Human Weapon [HQ] - Karate part 5/5

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xKatieNikki07
September 10, 2009

Karate—the worlds most popular martial art—originated in Okinawa, now a Japanese prefecture with strong historical ties to China as well as Japan. Over 1,000 years old, Karate began as a training practice for monks in the ancient Orient. It owes the fundamentals of its techniques to Kung Fu, from China, and Japans jujitsu fighting, but also contains elements of other fighting systems, including Roman gladiatorial combat, Japanese sumo wrestling and the type of weaponless fighting native to countries like Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam.

Okinawa was under the strong influence of both China and Japan from the 14th century, but had its own language and culture until 1879, when it was officially annexed by Japan. Various rulers between the 15th and 17th centuries set a ban on weapons to prevent rebellion, which resulted in the rise of weaponless fighting techniques. The native Okinawan martial art, called Te (hand), combined with Kung Fu to become known as Kode Te (Chinese hand), which was changed to Kara Te (empty hand) around the turn of the 19th century with the advent of Japanese rule.

A fighter named Gichin Funakoshi was credited for introducing Karate to the Japanese, and later to the rest of the world, when he led a demonstration in 1921 for then-Crown Prince Hirohito during a royal visit to Okinawa. After World War II, when U.S. forces occupied Okinawa, American soldiers began training in Karate methods, and Karate is now practiced by 50 million people around the globe.

Incorporating special breathing and shouts, Karate is as much about self-discipline as it is about power. Karate stresses striking as opposed to grappling or throwing an opponent. Fighters direct focused strikes with the hands, elbows, knees or feet towards the most vulnerable areas of the opponents body, including the face, neck, spinal column, groin and kidneys. A geri, or kick, is a focused blow with the leg delivered either low, to bring the opponent to his knees, or high, to cause injury to the head. In competitive karate, fighters are only allowed to hit above the waist, and all blows are pulled; in a traditional fight, any of the blows can be fatal.

Training methods for Karate fighters include breathing techniques as well as strengthening the hands by driving them into containers of sand or rice and striking special punching boards. Fighters wear loose fitting white uniforms similar to pajamas (called gi) and no padding or protective gear. They train at centers called dojos, and are ranked by a belt system—adapted in the 1920s from Judo—with belt colors ranging from light (white) to dark (black) to indicate ascending levels of mastery.

Category: Sports

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Human Weapon [HQ] - Karate part 5/5

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