Karate

Karate is a Japanese martial arts discipline with an emphasis on unarmed hand-to-hand combat that originated on the island of Okinawa. With historic roots that can be traced back to antiquity, modern karate initially developed as a hybrid of indigenous Okinawan forms of self-defense and traditional Chinese martial arts that made their way to the island over time. By the seventeenth century, karate became systematized in Okinawa, with several different schools and systems that each emphasized somewhat disparate techniques and methods of training. Although karate was for hundreds of years practiced predominantly in secret and only by an elite few, it eventually grew into a global phenomenon. In the twenty-first century, as many as one hundred million people in more than one hundred countries worldwide practice karate, which is regarded as a major international sport with a diverse array of styles and numerous sanctioning organizations.

Origins

The history of karate begins with Bodhidharma (Daruma in Japanese), a monk who founded Zen Buddhism in Western India. Eventually, Bodhidharma brought Buddhism into China, where he combined intense spiritual and physical training to create an effective program for strengthening the mind and body. Unfortunately, Bodhidharma's program was so demanding that few of his followers could complete a training session without collapsing out of sheer exhaustion. In response, he developed a more progressive training program that was less physically taxing but equally beneficial. Ultimately, Bodhidharma recorded the details of his program in a work called Ekkin-Kyo, which has since come to be regarded as the first book ever written on karate.

Meanwhile, a separate form of closed-fist combat called Okinawa-te or te developed in Okinawa, which was then an independent island country located south of the Japanese mainland. Because of frequent wars and two long-running bans on weaponry, te developed at a rapid pace. Much of this development took place in secret in the Okinawan cities of Shuri, Naha, and Tomari. Each of these cities was populated by a different class of Okinawan society, with the capital city of Shuri serving as the home of the nobility, the business center of Naha serving as the home of the merchant class, and the agricultural and fishing town of Tomari serving as the home of the peasantry. In each of these three cities, a unique form of self-defense developed, including Shuri-te, Naha-te, and Tomari-te. Collectively, these schools were referred to as Okinawa-te.

Over time, the Chinese martial arts begun by Bodhidharma found their way to Okinawa and were meshed with Okinawa-te. This blending of Chinese and Okinawan fighting techniques resulted in a form of martial arts that merged the simple, yet effective approach of Okinawa-te with more elaborate ancient Chinese training methods. Thus, karate was born.

Development of Modern Karate

As it was passed on from generation to generation and still largely practiced in secrecy over the next several centuries, karate gradually evolved and improved. Modern karate first started to emerge in the early nineteenth century with the teachings of accomplished pugilist and staff fighter "Tode" Sakugawa. Starting in 1806, Sakugawa taught a form of karate known as Karate-no-sakugawa in the city of Shuri. Among Sakugawa's top students was Sokon Matsumura, an officer in the royal palace guard who himself began teaching a form of karate that blended the traditional te and Shaolin styles in the 1820s. In time, Matsumura's method became known as Shorin-ryu. Like Sakugawa before him, Matsumura instructed several future masters, including Anko Itosu, who played a pivotal role in bringing karate out of the shadows and into the mainstream. First, Itosu adapted Kusanku and Chiang Nan, two complex kata, or forms, he learned from Matsumura to create the simplified Pinan forms for novice students. Later, in 1901, he successfully lobbied for the inclusion of karate in the Okinawan public school curriculum. Ultimately, this helped to popularize karate not only among the general Okinawan public but also throughout the world. For his influential efforts, Itosu earned widespread recognition as the "grandfather of modern karate."

Since Itosu pulled back the curtain of secrecy in the early twentieth century, karate has grown to become a major international sport. Today, there are a wide variety of different karate styles that are actively practiced. Most of these styles fall under one of the four major schools currently recognized by the World Karate Federation (WKF), including Shotokan, Wado-ryu, Shito-ryu, and Goju-ryu.

Techniques and Practices

Modern karate is a martial arts discipline in which practitioners execute strikes and kicks and use their arms and legs to perform various defensive blocking maneuvers. In doing so, they aim to concentrate as much power as possible at the point of impact. Students train themselves to do this by throwing repeated practice blows against padded surfaces or even breakable pine boards. Over time, students' bodily striking surfaces, which include the hands, heels, forearms, knees, and the balls of the foot, become toughened and more powerful.

In most types of karate, novice students begin their training wearing a white uniform, or gi, with a white cloth belt. As they progress, students work their way through a series of different color belts that denote their level of skill. Although the belt colors used in this progression vary by school, the highest achievement across all styles is the black belt, which signifies the student's mastery of basic skills. In addition, the black belt, also known as dan, is further qualified by degrees of skill.

There are two main forms of competitive karate: kumite (sparring) and kata (contests of form). In kumite contests, competitors engage in one-on-one sporting matches that usually last about three minutes. For safety purposes, competitors normally stop short on their kicks and blows. If neither competitor lands a so-called "killing" point, the winner of the match is decided by a panel of judges. In kata, individual competitors perform carefully choreographed sequences of movements designed to simulate defensive maneuvers and counterattacks. These performances are scored by a panel of judges, and the competitor who earns the highest score is declared the winner.

Bibliography

"History of Karate." Indiana University Karate Club. The Trustees of Indiana University. Web. 18 Feb. 2016. http://www.indiana.edu/~karate/?page‗id=15

"The History of Okinawan Karate." The History of Fighting. Andrew Griffiths. Web. 18 Feb. 2016. http://www.historyoffighting.com/okinawan-karate.php

Lund, Graeme. The Essential Karate Book: For White Belts, Black Belts, and All Karateka In-Between. North Clarendon: Tuttle Publishing, 2010. Print.

"What Is Karate?" Tulane Karate Club. Tulane University. Web. 18 Feb. 2016. http://www.tulane.edu/~karate/karate.htm