KARATE
Karate is a martial art born Okinawa that originates from the union of two martial arts: the Te and the Chinese Kempoand provides for defense with bare hands, without the help of weapons. For martial art is meant a combat technique from Mars God. Ancient discipline suited to the defense of people, and at present, personal defense sports. Not for attack.
In the past, it was only men who studied it and practiced it, but with the centuries, women have also approached this discipline.
Although it was born as a martial art that teaches combat (but without losing sight of the constant effort to search for one's own balance), with time Karate has transformed, for man, in a lesson to fight for not having to fight, to become strong shaping the character, gaining awareness, acquiring the taste for life, the ability to smile and to work with determination and respect for others.
Only when this teaching is fully understood man will know that he is free.
ETYMOLOGY
Kara means excavation, space produced by some work, empty space, vacuum image, Te is the representation of a mid-profile hand, but it is also the activity phonemon, putting it to work. The Japanese word kara-te, as a whole, consists of emptiness and hand, not vacuum in itself, but in relation to a job, an activity, to go to work to empty.
The term zen ku indicating the emptiness of the soul can also be pronounced kara.
These concepts suggest that the Karateka should train his own mind so that he is cleansed, empty of thoughts of pride, vanity, fear, desire for overwhelming, should aspire to emptying the heart and mind from all that is there, not only in martial practice, but also in life.
Nagashige Hanagusuku, Okinawa's master, used the Japanese character for "empty hand" in August 1905. This also points to the fact that this form of self-defense does not necessarily use weapons.
ORIGINS
Karate is a very ancient discipline and draws its origins from a type of fight in the Ryu Kyu Islands. It is from one of these, Okinawa, that we have 600 years of documented history on this art. Of the preceding period, there are no written testimonies, and for this reason, theories, almost legends, have been elaborated that link martial arts to religion.
Tradition wants Buddhist monks practicing a type of physical training that would allow them to endure long periods of meditation and immobility, and that it also had martial purposes, as they were often victims of rubles and aggression.
Also since, over a period of time, on the island of Okinawa, weapons were banned from ordinary people. Then a system of defense was developed based mainly on natural weapons (hands, feet, etc.). So a discipline passed down secretly, from father to son, and known by a small circle of practitioners. From the 14th century, the news about Karate practice and development is historically proven.
At that time there was a flourishing of trade and diplomatic relations between China and Okinawa resulting in cultural exchange between the two countries. The te, the barehands fight that was practiced on the Ryu Kyu islands, underwent profound changes when it came into contact with the Chinese kempo.
Many people sended by Chinese emperors were high ranking military and kempo scholars who with their demonstrations influenced the rank of the island of Okinawa. Soon, in Okinawa, two main combat systems evolved:
The Naha te linked to the city of Naha and more influenced by the Chinese systems.
The Shuri te linked to the city of Shuri and most conservative of native techniques.
Since the end of the Second World War, Karate has become popular in South Korea with tangsudo or kongsudo names.
BUDO PHILOSOPHY
Towards 1750, thanks to Sakugawa, there was a brake on the spread of interpretations and the teaching became more rational and codified. It is from this moment that the fusion of Tōde's techniques with the philosophy of Budo resulted in the traditional Karate, whose purpose is the search for a mental state suitable for the development of their psychophysical abilities through an appropriate training. Sokon Matsumura was the first master to structure Karate organically
while his student, Anko Itosu, had the same great credit for introducing Karate into schools of the time.
Following the prestigious performances of Master Gichin Funakoshi in Tokyo in 1922, Karate was known outside the island of Okinawa.
The greatest thanksgiving that the practitioner can lift is directed to the teachers who teach us to understand this art and reveal to us, step by step the Dō, the way is far more than technique, it is a slow and mysterious journey of being towards its perfection, its fulfillment. Each traditional Karate school synthesizes for its students the moral principles that must guide the practice and make up the foundations. They are clearly enunciated in the Dojo Kun.
PRINCIPAL STYLES
The main styles of Karate are:
Shotokan:The most widespread, comes from Master Funakoshi.
Shotokai: From Shigeru Egami, similar to Shotokan but very soft and without agonism.
Goju-ryu: who was born from Naha-te, whose first master was Kanrio Higahonna who lived for a long time in Fukien in China. To collect the legacy of Higaonna and establish the Goju-ryu style was the great master "Chojun Myagi".
Wado-ryu: is based on the teachings of Master Otzuka.
Sankukai: It is based on the lightness and accuracy of the technique but also on the power of the shots.
Kyokushin: Created by Oyama master, who after practicing the Shotokan style under the guidance of Gichin Funakoshi, and the Goju-ryu style and entered the Japanese secret services, created this style based on kumite full contact. The style requires considerable physical training to be able to be practiced due to full-fledged combat.
MORAL PRINCIPLES
Dō = way, Jo = place - literally means where you are studying and following the way.
Hitotsu jinkaku kansei ni tsutomuru koto: Try to improve the character
Hitotsu makoto no michi o mamoru koto: Try to follow the way of sincerity
Doryoku no seishin o yashinau koto: Tryto strengthen the constance of the spirit
Hitotsu reihi o omonnzuru koto: Try to learn universal respect
Hitotsu kekki no yu o imashimuru koto: Try to learn self-control.
17 FUNDAMENTALS CONCEPT
The 17 fundamental points of the Karate spirit taught by Master 
- Karate begins and ends with greeting (rei)
Karate is not a means of offense or harm (Karate ni sente nashi)
Karate is righteousness, gratitude
Karate is to understand themselves to understand the others
In Karate the spirit comes before action
Karate is loyalty and spontaneity
Karate teaches that adversity strikes when there is a renunciation
Karate is not only practiced in the dojo
Karate is the rule for life
The spirit of Karate must animate all actions
Karate must be kept alive with the fire of the soul
Karate is not winning, but the idea of not losing The spirit is adaptable to the opponents
Concentration and relaxation should be used at the right time
Use hands and feet like swords
Think that the whole world can be your enemy
The practicing always maintains the guard position (kamae); The natural position (shizentai) is only for high levels
Kata is a form of perfection: the application (real techniques) is another thing Like the bow, the practitioner must use contraction, expansion, speed and similarly in harmony, relaxation, concentration, slowness The spirit must always tend to Highest level.
For the introduction, I think it's all, in the next post I'll deepen the various styles, I hope you've liked my post, See you soon my friends :)