It seems that everyone is clear that karate is of Chinese origin, but nevertheless it originated in Japanese territory, how is this possible? We are going to give a brief history class on one of the most famous sports of the moment, and all thanks to its appearance in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
We have to go back to the year 3,000 BC where martial arts began to gain strength and jump to the 6th century AD where karate appears in specific areas of Okinawa. Karate is known to have originated in China and India, but it was in Okinawa that it really began to develop.
The thing about Okinawa is that to this day there are still disputes, since it is a group of islands that are halfway between China and Japan. In fact, throughout human history Okinawa has belonged to both cultures and countries and now belongs to Japan.
karate is chinese
Karate has not always been known by that word, but it began with Te, which means Hand. In the 19th century it changed its name to karate due to its popularity, so much so that it was introduced in Okinawan schools as part of Physical Education classes. This was done to differentiate karate from Tode which means Hand as well, but it is a different technique originating from China.
As the story goes, several families from China settled in okinawa and they brought with them these martial arts practices. Little by little, communities were created in Okinawa and the influx of experts in martial arts was growing.
The advancement of martial arts and unarmed fighting was inadvertently fostered by a ruling issued by Sho Hashi, banning weapons in his kingdoms. This king ruled Okinawa until 1527 and brought about peace. During his tenure martial arts flourished.
Before karate, there really was Kenpo (in Japanese) or Chuan-fa (in Chinese) and both are pronunciations of Kanji. As kenpo (Chinese boxing) developed, the precursors of karate-do emerged, which are Okinawa-Te and Tode.
Unfortunately, there are no written documents that confirm 100% what historians say. But through research, investigations, consultations and so on, it is believed that karate has its beginning in China, but was developed on the island of Okinawa that today belongs to Japan.
Now we know how, when and where karate emerged, at least the beginnings of what is now one of the most common sports practices on our planet. In fact, it is estimated that there are almost 11 million people all over the world who practices karate on a daily basis.
This boom has to be thanked for the participation in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, although unfortunately karate has not been accepted for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Hopefully things will change and this sport will be included.