Karate Ryu

Some of the oldest records of unarmed combat systems date back to Egypt as shown in hieroglyphics.  This Egyptian combat system branched out into Greece. The Grecians combined wrestling with this system making the entire body a weapon.  Much of this fighting system was lost when many Grecians lost their lives during a brutal era. 

Around 1300 B.C. unarmed combat techniques developed in India.  The techniques were similar to the techniques developed in China.   This is the original root of all martial arts leading to the development of Karate.

The son of an Indian King named Bodhidharma (also known as Tamo or Daruma) further influenced the concepts of the oriental fighting systems and Buddhism by interjecting his philosophy.  He was the third child of King Sugandha of Southern India and because of his royal bloodline trained in Buddhist philosophy, meditation techniques, and unarmed combat techniques.

Approaching middle age and unhappy with the decline of Buddhism in India.  Bodhidharma traveled to China with the mission of spreading the philosophy of Buddhism.   Entering through Southern China and traveling north, Bodhidharma settled at the Shaolin temple on Mount Shao-shih in the Sung mountain range.  Attempting to teach the monks at the monastery Buddhism he found they were unable to stay awake during meditation and lectures.  To eliminate the lethargy Bodhidharma introduced the monks to the unarmed combat techniques as a form of exercise to build a strong mind through conditioning of the body.

This set the foundation for a majority of all martial arts known through out the world.  The Shaolin monks became known as the fiercest fighters in the world.  The unarmed combat techniques became known as Shaolin temple boxing and were later called Gung Fu or Kung Fu.  As the monks matured and left the monastery, so did the fighting system of Kung Fu.  Once Kung Fu was exposed to the populous of China, it developed further and expanded through out Asia.

The people of Okinawa were looking for ways to defend themselves and fighting strategies that could defeat armed assailants quickly and decisively.  It had to stress power and strength to penetrate armor.  It was Shaolin Kung Fu that branched out and became the foundation for Karate Ryu.  The next several hundred years the techniques of Karate Ryu were tested and proved to be very adequate as a method of unarmed combat against heavily armored assailants.  Through out the history of Karate the term Karate was used.  At this time the term Karate was defined as Chinese hand derived from Tang hand.  Today Karate is defined as empty hand.

As Karate Ryu developed into formalized fighting systems names were given to the styles relative to the three principle cities of Okinawa.  The suffix “Te” was added to the names of the cities, Naha, Shuri, and Tomari to give the three major styles of Karate Ryu.  They are Naha-te, Shuri-te, and Tomari-te.

Two of these styles, Naha-te and Shuri-te, over the years they became known as Shorei-ryu asnd Shorin-ryu.  The suffix “Ryu” means system or style.  These two styles are the first styles formally systemized in Okinawa and have influenced the development of modern day Karate now practiced through out the world.