Early on in its inception, Karate in Okinawa was not about fighting techniques only. The art had in it a profound element of discipline, respect, and self-development. Training was created to equip practitioners with self-defense, but also to develop inner force and moral character. Practitioners were taught to manage their emotions, increase their concentration, and become tougher in the face of adversity. This two sidedness of Karate as a physical system and as a system of self-development set it apart among many other systems of fighting. It evolved into a holistic form of practice that does not only encompass the body but also the mind and the spirit, an element that still has its effects on Karate schools all over the world today.
Eternal Remnant of the Okinawan Fighting Spirit.
The contribution of okinawa to Karate is still powerful even in modern times. Much of the modern styles of Karate being practiced in Japan, Europe or the Americas have their origins in the original masters of the island. Okinawan dojos (training halls) are considered to be the location where the true spirit of Karate is maintained,
and centuries old tradition is united with modern training techniques. The fact that Karate has its origins on the island makes the place a pilgrimage site of martial arts practitioners who want to associate themselves with the origins of the field. The Okinawa region remains to be the real core of the Karate origin story by both preserving cultural interactions and
acknowledging the peculiarities of the situations that could lead to the Karate evolution.
The evolution and change in Japan.
When Karate finally found its way out of Okinawa into mainland Japan in the early 20 th century, the art started to undergo some major changes
that saw it develop to what we know of it as a martial practice across the globe. Okinawan masters went to Japan, usually invited by universities or martial arts groups, in which they taught their fighting methods to newcomers who were fascinated by this strange foreign and yet effective art. It was not merely a geographical shift but also a cultural shift since the approaches to training,
teaching and practicing Karate were so much molded under Japanese influences of martial discipline and philosophy.
The Japanese role of Okinawan Masters.
The most remarkable masters who brought Karate to Japan included Gichin Funakoshi, Kenwa Mabuni and Chojun Miyagi. They introduced their own art to Japanese martial artists and students, who, by this time, had a good understanding of judo, kendo and jujutsu. This interaction with other cultures enabled Karate to be accepted, although it also implied that the methods of Okinawans were being revamped to match with the Japanese martial ideals. It became more focused on more formal practice,
organized forms and etiquette of training. This assisted the Karate to become a recognized martial art as opposed to being a local method of self preservation.
Standardization and Formalization of Styles.
Karate in Japan has gone through a refining and standardizing process. Schools and organizations would start to establish styles in a more detailed manner,
and systems like Shotokan, Goju-Ryu, Wado-Ryu and Shito-Ryu emerged. These schools had other focuses of training, but they were all based on Japanese propensity to systematic hierarchy, technical accuracy and strict routine. Instruction came to focus on the development of kata (flow patterns of movement), as it could facilitate repetitive and consistent practice of techniques by the student. This formalization did not only help to preserve Karate but also to teach it more easily on a mass scale,
especially in universities where the training of the martial arts was encouraged as one of the ways of character development.
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