3. What is Karate?

What is Karate?

Karate (空手: からて) is the art of empty hand fighting that developed from a synthesis of indigenous Ryukyuan fighting art and Chinese Kempo. A practitioner of karate is called Karateka (空手家).

Karate is today a method of self-defense, a physical exercise, a sport, and a philosophy of life.
Karate was introduced in Okinawa as a means of self-defense for people who had no weapons. Karate is the art of self-defense in which the body's natural weapons, arms, legs, etc., are trained and developed into silent, hidden weapons that respond with lighting-like speed when necessary. However, its usefulness as a method of self-defense decreased as time went on, but increased as a system of physical exercise. Karate became so popular, in fact, that Okinawan schools began teaching it in their gymnastics curriculum in 1908.

Karate is a physical exercise through which the Karateka masters all body movements, such as bending, jumping, and balancing, by learning to move limbs and body backward and forward, left and right, up and down, freely and uniformly.

Today karate is becoming popular as a sport. The keen reflexes of the Karateka are well controlled according to his will so that he is able to spar with another Karateka without making him injuries both in training and in competition by stopping his attacking weapons slightly in front of the opponent's vital points. To arrest a technique just before contact with the target is called Sundome (one Sun is about three centimeters).

The Chinese Kempo masters considered Kempo to be an extension of their Zen religion. The Okinawan karate masters considered karate as a philosophy of life.


What is not karate?

In Master Funakoshi´s book “Karate-do Kyohan”, he wrote that:

In Okinawa, a miraculous and mysterious martial art has come down to us from the past. It is said that one who masters its techniques can defend himself readily without resort to weapons and can perform remarkable feats: the breaking of several thick boards with his fist or ceiling panels of a room with a kick. With his Shuto ("sword hand") he can kill a bull with a single stroke; he can pierce the flank of a horse with his open hand; he can cross a room grasping the beams of the ceiling with his fingers, crush a green bamboo stalk with his bare hand, shear a hemp rope with a twist, or gouge soft rock with his hands.

Some consider these aspects of this miraculous and mysterious martial art to be the essence of Karate-do. But such feats are a small part of karate, playing a role analogous to the straw-cutting test of kendo (Japanese fencing), and it is erroneous to think that there is no more to Karate-do than this. In fact, true Karate-do places weight upon spiritual rather than physical matters, as we shall discuss. True Karate-do is this: that in daily life, one's mind and body be trained and developed in a spirit of humility; and that in critical times, one be devoted utterly to the cause of justice.


Etymology of Karate

The word "karate" was used for some time verbally before it was written. The first use of the word "karate" in print is attributed to Anko Itosu, who wrote it as 唐手: からて (pronounced To-Te in Japanese or Tu-Di in Okinawan and meant Tang Hand or Tang Dynasty Hand). The Tang Dynasty (Chinese: 唐朝; pinyin: Tángcháo, 18 June 618 – 4 June 907 AD) was a Dynasty of China, and although it ended in 907 A.D., the kanji representing it remained in use in Okinawa as a way to refer to China, generally. Thus the writing of "karate" was originally a way of expressing "Chinese hand," or "martial art from China."

According to some sources, Okinawan karate master Chomo Hanashiro (1869-1945) began using a homophone of the logogram pronounced "kara" by replacing the character meaning "Tang Dynasty"(唐 から) with the character meaning "empty"(空 から) in 1905.

However, Funakoshi Gichin was widely recognized as the first person who changed and used the characters around 1929 before it was formally established in the first edition of “Karate-do Kyohan” in 1935. The name was not changed easily. At first, this change upsets all over Okinawan masters. Week after week, articles by Okinawan martial arts experts appeared in the Okinawa Time demanding to know why. In his eloquent style, Funakoshi replied, defending his position. This went on for some time. Finally, in 1935 (other source 1936), all the best well-known Okinawan masters of the various styles, among them, Kyan, Hanashiro, Miyagi, Motobu, Yabu, Gusukuma, Maegusuku and Chibana, conferred to accept a new name for their art “karate” written in Japanese characters as “空手” (pronounced kah-rah-teh).


What is the real reason of changing characters?

Japan was invading China at the time, and nationalism was running high. Anything that could be done to separate the art from the original Chinese Cultures would be of benefit to anyone teaching it. Funakoshi seized the opportunity to Japanize karate so that it would be accepted by the very nationalistic spirit of the time.

What does Karate-do mean?

The word karate-do is the combination of three words: Kara (empty), Te (hand), and Do (way). Thus, Karate-do simply means the Way of Karate or the Way of Empty Hand (Fighting).


What does the word “Kara (空)” mean?

Master Funakoshi explained the word kara (empty) in his “karate-do Kyohan” that:
The first connotation of kara indicates that karate is a technique that permits one to defend himself with his bare hands and fists without weapons.

Second, just as it is the clear mirror that reflects without distortion, or the quiet valley that echoes a sound, so must one who would study Karate-do purge himself of selfish and evil thoughts, for only with a clear mind and conscience can he understand that which he receives. This is another meaning of the element kara in Karate-do.

Next, he who would study Karate-do must always strive to be inwardly humble and outwardly gentle. However, once he has decided to stand up for the cause of justice, then he must have the courage expressed in the saying, "Even if it must be ten million foes, I go!" Thus, he is like the green bamboo stalk: hollow (kara) inside, straight, and with knots, that is, unselfish, gentle, and moderate. This meaning is also contained in the element kara of Karate-do.

