The literal translation of the word "Karate" means "empty hands". This refers to the fact that Karate
originated as a system of unarmed self-defense using only the hands, feet, and body of the practitioner. This
system consists of basic techniques that block or evade an attack and then counter attacking the opponent by
punching, kicking, striking, or any combination thereof.
Empty handed fighting was brought to Canton, China during the Liang Dynasty by a Buddhist Monk named
Daruma Taishi, from India, who originated the Mediative Sect of Zen. He introduced the form of empty handed
fightng about 525 A.D.
The man most responsible for the systemization of Karate as we know it today was Gichin Funikoshi. He was
born in Shuri, Okinawa in 1869, and when only a boy of eleven began to study Karate (then known as Okinawa-
te), under the two top masters, Azato and Itosu. In time he became a Karate expert in his own right. He is
credited with being the first man to introduce Karate to Japan proper, when he gave exhibitions in 1917 and
again in 1922 at physical education expositions sponsored by the Ministry of Education. The art soon caught
on in Japan, and Funakoshi traveled throughout the country giving lectures and demonstrations. The main
universities invited him to help set up KArate teams, and hundreds of persons studied the art under his
guidance. In 1957, Master Funakoshi, the father of modern Karate, passed away at the advanced age of 88
leaving thousands of students to carry on his spirit in Karate. Funakoshi was also a poet under the name of
Shoto, meaning pine trees in the sand. The style of Karate which he taught became known as "Shotokan"
style - Japanese Karate
