According to legend, karate had its beginnings in India with a Buddhist monk named Daruma. Tradition says that Daruma travelled across the Himalayan Mountains from India to the Shaolin Temple in Honan Province of China. There he began teaching the other monks his philosophies of physical and mental conditioning. Legend has it that his teachings included exercises for maintaining physical strength and self-defence.
The Okinawan believes that the art known as karate today came from those original teachings of Daruma.
Karate evolved on the Japanese Islands of Ryukyu, with Okinawa as its main Island. China and Japan has always fought to control the region, and during the 14th century it was China who dominated the Ryukyu-Islands. The Shaolin-szu temple strongly influenced the development of karate in this region.
In order to control the Ryukyu-Islands, Japan occupied Okinawa in the 17th century. The inhabitants were forbidden to carry weapons by the Japanese rulers, that privilege was exclusively reserved for the samurais, the approved warriors of the society.
During the following centuries, karate was practised with secrecy as a defence against the ruling class. One had to defend oneself empty-handed against one or several opponents with swords. Thereby the name “kara te”, which means “empty hand”.
Different styles
During the 20th century karate has become better known. Many masters have worked to spread the art to the rest of the world. In the middle of the century one could discern four different karate styles that could be called “basic-styles”: Shitoryu, Wadoryu, Gojoryu and Shotokanryu. These have their origin in two different kinds of karate that was practised on Okinawa and which names were connected with the place from where they originated, added with the word for “hand”, i.e. “Shuri-te” and “Naha-te”. This took place in a period which ranged from the end of 19th century to 1935. Many of the different styles that is said to practise “traditional karate-do” have its origin or are developed by people that started as practiciants in one of the above mentioned basic styles.
Today there are a great number of different karate styles. They represent the very great number of people that practise martial arts and their cultural influence on the way they are practised. To suggest that one karate style is better than the other is presumptuous. Karate evolves through its practitioner’s many-faceted mosaic of commitment for the people and the training. Great leaders, instructors, involvement and persistent training give better result than belonging to a “classy” karate style. Through karate people from all over the world can meet and exchange experiences through a common interest and enrich their lives together.
Sport or a life-philosophy?
Karate can be practised as sport and/or life-philosophy where it’s important to live well and grow as a human being through your training. These two directions together make it possible to practise karate throughout life. During a couple of years it is possible to compete among the sporting elite, thereafter it is possible to continue to develop ones skills almost to infinity. Karate is a sport for life!
