When we say martial arts, we think of the much publicized Chinese Kung Fu that is graceful yet powerful. Ever since Bruce Lee hit the screen with his Kung Fu flying kicks, people of the West has been mesmerized and in awe of the martial art method. Jet Li popularized the martial art called Wu Shu, which is a far more graceful, and yet lethal and quick. Jackie Chan also hit the screen as a Kung Fu master with his own brand of comedy.

Thanks to the movies and screenwriters, many more people are learning martial arts as a method of self-defense today. Other types of popular martial arts include Taekwondo, Karate, Kickboxing and Jiu-Jitsu.

For those who are keener to explore the art of ‘self-defense’ instead of style, power and grace to help protect themselves from physical attacks, try Jiu-Jitsu. The actual full-name of the martial art is Shorinii-kan jiu-jitsu. When they say that in martial arts, the most important thing to develop is the strength of the body, the mindset and avoidance, they are right. For example, if the attacker was using a knife against you, learning Jiu-Jitsu will teach you how to use the very same knife that the attacker is holding now against him. The art of Jiu-Jitsu is very unique because it does not teach you how to attack another person, but instead, it teaches you how to redirect the force, energy and anger that the attacker is aiming at you…back to himself.

Jiu-Jitsu is also about escaping, restraining the attacker and disarming and throwing them on the floor with force.

Of late, another form of martial art has caught the attention of more people, Hapkido, a Korean form of self-defence. Hapkido is a form of martial art that uses very natural techniques. The people often move around in circles, like they are in a circular shaped ring, therefore, their movements are often in a huge circle.

The reason why Hapkido is an extremely useful martial art is because of their jabbing movements and can-hardly-be-seen and hard to predict jabs and kicks that leave the attacker totally floored. Movements flow from one to another smoothly until the ‘victim’ returns the attacker’s favor with a countermovement.

Martial art is not aggressive but instead, they are responsive and most of the time, extremely graceful and elegant. The more elegant ones with flowing movements are often designed to enthrall the audience. Others aim at helping the proponent defend themselves. Knowing a few basic martial art moves can save your life, especially if you’re of the weaker sex.

Dylan Miles, journalist, and website builder, lives in Texas. He is the owner and co-editor of http://www.martialartsmasters.info on which you will find a longer, more detailed version of this article.

Nonetheless, Ohtsuka’s path as a budoka was set by this point, and would soon take its first fateful turn. He would soon meet the father of modern karate, Gichin Funakoshi. In the fall of 1922, Ohtsuka was giving thought to his future. Although his job at the bank appeared secure, he was not satisfied. He wanted to devote his life to his true passion, the martial arts. This interest was heightened even more when Ohtsuka found out that an Okinawan school teacher, Gichin Funakoshi, was invited by Crown Prince Hirohito to perform karate before the Emperor of Japan at a public hall in Tokyo. Ohtsuka attended the demonstration, and as a result became one of Funakoshi’s 35 original Japanese students.

Because of the popularity gained by the demonstration, Funakoshi stayed in Japan. Ohtsuka was at Funakoshi’s dojo nearly every night, absorbing the art. By 1924, he became chief assistant instructor. On April 24th, Ohtsuka was named among the first seven black belts in modern karate.

Funakoshi came to rely heavily on Ohtsuka. At 32, Ohtsuka’s realized his dream of being a full time martial artist. However, he found Funakoshi’s karate (later named Shotokan) lacking. He felt there was little sense behind the philosophies, the kata seemed to have no practical application, and the movements were too confined. Also, Funakoshi did not allow free sparring, leaving no way to truly test his karate. Therefore, while still assisting Funakoshi, Ohtsuka trained with other notable masters. These included Kenwa Mabuni, founder of Shito-Ryu Karate, as well as Choki Motobu, famous for his excellent technical and fighting abilities, and Morihei Ueshiba, founder of Aikido.

Ueshiba O’Sensei helped Ohtsuka find the missing link, and officially begin the creation of Wado. Like Shindo Yoshin Ryu Jiu Jitsu, Aikido is a direct descendant of Aikijujutsu (a part of Samurai combative). The greatness of Aikido is in its reliance on natural movements, focusing on breathing, relaxation, and “ki” (lifeforce; breath; spirit). Whereas most karate tended to generate tension in performing techniques, Aikido was the opposite. Instead of meeting force of force, it blended with and redirected the opposing force or ki.

It was upon learning Aikido that Ohtsuka-sensei began to form a new budo, a Way of Harmony. He would eventually blend the basics of Funakoshi’s karate, the practicality of Shindo Yoshin Ryu Jiu Jitsu, and the spirituality of Aikido, as well as the natural, evasive movements of the latter two. Much like the Jiu Jitsu influence on Ohtsuka-meijin’s budo, Aikido had more influence on the principles from which techniques are derived, rather than the specific techniques themselves. Also, it would appear that Shito ryu Karate and Shindo Yoshin Ryu Jiu Jitsu had a much heavier influence on Wado than Aikido.

