“To all those whose progress remains hampered by ego-related distractions, let humility – the spiritual cornerstone
upon which Karate rests – serve to remind one to place virtue before vice, values before vanity and principles before personalities.”
Sokon ‘Bushi’ Matsumura (legendary Karate grandmaster)
Karate is one of the most widely practiced martial arts in the world today, heavily popularized by the martial arts movies of the 1960s and 1970s. Its origins are humble and accidental; developing in the Ryuku Islands in what is now Okinawa, far from mainland Japan. It began as a common fighting system of unarmed combat among the Pechin class of the Ryukyuans and was heavily influenced by the Chinese martial arts that the Ryukyuans came into contact with in the 14th century after the establishment of trade relationship with the Ming dynasty. It was brought to mainland Japan only in the 20th century during a time of cultural exchange between the Japanese and the Ryukyuans, gaining much popularity in the Japanese universities through the establishment of ‘karate clubs’.
Karate is often described as a “striking art” with techniques involving punching, kicking, knee strikes, elbow strikes and open hand techniques such as knife-hands, spear-hands, and palm-heel strikes. In some styles, grappling, throws, joint locks, restraints, and vital point strikes are also taught.
Like many martial art forms of the East, Karate is a discipline that aims to tame the body in tandem with the mind. The revered master Shoshin Nagamine has said, “Karate may be considered as the conflict within oneself or as a life-long marathon which can be won only through self-discipline, hard training and one’s own creative efforts.” It is the perfect path to the journey of self-realisation; to understand the limitations of one’s body and overcome it with discipline, training and dedication which are all attributes of the mind. It cultivates the much-needed attributes of concentration and helps in relieving stress.