Okinawan Karate

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The word karate literally means "empty hand". This fighting art originated in Okinawa, one of the Ryukyu islands that form a chain of stepping stones between Japan and China. In 1609, Japan invaded Okinawa. To gain a secure hold on the island, the island's ruler was taken back to Japan, and a police force was set up in the capital to superintend internal functions. Next, the Japanese banned the warrior class and confiscated all arms. The Japanese were confident that, without weapons, the islanders would not rebel.

But the invaders had not considered the ancestral heritage of the islanders- that of their weaponless martial arts. Because of Okinawa's close ties with China, the kung fu of China had mixed with Okinawa's indigenous fighting arts. After consulting Chinese monks, the islanders began to toughen their hands and knees on straw pads and wet sand. Graduating to tree trunks, they pounded their fists into the trees every day until huge calluses built up on their hands and knees. The armor of the Japanese troops and that of the samurai was made of lacquered bamboo. So when the islanders decided to rebel with guerilla attacks, their hardened hands smashed the armor of their oppressors, killing them instantly. When mounted troops were sent to quell the rebellions, the islanders developed a series of lethal kicks, executed when flying through the air. So even warriors on horseback were no obstacle.

The farmers also played their part by using agricultural implements as deadly weapons. The tonfa, which was the handle of a rice grinder about 20 inches in length, was excellent for parrying the blows of a samurai's blade. The sickle used for harvesting crops, known as a kama, was an amazing weapon against sword and spear attacks. The tool used for flailing rice, known as a nunchaku, was a terrifying all- around weapon. The transformation of these farming implements into weapons has given rise to kobudo, the study of classical Okinawan weaponry.