Despite the fact that oriental martial art, called karate-do, is considered Japanese, the inhabitants of the Land of the Rising Sun themselves did not know what this term means until the 20th century. And the thing is that the historical homeland of karate is the island of Okinawa, which is located 500-600 kilometers from the islands of Kyushu and Taiwan.
History of Origin
So, let's look at what constitutes an island - the birthplace of karate. This is a very small piece of land, which is located on the path between Taiwan and Kyushu and has a very interesting shape tied in a knot of rope. By the way, the name is translated - a rope on the horizon. For the first time, the art of the Okinawan hand, Okinawa-te, was formed. This happened in the XII-XIII centuries as a result of the merger of hand-to-hand combat techniques and other ancient combat systems, some of which were borrowed by sailors in India and China. In short, karate is a fusion of Okinawan, Indian and Chinese martial arts. However, the homeland of karate is still Okinawa, and not any other Japanese island.
Okinawa Island
In the 12th century, Okinawa, in spite of its small size, was a strip of land in the ocean, fragmented into many pieces (symbolically). Each of the units, which were called regions, had its own ruler. Each of the rulers considered it his duty to build a residence - a palace called gusuki. From here, the army of the ruler controlled located near the village. Later, all these areas united into one kingdom - Ryukyu. In the XIV century. it has become the largest center of trade between the countries of Southeast Asia. Trade developed more and more, and for this Okinawan sailors carried out large-scale cargo transportation on sea vessels. They were constantly attacked by pirates.
In Ryukyu, there was a strict ban on the carrying of weapons, and poor sailors went to sea without any protective equipment. It was then that they began to develop hand-to-hand fighting skills in order to protect themselves if necessary. Initially, it was called te, since mainly hands were used. Further, it began to be called to-te, that is, a magic hand, and since many tricks were borrowed from the Chinese, this martial art became known as kara-te - the hands of the Chinese. We think that after reading this story, no one will doubt that Okinawa is the birthplace of karate.
Styles and Views
Most of this martial art, which was created for self-defense, also occurred on Okinawa. Many of them were named after the areas in which they occurred. So, for example, there is a kind of karate - Shuri-te, whose homeland is the Shuri region, or Naha-te from Naha. Each of the regions had its own mentors and teachers, who passed on the nuances to the younger generation. Nevertheless, the homeland of judo and karate is not the same.
Judo, although it is a Japanese type of martial art, and like karate, is of Chinese origin, it nevertheless originated in Tokyo, that is, on the island of Honshu. Its founder was Jigoro Kano - a Japanese teacher and athlete. He was born in the second half of the XIX century, from an early age he studied martial arts.
Karate Development
Already in the 30s of the XIX century. the government of Okinawa, the homeland of karate, sent experts to neighboring China to study in depth various hand-to-hand combat systems. Among them was Sokona Matsumuru, a native of Shuri. Subsequently, he founded the Shorin-ryu karate school, and after 18 years he became the supreme teacher, Sensei of martial arts on the whole island of Okinawa. The style that he taught was one of the toughest, and he learned it at the Shaolin Monastery.
Thus, by the end of the 19th century, two main areas had formed in the homeland of karate:
- Shorei, whose name translates as "enlightened soul."
- Shorin is a "young forest".
The first was distinguished by sharpness, hardening of striking surfaces in order to make it possible to pierce armor, etc. The second was softer and eliminated the need to kill. Here much attention was paid to the education of discipline and moral principles of students. It was she who became the progenitor of such a martial art as judo. So, if you are asked: “Name the homeland of judo and karate,” you can safely call Okinawa.
XX century and karate
After the end of World War II, Okinawan karate was divided into 3 main styles: Shorin-ryu, Uechi-ryu and Goju-ryu. After this, various schools began to appear, which developed their own special technique and style. Nevertheless, karate in all schools was almost the same and had common kata. It was from them that both defense and attack techniques logically grew. The largest of them was the very Shorin-ryu. It also has its own subspecies, however, they are all united by a common idea and philosophy.
Classes
Today karate is popular not only in Japan, but also in many countries of the world. In the process of classes, pupils in combination with a physical training system are taught various self-defense techniques, in which the techniques of kicking and kicking prevail. Among them there are throws and painful tricks that make this type of martial art tough. Speaking of karate, one cannot help but touch kobudo. In it, objects come to the rescue, in particular those used in agriculture. This is a pole bo, a dumb trident sai, a small flail nunchaku, a handle from millstones of tonfa and sickle kama. All these seemingly innocent objects turned into weapons are an integral part of Okinawa-te.
Other types of karate use a paddle, brass knuckles, two small stones connected by a strap or chain, as well as a shield made of tortoise shell.
Conclusion
Now we know when and where, on which of the Japanese islands, a kind of martial art of karate originated. For more than 700 years, this teaching has been passed down from generation to generation, by word of mouth, by the example of masters to students.