Excerpted from Chapter One: Introduction Karate is a Japanese martial art based on techniques developed in Okinawa and China that focuses on selfdefense using punches, kicks and blocks. Despite this emphasis, other techniques, such as joint locks, throws and leg sweeps, are also included in the system. Karate is one of the few martial arts to contain such a wide range of techniques. This book is aimed at the student of shotokan karate. There are many styles of karate, for example, goju-ryu, wado-ryu and shito-ryu, but ultimately each style of karate teaches the same principles, just with a different emphasis. A punch is still a punch, a kick is still a kick. The Shotokan Karate Bible is intended to be a guide for the karate student, from beginner right through to expert, when you would be tested to receive the coveted black belt. Studying from a book is no substitute for a good teacher, but it can complement training with a qualified instructor. Written in kanji, Japanese pictographs, the word karate is composed of two characters. The first, pronounced kara, means 'empty' and has Zen connotations. The second pictograph, pronounced te, means 'hand,' so karate can be translated as 'empty hand.' The kara symbol is thought to have its origins in the Buddhist sunyata, the Sanskrit term for the ancient metaphysical concept of emptiness or nothingness. Gichin Funakoshi, the father of modern karate, wrote: As a mirrors polished surface reflects whatever stands before it and a quiet valley carries even small sounds, so must the student of Karate-Do render their mind empty of selfishness and wickedness in an effort to react appropriately toward anything they might encounter. This is the meaning of the kara or 'empty' of Karate-Do. Funakoshi is saying that you need to empty your mind in order to take the most appropriate action. He is implying that the appropriate action is the righteous and moral thing to do. However, many take it to mean the correct action to take in order to succeed in a fight. If you clutter your mind, you can't think clearly. Thus, an empty mind is needed to practice good karate. This, however, is not the original meaning of karate. The original pictograph for kara was quite different. In Japanese, it was a homonym: that's to say, it was pronounced in the same way, but it had a different meaning. It meant Tang, which was a Chinese imperial dynasty at the zenith of Chinese civilization that had a huge cultural influence on its neighbors. Tang was synonymous with China, and the original karate pictographs meant 'Chinese hand.' In Okinawa, the same two pictographs were pronounced tode, and many in Okinawa referred to them simply as te, meaning hand. This change from the old ideographs for karate to the new occurred at the beginning of the 20th century. Japan was very nationalistic at this time, and for many, the association of the old symbol with China was not acceptable. Some karate schools, particularly in Tokyo, began writing karate with hiragana, Japanese phonetic characters, as a way of avoiding the 'inappropriate' kanji with its Chinese connotation. Others had started writing 'empty hand' using the new symbol for kara. At a meeting of Okinawan karate masters in 1936, the new way of writing karate was officially accepted. Excerpted from The Shotokan Karate Bible: Beginner to Black Belt by Ashley P. Martin All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.
