Karate-Do
KARATE OVERVIEW
Karate, literally translated as “empty hand,” is one of the oldest and most effective means of fighting known to man. It is considered the ultimate in unarmed self-defense. The practice of Karate consists of learning blocking, shifting, punching, striking, and kicking. Although it can be aggressive, it is instructed and practiced by most groups as a counteraction to an attack on your person.
Much erroneous information has been disseminated to the public recently on Karate. Most of the information has stressed the bizarre, the board and brick breaking. It is true that Karateists can smash stacks of tiles with the bare fist and chop through bricks and boards, but this is only to demonstrate the power that an individual can achieve through Karate.
A further misconception of the art is that one must harden or mutilate the hand to be effective in Karate. A zealous student may possibly form a callous on certain parts of the hands and feet by repeated practice, however, it is extremely rare to see any Karateists in this country or in Japan, with truly deformed or impaired use of his hands or feet.
The essence of Karate is speed. Add this to a knowledge of anatomy, of where and how to strike and you have an unbeatable combination. There is no mystic or secret power of Karate nor are all the movements deadly or dangerous. Karate movements have been analyzed and geometrically calculated so that whatever the action, a block or punch, it is the maximum the body can achieve. One quickly learns that it is not the size and strength alone that win, rather speed and knowledge that are the factors in who will emerge victorious in physical combat.
For just good exercise, Karate ranks among the best because it uses all parts of the body and keeps you “toned up”. Unlike other exercises that are oftentimes boring, Karate is always challenging, stimulating and especially purposeful.
KARATE HISTORY
About 1400 years ago Budhidharma a Buddhist monk left western India for china to present lectures on Buddhism . The journey was long and extremely dangerous requiring great physical endurance and mental control. His destination was the shaolin (Shorinji) temple. During the journey, he set forth a method for physical and mental discipline that is contained in the ‘Ekkin sutra of the Buddhist Teachings’. This method came to bear the name of its origin namely Shorin-ji. Upon reaching the Ryukyu island, it came to be known as Okinawa-te. It was also called tote and underwent great development in Okinawa for centuries. According to legendary accounts, Okinawa was unified under king Sho Hashi of chuzan in 1429, who issued an edict prohibiting all Ryu Kyuans from possessing weapons. It is known that an order prohibiting weapons was promulgated by the Satsuma clan of kagoshima after they gained control of Okinawa in 1609 by Shizuma. Karate was therefore practiced clandestinely .
About 500 years ago, Karate as a martial art was cultivated in Okinawa under the reign of the famous hero king Shohashi and 300 years later the development of karate as a means of unarmed self-defense received tremendous impetus, since on the island the use of weapons had been prohibited by the Japanese government. Because of this national policy the self defense techniques development into the unique Okinawan martial art of karate, as we know it today.
In 1922, Master Gichin Funakoshi , President of the Okinawan Association of Martial Arts, introduced karate-do to the mainland of Japan, during the First National Athletic Exhibition, held in Tokyo.
The demonstration turned out to be a great success, due to the inspiring personality of master Funakoshi, who cultivated the typical Japanese aspects of this ancient martial art of self defense. Master Funakoshi always emphasized the spiritual aspects of karate, such as courage , coutesy, integrity, humility and self control that makes a bold character. Today, karate art is chiefly being learnt throughout the world & gaining from karate, physically & mentally. Karate became known as the martial art of the “true gentleman” and gained nation-wide popularity among university students. Master Funakoshi was not only a genius in martial arts but also a literary talent.