Okinawan Ryu
Okinawan Ryu is a generic name used to identify the martial art Karate. It originated in the Okinawa-Ryukyu Islands off the coast of Japan with roots dating back to ancient China and India. The term Okinawan Ryu is derived from the name of the Okinawa- Ryukyu islands. Okinawa is the Japanese name for the Ryukyu Islands, which consist of approximately 161 islands.
The fighting systems of Okinawa are comprised of basic self defense techniques used to protect one self during threatening confrontations brought about by an armed or unarmed assailant or assailants. To fully understand the martial art Karate one must really understand how and why the system was developed.
During the 17th century the Satsuma clan of Japan with heavily armed and overpowering Samurai or Bushido warriors invaded the Okinawa-Ryukyu islands. Most warriors were armed with sharp and well-designed swords, while the populations on the Ryukyu Islands were peaceful people and carried no weapons. During the Satsuma clan occupation weapons were outlawed, as well as, any type of fighting systems. The weapons ban continued for over three hundred years.
The Okinawan people sought ways to protect themselves. And like all martial arts, Karate arose from the fundamental instinct of survival. Many men whether by mistake or seeking out, traveled to China where they studied martial arts for many years. These individuals brought back fighting systems to the Okinawa-Ryukyu Islands. Some fighting systems made their way to the islands by foreign travelers.
Over the years these systems developed into the martial art Karate. But before it was called Karate the martial art was known as Okinawan Te, Okinawan Tang, Okinawan Ryu, Naha Te, Shuri Te, Tode, Tang Te and a few other names.
Since all weapons and any type of fighting systems were banned. The Okinawan martial artists could only practice in secret or by hiding the fighting moves in dances. These dances were the premises for Okinawan Kata. Many Basic Karate Moves are hidden within the kata. This is why the Okinawan Karate Kata looks nothing like actual street fighting moves.
At the end of the Satsuma clan occupation around 1845 Okinawa became part of Japan. The Okinawan martial artists continued to practice Karate in secret. In the 1920’s the Okinawan martial arts was introduced into mainland Japan eliminating the secrecy. From there the Okinawan fighting systems spread throughout the world.
The Okinawan martial arts developed into the Martial Art Karate around 1936 when Okinawan martial artists convened to determine what to call their fighting systems. The term Karate originated as the winner and today the term is used broadly to identify all Okinawan martial arts. The meaning of Karate is empty hand.
Make no mistake about Karate. It was developed and perfected in actual combat for 300 years against adversaries welding weapons and functioned successfully as a form of combat self-defense. In the late 1940’s after World War II, Karate again was used in street fights to subdue lawlessness, making Karate a true street fighting martial art. If a practitioner of Karate, also called Karate ka, executes basic Karate moves as develop by the Okinawan martial artists. Karate can be a very effective & practical form of self-defense.
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