arrived in Shaolin-si in China from India and taught Zen
Buddhism. He also introduced a systematized set of exercises designed to
strengthen the mind and body. This set of exercises allegedly marked the
beginning of the Shaolin style of
temple boxing. Bodhidharma's teachings later became the basis for the
majority of Chinese martial arts.
However, the question of his contributions to the martial arts and to Zen
Buddhism and even of his very existence has been a matter of controversy
among historians and martial arts scholars for many years.
Karate was originally known as 'Kenpo', meaning 'First Law'. From
China it crossed over to Okinawa, where
known as 'Te', which consisted mostly of hand movements. In 1923 the
Okinawans altered the Chinese character to a Japanese character. Thus, the
meaning changed from 'hands of China' to 'empty hand'. This transition
assuredly lea to a deeper meaning to the art in which the spiritual overcame
the physical.
Te continued to develop over the years, primarily in three Okinawan cities:
Shuri, Naha and Tomari. Each of these towns was a center to a different sect
of society: kings and nobles, merchants and business people, and farmers and
fishermen, respectively. For this reason, different forms of self-defense
developed within each city and subsequently became known as Shuri-te, Naha-te
and Tomari-te. Collectively they were called Okinawa-Te or Tode, 'Chinese
hand'. Gradually, karate was divided into two main groups: Shorin-ryu which
developed around Shuri and Tomari and Shorei-ryu which came from the Naha
area. It is important to note, however, that the towns of Shuri, Tomari, and
Naha are only a few miles apart, and that the differences between their arts
were essentially ones of emphasis, not of kind. Beneath these surface
differences, both the methods and aims of all Okinawan karate are the same .Shorin-ryu
was quick and linear with natural breathing while Shorei-ryu emphasized
steady, rooted movements with breathing in synchrony with each movement.The
Chinese character Tode could also be pronounced 'kara', thus the name Te was
replaced with kara te - jutsu or 'Chinese hand art'' by the Okinawan
Masters. This was later changed to karate-do by Gichin Funakoshi who adopted
an alternate meaning for the Chinese character for kara, 'empty'. From this
point on the term karate came to mean 'empty hand'. The Do in karate-do
means 'way' or 'path', and is indicative of the discipline and philosophy of
karate with moral and spiritual connotations
In the last seven decades, the techniques have been modified into distinct
Japanese styles. Today there are four main styles of karate-do in Japan:
Goju-ryu, Shito-ryu, Shotokan, and Wado-ryu:Many. These styles are currently
taught in the world and are often modified into styles more suitable to
their own methods of self defense. Thus the art of karate is constantly
undergoing improvement and revision.
In its course of development, Karate has gradually come into prominence as a
sport. In 1916, two experts form Okinawa, Kenwa Mabuni and Gigen Funakoshi
introduced their techniques to Japan aiming at promoting Karate as a sport
throughout Japan. As a sport, Karate offers many different levels and types
of competition. A typical tournament would include demonstrations of
breaking, weapons use, self defense techniques, tradition and open forms and
the most exciting competition, sparring. Competitive tournaments bring
together many different styles of Karate.
About the Author
eKnow Inc. Staff, Joined eKnow Inc. in 2008 as a part time content editor
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