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*Chito ryu
 
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[[Category:Okinawan Martial Arts]]
 
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[[Category:Japanese Martial Arts]]

Revision as of 14:11, 26 April 2015

Karate
Karate-master
Also called Karate-dō
Country of origin Okinawa
Descendant arts Taekwondo
Focus Striking


Karate is a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Islands (Okinawa) from indigenous fighting methods te (手, literally: "hand") and Chinese kenpō. Karate is characterized as a striking art using punching, kicking, knee and elbow strikes and open-handed striking techniques such as knife-hands (the famous "karate chop") and palm strikes. Grappling, locks, restraints, throws, and vital point strikes are taught in some styles. A karate practitioner is called as a karateka.The WKF claims that there are 100 million practitioners worldwide.

History

Karate developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom prior to its 19th century annexation by Japan. It was brought to the Japanese mainland in the early 20th century during a time of cultural exchanges between the Japanese and the Ryukyuans. In 1922 the Japanese Ministry of Education invited Gichin Funakoshi to Tokyo to give a karate demonstration. Keio University became the first Japanese university to open a dojo; by 1932, all Japanese universities had dojo. After the second world war, Okinawa became an important United States military site and karate became popular among servicemen stationed there.

The martial arts movies of the 1960s and 1970s served to greatly increase its popularity, and the word karate began to be used in a generic way to refer to all striking-based Oriental martial arts. Karate schools began appearing across the world, catering to those with casual interest as well as those seeking a deeper study of the art.

Styles