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Brief History of Karate

China

Although the ancient origins of Karate are extremely vague, we do know that about 1400 years
ago, Daruma (Bodhidharma), the founder of Zen Buddhism, used techniques basic to karate.
According to legend, Daruma travelled from India to China to teach Buddhism. His training
methods were so demanding that his disciples dropped from exhaustion. In order to build up
their strength and endurance, he developed a method of training the mind and body. His
training was tought in the monastery of the Shaolin Temple in China, where the techniques
were refined and developed into fighting forms known as Shaolin Boxing.

Okinawa

In the 16th Century, Shaolin Boxing found its way to Okinawa from China. It combined with the
native Okinawan techniques to develop into several Okinawan styles. During the several
periods of Okinawan history, the owning and carrying of weapons was banned. Each ban
resulted in great advancements in the techniques of unarmed combat. Secret training
flourished and the styles became more efficient and deadly.

Japan

Master Gichin Funakoshi was the founder of the modern art karate. Born in 1868 (actual was
1869, but in order to enter to the medical school, he changed it to 1868), he began to study
martial art at the age of 11 and was a student of the two masters of the time ( Azato and Itosu ).
He grew so proficient that he was initiated into all the major styles of karate in Okinawa at the
time.

In 1922, Master Funakoshi, president of the Okinawa association of the Spirit of Martial Arts,
was chosen to demonstrate karate at the first National Athletic Exhibition in Tokyo. This led to
the introduction of the ancient martial art to the rest of Japan. At the urging of friends and
officials, he remained in Tokyo to teach.

USA

Tsutomu Ohshima was one of Master Funakoshi’s last direct pupils (1948 ~ 1953) studying
under him while attending Waseda University inTokyo, Japan. In 1955, Mr Ohshima came to the
United States and was the first person to teach Karate in this country. That same year he
organized the southern California Karate Association, which has grown over the years to
become a nationwide organization, Shotokan karate of America.