Karate: History and Origins

Karate
Karate is a Japanese style of martial arts. The word “Karate” literally means “empty hand.” Originally, the artform came from Okinawa, an Island just off Japan. Karate is a mixture of Okinawan arts and Chinese Kung Fu.

Karate is characterized by linear kicking, blocking and punching techniques executed by strong stances. It is an artform that uses powerful movements.

Karate Origins
The historical origin of martial arts movements can be traced by to the warrior traditions of the Samurai. However, the origin of the Karate system and the creation of the term of Karate itself is unclear but names such as Anko Itosu, Kanga Sakugawa, Anko Asato were teachers of the art in the 17 and 1800s.

Most of this history has been lost and the information was handed down from teacher to student. Thus, the history is not always accurate but we do our best.

Gichin Funakoshi, a student of Sensei Anko, decided to systemize Karate and make it more accessible. He was the first Karate instructor to introduce Karate to Japan. Over the years, he became very active in promoting Karate throughout the world and was known as the “Father of Modern Karate.”

The Uniform
Until this point, Karate was performed in Japanese-style kimonos and would often get ripped. One day, and so the story is told, Gichin Funakoshi and his friend, Judo founder Jigoro Kano, saw a fireman’s canvas outfit. It seemed strong and durable and as a result, they created the Judo and Karate uniforms using the same style of material.

The Belt System
Until around the early 1900s, there were no such things as belt ranks. In fact, only after the uniforms were created, belts were added to hold the uniform together. That is, until one day, Kano and Funakoshi saw either a swim meet or a track meet and on the board, they had color ranks. The white, green and black as the highest. (It could have also included brown but again, we do our best.)

So, they took that idea and created a belt system with white as the beginner and black as the senior. And that, is how the belt ranking began.

Common Myths
MYTH: Some people say the white belt got dirty over time and turn to black. Not true. Colors were invented at the same time.
MYTH: Black belt ceremonies require punching to the stomach or being slapped by a bunch of belts by everyone in the school. Not true. There was never a traditional ceremony established for achieving a black belt, those new ceremonies were only added by American schools.
MYTH: Achieving the black belt is the end of a journey. Instead, it is the beginning of journey. Now you know the basics and intermediate, and advanced, it’s time to perfect them over many years.

Different Styles of Karate
Over the past century, many different styles of Karate have been formed. Gichon Funakoshi created the Shotokan style, but there is also the Wado-ryu, Shorin-ryu, Kyokushin, Goju-ryu, Shito-ryu and more.