Finally, in a fundamental way, the form of the universe is emptiness (kara), and, thus, emptiness is form itself. There are many kinds of martial arts, Judo, Kendo, Sojitsu ("spear techniques"), Bojitsu ("stick techniques"), and others, but at a fundamental level all these arts rest on the same basis as Karate-do. It is no exaggeration to say that the original sense of Karate-do is at one with the basis of all martial arts. Form is emptiness; emptiness is form itself. The kara of Karate-do has this meaning.

What does the word “Te (手)” mean?

The kanji “手” is pronounced Te or shu (Ti in Okinawan) meaning hand. In most cases, Te also implies techniques.


What does the word “Dō ” mean?

"Dō"(道: どう) pronounced “doh” or “michi”) means Path or Way. Dō is derived from the Buddhist Sanskrit Mārga (meaning the “path” to enlightenment), "dō" and is the same character as the Chinese word "Tao"( 道, Pinyin: Dào). In ancient China Tao referred to the Way of Nature or Heaven. The Way symbolizes the path in which something is accomplished. It is the Way the universe works.

Like most martial arts practiced in Japan, karate made its transition from –jutsu (術, the art, science, method) to -dō (道, the way) around the beginning of the 20th century. The suffix "Dō" is used to imply that they are not just “the arts of homicide”, but has spiritual elements and a path to self knowledge when pursued as disciplines. In this circumstance "dō" is usually translated as "the way of" such as Karate-do (the way of karate), Judo (the way of softness), Kendo (the way of sword), and so on. Thus, Karate-Jutsu must be regarded as nothing more than a technique for homicide.

Karate-do implies karate as a total way of life that goes far beyond the self-defense techniques. Funakoshi said that “mind and technique become one in true karate”. In training karate, you strive to make your physical techniques pure expressions of your mind's attention, and to improve your mind's focus by understanding the essence of the physical techniques. By polishing your karate practice you are polishing your own mentality. For example, eliminating weak and indecisive movements in your karate helps to eliminate weakness and indecision in your minds, and vice versa. It is in this sense that karate becomes a Way of life. Thus, the way of training and discipline developed in karate-do does not end in the Dojo (training hall), it continues in your everyday life (24 hours a day, 365 days a year).

However, not all Karatekas subscribe to the idea that their Karate is a way of life. Many people take karate for fun or simple physical exercise and could careless about the spiritual aspects that some ascribe to their training. Although many texts and treatises on karate written in Japan and the West state that karate is character training as an absolute fact.


What is the Purpose of Karate Training?

There are several purposes that people take up karate as a hobby. “Self-defense" is the most widely used excuse to take karate.

However, when questioned more closely, no one can give me a solid reason for taking karate. Some people take up karate simply to improve their health, to lose weight, and to increase physical strength. Some wants to compete in the tournament. Some simply take karate up because they want to meet people and get out of their boring house.

In fact, the training purposes of traditional karate are never external (for example: “to beat” the opponent, “to win” the competition, or to be a “champion”, etc.), rather they are internal (because the true opponent is oneself): to search for self-excellence (self-discipline, self-control, self-confidence...), to conquer and surmount your weaknesses, to develop and bring your mind and body together in Harmony through serious training, so that you can surmount any tangible or intangible obstacles, and especially to become a better human being; all other things can be judged secondary and even superficial if this is taken into consideration. This is the ideal of martial arts.

It is inevitable that each person tends to view everyone's karate training from and their prejudice and own perspective, therefore leading to judgmental and narrow-minded assumptions about others who train for different reasons.


What is the Ultimate Goal of Karate?

Furthermore, Funakoshi wrote that: “The ultimate aim of Karate lies not in victory or defeat, but in the perfection of the character of its participants”. The problem is perfection never exist. That is why karate is a lifelong training.
In karate there is an assumption that the best way “to stop violent conflict” is to cultivate individual character.


Doesn't Karate-do generate aggressive people?

There are actually karate styles that do produce aggressive, impulsive and dangerous people, but this can be traced to the fact that they have been guided by people of a low level of education or by the so-called "karate masters". It can also be traced to groups that are too competition oriented because in fighting you must be aggressive to “win”. Aggressiveness is born out of power acquired easily, without sacrifices, these elements united with a weak mind and a weak morality, education and ethical background, are one of the possible sources of aggression and violence. This could be the case of a person that buys a weapon, he suddenly has the power to take a life, in a second he is "strong" and "powerful", without any sacrifices, no discipline, thus he abuses his “instantaneous power”, he is aggressive, abusive and inhuman.

On the other hand, after 5 or 10 years of traditional Karate-do training, you have the ability of maiming or even killing an individual with your bare hands or feet, but in those years of intensive training your mind has changed, you are disciplined, you have learnt about yourself and other people, the value of life, the beauty of life, you now control your impulses and have overcome your weaknesses, you have obtained a very strong discipline mind. Even though you may have the power you do not misuse it, actually you shun violence and go great lengths to avoid conflicts and dangerous situations that could expose you to violence, you conceal your knowledge and never, never ever abuse of your capabilities. This is power (killing technique) with discipline (disciplined mind).

April 05, 2006
Chheang Bunly, 5th Dan