As the legend reports, the development of Karate began more than 1,000 years ago, maybe already in the 5th century b.Chr. when Bodhidharma after leaving India arrived in China, in the Shaolin-si ("little temple of the woods"). He developed a system of exercises that were designed to strengthen body and soul. Allegedly this is the beginning of shadowboxing. Bodhidharma's exercises turned out to be the basis for most of the Chinese martial arts. But to be true the origins of Karate are still in the dark. Clarity begins when Karate appears on the Japanese island of Okinawa.
Okinawa is the main island of the Ryuku-islandchain, that stretches from Japan till Taiwan. Surrounded by corals Okinawa is 10 kilometers large and has a length of 110 kilometers. The island is about 740 kilometers east of the mainland of Chinas and 550 kilometers south of Japan and 550 kilometers north of Taiwan. As the island lay in the crossing range of important commercial routes it became a commercial center of the Japanese. Later Okinawa developed to a center of trade for Japan, China, Indochina, Thailand, Malaysia, Borneo and the Philippines.
At the beginning the combat-art of Karate was a method of fist-fighting developed on Okinawa, named "Te" (hand). The inhabitants of Okinawa by the law of the occupying forces mustn't bear weapons. As a consequence they refined the techniques of weaponless self-defence which only in private were taught to the pupils. Other martial arts which were introduced by nobles and travelling salespeople had a great influence on Karate. The art of Te developed over the years especially in the three cities of Okinawa, Shuri, Naha and Tomari. Each of them constituated a different center: The king and the nobles, merchants and salespeople, farmers and fishers. That's the reason why in every one of these cities an own style was developing that was named according to its origin: Shuri-Te, Naha-Te and Tomari-Te. A more general term is Okinawa-Te or Tode (Chinese hand). Gradually two styles were formed: Shorin-ryu in and around the cities Shuri and Tomari and Shorei-ryu in the region of Naha. It should however be stressed that all of the threee cities weren't far away from each other so that the differences were more of a superfluous nature. According to Gichin Funakoshi the differences of the two styles are that Shorin-ryu is characterized by fast and straight-lined movements and was executed with the natural breathing rhythm. Shorei-ryu however consisted of round movements and the breathing was done syncronically with the movements. It's interesting that these different forms of practicing are also existing in Chinese Kung-Fu.
The Chinese sign for death could also be pronounced as Kara, and Te was substituted by Kara Te - Jutsu or as the masters of Okinawas said: the art of Chinese hands. This expression was later changed into Karate-Do by Gichin Funakoshi who used another meaning of the sign "Kara" that meant "empty". From now on Karate meant "empty hand". Do meant "way" or "path".
The first official presentation of Karate took place in 1917 by Gichin Funakoshi in the Butoku-den in Kyoto This and the following presentations caught the Japanese by the throat encluding the then-prince Hirohito. In the year 1922 Funakoshi was invited by Dr. Jano Kano, the founder of the modern Judo to present Karate in the renowned Kodokan-Dojo and to teach the new martial-art in Japan. This promotion was essential for the further proliferation of Karate in Japan. Without the support of such a prominent master like Kano, Karate would have been despised as "sport for Okinawan farmers " by the Japanese.
Today there are more or less four styles of Karate: Goju-ryu, Shito-ryu, Shotokan and Wado-ryu:
Goju-ryu developed out of Naha-Te. Its popularity is mostly due to Kanryo Higaonna (1835-1915) who run a Dojo in Naha and who brought with him eight forms of China. His best pupil, Chojun Miyagi (1888-1953) founded Goju-ryu, the hard-soft-way in the year of 1930. Goyu-ryu stresses especially the combination of soft and circular blocking techniques that are followed by fast counter-attacks.
Shito-ryu was founded in 1928 by Kenwa Mabuni (1889-1952), who also was influenced by Naha-Te and Shuri-Te. The name Shito is derived from the sign for the names of the teachers of Mabuni: Ankoh Itosu and Kanryo Higoanna. Shito-ryu-schools are using a large number of Katas (about 50). The style is characterized by a strong stress on strength while exercising the techniques.
Shotokan was founded in 1938 in Tokio by Gichin Funakoshi (1868-1957). Funakoshi nowadays is seen as the founder of modern Karate . Born on the island of Okinawa, he began studying Karate together with Yasutsune Azato, a great expert of martial-arts. In 1921 Funakoshi introduced Karate for the first time in Tokyo. In 1937, almost seventy years of age he opened his own Dojo. This Dojo was called Shotokan, the pen name Funakoshi signed his poems in his youth with. Shotokan-Karate is characterized by straightforward techniques and low positions.
Wado-ryu, the "way of harmony", was developed in 1939 by Hienori Otsuka, a pupil of Funakoshi, as a system combining Karate and Jiu-Jitsu . Typical for Wado-ryu is the combination of Jiu-Jitsu basic evasive movements and the stress on soft movements.