JAPANESE CULTURE, EXPLAINED
空手
Karate developed in Okinawa through unarmed techniques, set forms and partnered practice. It spread through schools, dōjō and instructor networks, with different lineages and competition rules.
Okinawa’s accounts connect local tī with exchanges involving neighbouring martial traditions, while acknowledging uncertain origins. Shuri, Naha and Tomari identify regional transmissions; Uechi Kanbun’s study in Fuzhou contributed another pathway.
| Kihon | Repeated practice of individual techniques. |
|---|---|
| Kata | Techniques combined in a set sequence. |
| Kumite | Application with a partner; prearrangement differs between agreed and free practice. |
Columbia University’s JKA Shotokan club describes three connected methods. Kihon drills blocks, punches, strikes and kicks; kata joins techniques into set sequences; kumite applies them with a partner. In one-step practice, partners agree on techniques to work on movement and distance. Free sparring leaves the techniques unplanned.
School teaching spread the practice in Meiji Okinawa. Funakoshi Gichin introduced it in Tokyo in 1922 and taught in universities; Mabuni Kenwa and Miyagi Chōjun worked in Kansai. These routes contributed to differing schools.
An affiliated Shotokan Karate of America (SKA) dojo traces Tsutomu Ohshima from study with Funakoshi at Waseda to Los Angeles in 1955, teaching in 1956 and a Caltech club in 1957. His black-belt students opened further dojos. Migration, university clubs and instructor networks spread practice alongside international competitions.
The Japan Karatedo Federation (JKF) formed in 1964. The World Union of Karatedo Organizations (WUKO) and the first world championship followed in 1970, establishing a framework for international competition among participating organisations.
JKF lists Shotokan, Shitō, Gōjū and Wadō traditions. It describes dynamic stances in Shotokan and breathing with curved movements in Gōjū as broad tendencies. In JKF kumite, competitors must control their techniques and can be penalised for excessive contact. Contact-based organisations set different rules for their events.
Basic techniques are drilled, combined into forms, and applied with a partner.
No. The relevant organization and event establish the rules.