Where the chief aim of all other martial arts is killing and wounding as many opponents as possible the main concern of karate is self-defense. Of course, defense and offense cannot exist without each other. Meaning training in superior defensive techniques calls for training in superior offensive techniques.
One of the most popular legends behind karate’s history is that a Shaolin monk taught the people of china which eventually lead to the teaching of the people of Okinawa. The people of Okinawa changed the fighting style of the Shaolin monks to fit their own needs. Okinawa is the largest island in a group just to the side of Japan’s mainland.
In 1609 Okinawa was invaded by a clan of samurai who brought back the previous ban on weapons so only the samurai could carry weapons. karate was taught as a form of self defense but it had to be taught away from the eyes of the samurai. This eventually lead to the people of mainland Japan learning karate. The reason that is found for why karate was so popular was the crown prince of the time saw a karate demonstration which lead to it’s popularity because of his raving review.
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