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Created page with "*''Japanese'': 空手 ''(karate)'' Karate (lit. "empty hand") is, along with kung fu, one of the most stereotypical East Asian martial arts. Much is said and believed abo..."
*''Japanese'': 空手 ''(karate)''
Karate (lit. "empty hand") is, along with [[kung fu]], one of the most stereotypical East Asian martial arts. Much is said and believed about karate, but, contrary to a myriad of nebulous popular conceptions, karate comprises a specific set of schools, forms, and styles, with a specific set of histories.
Karate as it is known in Japan today originates in Okinawa, where, in the 19th century, Okinawan martial arts techniques, known as ''Uchinaa-tii'' (J: ''Okinawa-te'', "Okinawa hand"), developed since around the 15th century, were combined with techniques from Chinese ''quan fa'' (J: ''[[kempo|kempô]]''), developed since around the 14th century. This new combined style or form was known as ''Tô-dii'' or ''Tû-dii'' (J: ''Tô-te''), meaning "China hand."
Following the fall of the [[Ryukyu Kingdom|Ryûkyû Kingdom]], and its [[Ryukyu shobun|annexation]] into Japan, former [[Ryukyu Kingdom|Ryukyuan]] scholar-aristocrat [[Itosu Anko|Itosu Ankô]], considered by many today to be the father of modern karate, then introduced this form into the Okinawan public schools in [[1901]]. He coined the term "karate" around this time, using the same characters as ''Tô-te'', but a different reading.<ref>Tô-te, or karate, meaning "China hand," is written as 唐手. The character 唐, referring to the [[Tang Dynasty]], or to Chinese culture & civilization more broadly, can be read in Japanese as either ''tô'' or ''kara''.</ref>
Karate then came to be divided into three styles, based in different areas of the Okinawan capital, namely, [[Shuri-te]], [[Naha-te]], and [[Tomari-te]]. [[Gichin Funakoshi]] introduced these forms into mainland Japan in 1922, altering the characters used to write "karate" to their current form, meaning "empty hand," in 1929.
{{stub}}
==References==
*History of Karate exhibition, Hamilton Library, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Summer 2009.
[[Category:Ryukyu]]
[[Category:Bujutsu]]
Karate (lit. "empty hand") is, along with [[kung fu]], one of the most stereotypical East Asian martial arts. Much is said and believed about karate, but, contrary to a myriad of nebulous popular conceptions, karate comprises a specific set of schools, forms, and styles, with a specific set of histories.
Karate as it is known in Japan today originates in Okinawa, where, in the 19th century, Okinawan martial arts techniques, known as ''Uchinaa-tii'' (J: ''Okinawa-te'', "Okinawa hand"), developed since around the 15th century, were combined with techniques from Chinese ''quan fa'' (J: ''[[kempo|kempô]]''), developed since around the 14th century. This new combined style or form was known as ''Tô-dii'' or ''Tû-dii'' (J: ''Tô-te''), meaning "China hand."
Following the fall of the [[Ryukyu Kingdom|Ryûkyû Kingdom]], and its [[Ryukyu shobun|annexation]] into Japan, former [[Ryukyu Kingdom|Ryukyuan]] scholar-aristocrat [[Itosu Anko|Itosu Ankô]], considered by many today to be the father of modern karate, then introduced this form into the Okinawan public schools in [[1901]]. He coined the term "karate" around this time, using the same characters as ''Tô-te'', but a different reading.<ref>Tô-te, or karate, meaning "China hand," is written as 唐手. The character 唐, referring to the [[Tang Dynasty]], or to Chinese culture & civilization more broadly, can be read in Japanese as either ''tô'' or ''kara''.</ref>
Karate then came to be divided into three styles, based in different areas of the Okinawan capital, namely, [[Shuri-te]], [[Naha-te]], and [[Tomari-te]]. [[Gichin Funakoshi]] introduced these forms into mainland Japan in 1922, altering the characters used to write "karate" to their current form, meaning "empty hand," in 1929.
{{stub}}
==References==
*History of Karate exhibition, Hamilton Library, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Summer 2009.
[[Category:Ryukyu]]
[[Category:Bujutsu]]