XII . 1 Karate - history
Karate was developed in Japan . Although the name dates to as recent times as 1930 , the techniques are very ancient and derive from the Chinese art of Shaolin boxing of the VI century .
It was later developed on the Japanese island of Okinawa around 1500 , giving rise to the tang hand , which allowed the islanders to fight unarmed against Japanese armed oppressors .
In the 1920s the tang hand was introduced in Japan by Funakoshi Gichin who used the word karate . The style he practiced was known as shotokan , now one of the five major styles of Japan ; the others are : wado-ryu , gojo-ryu , shito-ryu and kyukushinkai . Each puts different emphasis on technique , speed and power .
In 1949 Funakoshi Gichin founded the Japanese Karate Association , which celebrated the first Japanese championships in 1957 . This sport was extended to the West during the 1950s . The All-Japan Karate-do ( FAJKO ) organization , founded in 1964 , celebrated the first Multi-Style World Championships in 1970 .
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