THE HISTORY OF KARATE-DO:

The history of 'KARATE-DO' can be traced to the Ryukyu Islands that stretch from Taiwan to Kyushu (the southern most island of the Japanese mainland) Lying at a confluence of trade routes, the culture of Okinawa was greatly influenced by China and later Japan. Early development of what was known as Okinawa-te (Okinawa hand) or Tode (Chinese hand) featured adaptation of indigenous and Chinese methods of combat. In the early 1600s, forces frommainland Japan subjugated the Ryukyu Kingdom and instituted a complete ban on the possession of weapons and the practice of martial arts. From this era until modern times, training in ancient forms of 'KARATE-DO' was extremely secretive.

 In addition to developing the body as an instrument of self-defense, tools, farming & fishing implements and other common items were utilized as weapons In the early 1900s, a form of 'KARATE-DO' was added to the school curriculum in Okinawa. Gichin Funakoshi, a schoolteacher from Okinawa, first introduced 'KARATE-DO' to the Japanese mainland in 1917 and again in 1922. Gichin Funakoshi was instrumental in establishing Karatedo clubs at a number of universities. 

He considered some of the greatest names in modern 'KARATE-DO' as his students, and in 1938 he opened a school known as the Shotokan dojo. Concurrently, in Okinawa, the ancient styles of Shuri-te, Naha-te, and Tomari-te were being reorganised into logical, standardised systems, which in turn became the basis of modern Karatedo in Okinawa.

The Chinese character used to write Tode could also be pronounced  'kara,' thus the name Te was replaced with KARA TE-JETSU, or 'Chinese Hand Art' by the Okinawan Master. This was later changed to 'KARATE-DO' by Gichin Funakoshi, who adopted an alternate meaning for the Chinese 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.

空  手  道

The word 'KARATE-DO' is a combination of three Japanese characters: KARA (empty), TE (hand), and DO (way or path). The "Way of Karate" is a means of physical, spiritual, and moral development based on protracted training. 

In order for 'KARATE' to be accepted as a Japanese art (and not an Okinawan import), certain changes were necessary. In 1929, one of these was to change the characters used to spell 'KARATE' so that the meaning became 'EMPTY HAND'.

'KARATE' translates, as is generally accepted, to Empty Hand in Japanese. 'KARATE' is a martial art that uses weaponless techniques such as punching and kicking to overcome the opponent. Typically, fighters wear a white 'KARATE' uniform (GI) and a belt that indicates their skill level and rank.

The development of 'KARATE' began in Okinawa, an island south of Japan. Okinawans travelled to China, where they learnt the Chinese martial arts. On their return to Okinawa, they set about blending their own martial arts (initially simply called Te, "Hands") with what they had learnt in China and called it To-De, Chinese Hands.

From this, 4 main styles of 'KARATE' developed: Goju Ryu, Shorin Ryu, Uechi Ryu, and Shorei Ryu. Gichin Funakoshi, who trained under several Okinawan Karate masters, developed his own style of 'KARATE' that he named Shotokan.

Funakoshi introduced Shotokan to Japan in the early 20th century. Other Okinawan masters soon followed him: Chojun Miyagi with Goju Ryu and Kenwa Mabuni with Shito Ryu. From these masters, many new styles were soon developed. For example, Kyokushinkai by Mas Oyama, Goju Kai by Gogen Yamaguchi, and Wado Ryu by Hinonori Ohtsuka.

There are now hundreds of different styles of 'KARATE' across the world, but all can be traced back to the original four from OKINAWA.

• Origin of 'KARATE: OKINAWA