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During the last three hundred years, other theoretical elements have been attached to the practice of the fighting arts, but these do not constitute the roots of the practice, and are merely a reflection of the practitioners themselves. Any art, be it music, painting, dancing, etc., may reflect the culture in which it is practiced. In the West, where competition and achievement are important elements of that culture, it is not surprising that the fighting arts are practiced competitively. Similarly, in Japan, where the warrior spirit was for centuries central to Japanese culture, we find that modern writers have associated karate with bushido, or the way of the warrior.

It is not my intention to denounce either bushido or martial arts competition, but I do believe that we must recognize these as cultural influences that have been attached to the Shaolin empty-hand arts. They are not central philosophies that govern its practice.

Okinawan Karate History

Our search for the origin of modern karate-do takes us from China to Okinawa, the main island of a group known collectively as the Ryukyu Islands. These islands, which were a tributary state and trading partner of China, are situated some four hundred miles east of the Chinese mainland and three hundred miles south of the Japanese islands. The Okinawans had frequent contact with the Chinese mainland, and Fukien Province in particular. It is through this contact that the Okinawans learned Chinese empty-hand forms.