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Thus karatedo literally means "the way to self-perfection through the practice of techniques originating during the T'ang period."
The word “karate" was first introduced in Okinawa to designate "Chinese fighting techniques" which included both bare-hand and armed techniques (karate-ho and buki-ho). But, as is often the case in the Japanese use of Chinese ideograms, kara can also be written(
Thus, another sense of karatedo is “the way to self-perfection through the practice of techniques of emptiness," emptiness being understood both physically (without weapons) and mentally (with an empty or free mind).
It is unfortunate that when karate was introduced to Japan, the rising nationalism and antagonism against China at the time of the Sino-Japanese War (1894-95) led some karate instructors to deny karate its first meaning, retaining only the sense of "empty-hand fighting." By doing so they excluded from karatedo one of its important components, buki-ho.
3. The Value of Karatedo
Karatedo is essentially a martial art (budo) and as such it is also a means of reaching the "way" (do) by the ‘‘practice of weapons" (bu). As in any other martial art, karatedo is, and requires, a solid discipline. The body must go through long and strenuous exercises for many years. This develops not only a strong body but also great strength of character. Control is required over not only one's techniques but also emotions such as fear, pain, and hate. As a fighting art, karatedo involves the confrontation of two wills, each determined to win. This develops such qualities as fortitude, but also humility and respect for oneself and others.
Karatedo is also a formidable means of self-defense which does not require any particular weapon. Weapons are always available when needed. A considerable advantage of karatedo for self-defense purposes is that the defense can be matched exactly with the aggression; if you use a firearm for self-defense, you can not do anything but shoot your opponent. With karatedo, you can completely dispose of your opponent without maiming or killing him. Self-defense attitudes help the individual avoid many natural diseases and accidents by developing a more careful approach to everyday life.
The physical value of karatedo is unique. It is an all-around activity which equally develops every part of the body without having to worry about some muscles being underdeveloped or overdeveloped, It can be practiced anywhere; there are no particular requirements as to the place of practice. It can be practiced alone without a partner; this being a definite advantage over most other sports. Anyone can practice karatedo and benefit from it. There is always the possibility of matching your training with your physical condition or goals. It has now become a very popular competitive sport and as such can satisfy the need of younger people to discover themselves.
4. The Origins of Karatedo
The origins of karatedo are lost in antiquity. In all times and places in the world, people have learned to defend themselves and fight with bare hands first, and then with weapons.
They first relied only on their strength, but then developed fighting techniques and weapons to give even weaker persons a chance to survive in a hostile environment. Perhaps the weakest of all creatures, man not only succeeded in surviving but also in establishing his supremacy over the animal kingdom. Methods of fighting came to be codified through the course of the centuries, reflecting the specific characteristics and needs of peoples and their environments. However, the first fighting techniques were mostly defensive. Their purpose was self-defense against animals and other men. The Sumerians, who had created a brilliant civilization with flourishing arts and philosophy some 3,700 years ago, practiced a form of combat reminiscent to our modern wrestling and boxing scenes of hand-to-hand fighting. Similar depictions are found on the base reliefs of Egyptian tombs 3,000 years old. Statues of Buddhas' guardians in fighting stances are found at the doors of Indian temples also several thousand years old.
Before the advent of Buddhism in India, medicine had already discovered and codified the vital points of the human body. It is said that their practical applications to fighting were made on live subjects by local fighters.
In ancient Greece, where courage and physical development were valued at their highest, it is said that around 800 B.C. every Greek male was adept in pankration, a very violent form of fighting which often ended with the death of one of the contestants. Pancration was then a basic training for war as well as a popular sport.
a. The Chinese Origins: Kempo
One of the most influential forms of fighting was begun in China more than three thousand years ago during the Shu period when the Yellow River district was unified. This fighting art, ch'uan-fa, or kempo in Japanese (the way of the fist), is illustrated in the Kansho, an old Chinese book. Later, around 770 B.C., when nomadic Mongolian tribes invaded Northern China, they introduced a form of fighting which was to influence the development of both Chinese wrestling and boxing. This form, called sumo, was a test of strength between two contestants wearing ram heads, thus its first meaning, "evaluating the strength of the horns."
Sumo was then performed ritually as a preparation for war in a dance-like fashion, from which comes its second meaning of “bare hands dance." Sumo became very popular and its influence is still apparent in Chinese opera. Later still, during the Chi'in and Han periods, sumo came under the influence of kemari, a kicking game designed to develop the feet for war, and gave birth to another form of fighting called shubaku. Both kemari and shubaku are documented on scrolls from this period, rich in wars and upheavals, which also saw the development of the principles of war by a warlord named Sonshi. It is interesting to note that in China today, modern martial arts are still called shubaku.
During the enlightened T'ang dynasty (A.D. 618-970) , kempo was restored to favor. Huge competitions were organized on the steps of the Imperial Palace and in every public square throughout the country. The winner, Ruidai champion, was the one who survived all of the fights held on the stage (ruidai). Champions were crowned inside the palace and became immensely popular.
About 1, 400 years ago a monk named Bodhidharma (Daruma in Japanese) traveled from a kingdom in southern India, of which he was the third prince, and settled in the Shaolin temple (Shorin Ji in Japanese) in the Hao Shan mountains. He was also the 28th descendant of Shaka (or Shason), the founder of Buddhism. At the Shaolin temple he undertook the teaching, of Zen Buddhism, a form of contemplative religion aimed at creating a state of grace by sudden illumination (satori). Asceticism and meditation in sitting positions (zazen) are the two main forms of Zen practice and it is said that the monks were so weakened by the harshness of their training that many passed away. To enable them to recover their health, and to strengthen their bodies so that they could keep on with the practice of Zen, Bodhidharma developed a training method which encompassed both the spiritual and physical development of the monks. He asserted that mind and body are inseparable and have to be treated as a whole. Soon the physical condition of the monks improved and Zen was spreading throughout the country. This physical aspect of Zen, I-chin-ching, was further refined to include methods of self-defense, as the monks were often confronted by highwaymen who were ransacking a country shaken by civil war. As their religion prohibited
