XII. 1 Karate- history
Karate was developed in Japan. Although the name dates to as recent times as 1930, the techniques are very ancient and derive from the Chinese art of Shaolin boxing of the VI century.
It was later developed on the Japanese island of Okinawa around 1500, giving rise to the tang hand, which allowed the islanders to fight unarmed against Japanese armed oppressors.
In the 1920s the tang hand was introduced in Japan by Funakoshi Gichin who used the word karate. The style he practiced was known as shotokan, now one of the five major styles of Japan; the others are: wado-ryu, gojo-ryu, shito-ryu and kyukushinkai. Each puts different emphasis on technique, speed and power.
In 1949 Funakoshi Gichin founded the Japanese Karate Association, which celebrated the first Japanese championships in 1957. This sport was extended to the West during the 1950s. The All-Japan Karate-do( FAJKO) organization, founded in 1964, celebrated the first Multi-Style World Championships in 1970.
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