Early karate origins
Karate is an ancient
martial art whose origins date back over one thousand years. Karate can trace its roots to the Chinese Shao Lin fighting art.
The Shao Lin style arose from the training methods introduced by Dharma at the Shao Lin monastery. Designed to build strength
and endurance, these methods helped the Shao Lin monks carry out their religions strict discipline.
The Shao Lin style
migrated to Okinawa, where the authorities forbade the use of weapons. The Okinawan
style of "empty-hand" fighting and self-defense soon arose, combining Shao Lin with indigenous fighting techniques. This martial
art was called karate in recognition of its Chinese origin. ("Kara" means "Chinese"; "te" means "hand".)
The development of modern karate under Gichin Funakoshi
Gichin Funakoshi
was born in Okinawa in 1868, the
same year as Japan's Meiji Restoration. Introduced to karate as a boy, Funakoshis early training took place in complete
secrecy -- at the time, the Okinawan government had banned the practice of karate. Funakoshi eventually became a schoolteacher,
training in karate all the while. During this time, Okinawan karate emerged from its seclusion to become a legally sanctioned
martial art. In 1922, the Japanese Ministry of Education held a martial arts demonstration in Tokyo; the Okinawan Department of Education
asked Funakoshi to introduce Okinawan karate to Japan.
Funakoshi did
not get the chance to return to Okinawa. His demonstration made a powerful impression on the Japanese public; Funakoshi was soon beseiged with requests to
further demonstrate and teach his art. Eventually, he had enough students to open a modest dojo in a Tokyo dormitory's lecture hall. Local universities
began to take an interest in karate, and Funakoshi became a regular instructor at a number of them. The ranks of Funakoshi's
students grew.
Recognizing that
the karate he practiced had diverged from the Chinese fighting styles, Funakoshi changed the meaning of "karate" from "Chinese
hand" to "empty hand." ("Kara" can also mean "empty".) The change was important to Funakoshi: the "empty hand" concept not
only reflected the fact that its practitioners used no weapons, it also recalled the Zen process of perfecting oneself and
one's art -- by emptying the heart and mind of earthly desire and vanity.
Funakoshi also
set out to make karate more accessible to the public. He revised and streamlined the components of karate training, especially
the kata, to make karate simple enough for everybody -- young and old, men and women.
Karate began to
spread throughout Japan. In 1935, Funakoshi's supporters had pooled enough funds to erect the first free-standing karate dojo
in Japan. The dojo opened the next year, with a sign over the door bearing the dojo's name: Shoto-kan.
("Kan" means "building." "Shoto" means "pine
waves," which describes the sound of the wind rustling through pine trees. Funakoshi, who loved nature, was fond of this murmuring
sound -- he considered it a kind of "celestial music." Therefore, he used the name "Shoto" to sign his calligraphy.)
In 1955, the Japan
Karate Association was established -- Funakoshi's art had become a full-fledged karate organization. At the time, it was a
modest one, with only a few members, a handful of instructors, and Funakoshi, who served as chief instructor. Gichin Funakoshi
passed away shortly, in 1957. Since then, Shotokan students have carried on his spirit and teachings. The result: the JKA
now has over 100,000 active karate students and approximately 300 affiliated karate clubs worldwide.
Sources:
Karate-do: My Way of Life, Gichin Funakoshi.
"Karate -- Yesterday and Today," Dynamic Karate,
Masatoshi Nakayama