The discipline of karate first appeared in the Ryukyu Island chain of Japan in the late 14th century. As Chinese immigrants started arriving to settle on the islands, they brought their knowledge of martial arts with them. The Japanese adopted karate as a way of protecting themselves without weapons. The use of weapons was denied to many priestly classes and middle classes of both China and Japan. Karate literally means the “Empty Hand.” Although karate was known in the West for centuries it did not start to become a popular defense training technique until after World War II. It was in the 1960s that karate and all the martial arts disciplines took off in the U.S. The Bond films and the martial arts films of the 1960s showed the martial arts as a way of killing an opponent with a single blow and stressed the brutality of fighting. Shigeru Egami who was the chief instructor of the Shotokan Dojo and one of the 20th century’s most renown martial artist observed that “the majority of the followers of karate in overseas countries pursue karate only for it’s fighting techniques….movies and television depict karate as a mysterious way of fighting capable of causing death or injury with a single blow. The mass media presents karate as a pseudo art of destruction which is far from the real thing.”
Karate is not a game of points, weight classes, or showy demonstrations. It is a martial art and a way of life that trains the practitioner to be peaceful; if conflict is unavoidable, true karate dictates taking down an opponent with a single blow. Such action requires strength, speed, focus, and control. But these physical aspects are only part of the practice.
True karate is based on Bushido. In true karate, the body, mind and spirit — the whole person — must be developed simultaneously, Through kihon, kumite, and kate one learns to control body movements. But more importantly, one learns to give up control, too. A practitioner can perform the techniques without thinking about them, and remain focused without having to concentrate on any one thing. In essence, the body remembers how to move and the mind remembers to be still. This harmonious unity of mind and body is intensely powerful. Even the greatest physical strength and skill are no match for the power of wholeness.
The result of true karate is natural, effortless action, and the confidence, humility, openness, and inner peace only possible through the perfect unity of mind and body. This is the core teaching of Zen, the basis of Busido, and in the basic philosophy of karate. Karate’s purpose is to protect one’s self and discipline the mind and body while remembering that the Way is not to harm others but to exercise restraint. As the years have passed and the teaching of martial arts has increased, students have found that studying the martial arts has taught them about respect, discipline, the virtue of hard work, sacrifice, and humility. It’s not about breaking boards or throwing bad guys over your shoulder — it is about living a full, productive, and tranquil life.
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