The History of Karate

The History of Karate in America

Kung-fu arrived in the U.S. with the first Chinese immigrants in the mid-19th century, but the growth of karate is largely owed to contact...
Shotokan Style of Martial Arts

Shotokan

The term Shotokan was derived from Gichin Funakoshi's first official dojo built in 1936 at Mejiro. The dojo was destroyed in 1945 by allied...
Kobudo Okinawan Weapons

Kobudo: Traditional Okinawan Weapons

Kobudo literally means "ancient martial ways". In the karate world, it generally refers to those traditional Okinawan weapons whose history and practice has been...
Dan Anderson

American Freestyle Karate

"Karate" is a term made up of two Japanese words, "kara" and "te" meaning "empty hand". It is one kind of self defense system...
Shotokan Karate

Shotokan Karate

Shotokan is a style of karate, developed from various martial arts by Gichin Funakoshi (1868-1957) and his son Gigo (Yoshitaka) Funakoshi (1906-1945). Gichin was...
Goju-Ryu Karate

Goju-ryu Karate

Goju-ryu karate founded by Chojun Miyagi, blends the hard linear Okinawan style of naha-te with the soft circular movements of Chinese pa-kua chang.
Karate Styles

About Karate Styles

When people hear the term “martial art” they generally think of Karate. One of the most popular martial arts, Karate had its roots in...
Kanken Toyama

Shudokan Karate

With the advent of Gichin Funakoshi's introduction of Okinawan Karate to Japan in the early 1920's, the popularity of karate began to grow. Soon,...
Chito-ryu Karate

Chito-ryu Karate

The history of Chito-ryu karate begins with our founder, Tsuyoshi Chitose (1898-1984). He was born in the Kumochi area of Naha City on the island of...
History of British Karate and Jujutsu

History of British Karate and Jujutsu

The first Englishman to be made a Samurai was William Adams (read his Wikipedia page) in the 1600s. But Adams was a one-off. He...
Iain Abernethy

Karate Grappling: Did It Really Exist?

Karate grappling, does it really exist? In this article I’d like to ask does karate grappling really exist? This is a potentially controversial subject as...
Robert Trias Shuri-ryu

Dissertation on the Origins and Development of Shuri-ryu

Shuri-ryu is a very old and traditional system with a long and unbroken history. From the ancient method, much wisdom has been gained and...

The History of Isshin-Ryu Karate

Isshin-Ryu karate was founded by one of the great karate masters, Tatsuo Shimabuku, and is derived from several of the other, older classical styles. Master...
Styles of Karate

4 Main Styles of Karate

History of Karate Bodhidharma also known as "Daruma" in Japan and as often as not, this Indian Buddhist monk is cited as the prime source...
Karate Do

The Evolution of Karate-do

Today there are four main styles of karate-do in Japan and they include Goju-ryu, Shorin-ryu, Shotokan, and Wado-ryu. Bodhidharma also known as known as "Daruma"...
Sport Karate

Sport Karate Organizations

Karate is divided into different style organizations. These organizations often cooperate in non-style specific sport karate organizations or federations. Examples of sport organizations are...