Karate

Karate, or karate-do, is a Japanese martial art introduced to the Japanese main islands from Okinawa in 1922, and is translated as "the way of the empty hand." Karate empasizes striking techinques over grappling and joint-locking. Karate training is usually divided into three parts: kihon, which is the basics; kumite, which is free-form sparring; and kata, which is a fight against imaginary enemies, and is a fixed sequence of moves.

As karate was adopted into modern Japanese culture at the beginning of the 20th century, it made a transition to karate-do, similar to the Chinese concept of tao, and took on some elements of Zen Buddhism. Classes often begin and end with brief periods of meditation. The repetition of movements in kata are also consistent with zen meditation in that it is emphasizes the students' composure, awareness, and physical presence, even while under stress. Different karate schools differ in the amount of zen influence they acknowledge and encourage.

As karate was modernized, it adopted the white uniforms and system of ranking symbolized by a colored belt system originated by Jigoro Kano, the founder of judo. Early Okinawan karate students practiced in street clothing or in briefs.

Karateo-do does not include the use of weapons, although traditional Okinawan karate did use modified farming tools and implements as weaponry. Like most martial arts, within karate there are many different styles or schools. The most popular are Shobayashi, Kobayashi, and Matsumura. Some teachers have created mixed styles of karate which use a combination of many styles.

Karate is practiced as a competitive sport, competition is either in kumite or kata, and competitors may enter as individuals or as teams. In kata, points are awarded by five judges. A kata performer should perform all the movements correctly, but also show personal interpretation through variation in speed. In kumite, two fighters are paired in a timed fight, and points are awarded by either by technique or hitting locations.