The author lives in Lake City, South Carolina, where he also teaches at his Wado ryu Karate school. For more information about Karate and the martial arts, please visit Johnston Wado ryu Karate - School, Supplies, Downloads or the Johnston Karate Online Community.

Do you want to give your child everything in life you never had? Of course you do; you want to give your child all of the opportunities that you didn’t have. That’s what every responsible parent wants for his or her children. However, it’s hard to keep up with all the new and expensive toys available today.

Can you imagine giving your child a gift that has twelve valuable life skills and one more benefit - on top of those twelve skills? As you already know, it’s not the latest Ipod or Xbox, but your child will be very successful in life, as a result. You may have heard all this talk about life skills before, but the explanations were vague, so let’s make the explanations and results clear.

Life Skills are the self-improvement skills that we, as adults, need in order to be more successful in life; but children and adults can acquire them in a Karate class. Adults usually visit the self-improvement section of a library, bookstore, or shop on the Internet, to reprogram their minds for success. Sometimes, adults stay with a self-improvement program, and many times - they don’t.

For children in their formative years, Karate classes have a very positive impact, and shape their lives toward a path of continuous achievement. Children will stay with a self-improvement program, such as Karate, as long as they get transportation.

Positive Thinking

Within a typical Karate class, children learn to think about the next hurdle in life. The only hurdle to focus on is the lesson plan that their Karate instructor presents for the day. This could be as simple as learning, or reviewing, a few Karate techniques. Once this has been accomplished, any child can walk away from his or her Karate class with a very positive feeling of gratification.

It is this repetition of focusing, learning, solving, and accomplishing that contributes to the positive mind-set in all Karate practitioners of all ages. When a parent reinforces these same habits at home, the young Karate student learns that staying positive, in the face of adversity, will yield many benefits and solutions in life.

Stress Management

Children are no different than adults, and they are subjected to more everyday stress than we were as children. This is why the Karate studio is a haven for children and a place to leave stress behind and focus on simple tasks. For children, Karate class is quality time spent living in the moment, enjoying life right now, without worrying about the past or future.

Karate classes give kids a chance to jump, kick, punch, and shout at the appropriate times. Many times, I mention to the children at our facility, in North Providence, that they should take advantage of the times when they can shout. Within the structure of a kids Karate class, there is a time to speak up, and a time to listen, in order to get the most out of each Karate lesson.

Through steady Karate practice, children learn to put stress aside and focus on getting the most out of life. They also learn that when stress comes their way, it’s time to work on solutions rather than become depressed about them. Young karate students accept stress for what it is, and rise to the opportunity to become successful in life.

Paul Jerard is a co-owner and the director of Yoga teacher training at: Aura Wellness Center, in North Providence, RI. He has been a certified Master Yoga teacher since 1995. He is a master instructor of martial arts, with multiple Black Belts, four martial arts teaching credentials, and was recently inducted into the USA Martial Arts Hall of Fame. He teaches Yoga, martial arts, and fitness to children, adults, and seniors in the greater Providence area. Recently he wrote: Yoga: The Key to Self-Mastery http://www.kids-karate.com

Ohtsuka gradually incorporated knowledge from Jiu Jitsu, Aikido, and the other karate sensei he trained with, into the classes Funakoshi-sensei had put him in charge of. This included free fighting, and weaving his newfound principles into the kata. While many students agreed with the changes being made, Funakoshi-sensei viewed them as contrary to his teachings. Due to their disagreements, it was in 1930 that Ohtsuka-sensei and Funakoshi-sensei finally parted ways.

Over the 4 years that followed, with help from students who also left Funakoshi’s instruction, Ohtsuka continued his own teaching. Constantly developing his new budo, he focused on deriving practical defense from formal art. A major breakthrough was the idea of Kihon Kumite Kata, which became his greatest contribution to martial arts. In blending Jiu Jitsu, Aikido, and Karate, he created not only 36 new kata, but a new budo.

Ohtsuka-sensei created the All Japan Karate-do Research Organization (Dai Nippon Karatedo Shinko Kai) in 1934, after encouragement from many of his students. Also, his son Jiro (later known as Hironori Ohtsuka II), who would later become Ohtsuka’s heir, was born that same year.

Four years later, the All Japan Classical Martial Arts Festival (Dai Nippon Kobudo Tai Kai) invited Ohtsuka-sensei to demonstrate his controversial new style. He was asked to name the style prior to the demonstration, and he registered it as Shin Shu Wado Ryu - New Style Way of Harmony School. The year after, when Dai Nippon Butokukai requested all Japanese martial arts and their chief instructors register their names, Ohtsuka-sensei gave the name Wado-Ryu - Way of Peace and Harmony.

Ohtsuka-sensei continued teaching, and Wado-Ryu eventually became one of the most highly regarded Japanese martial arts. The 1st All Japan Wado-Ryu Karate championships were held in 1955. In 1963, Mr. Arakawa, Mr. Takashima, and Mr. Tatsao Suzuki left Japan to help spread Wado-Ryu Karate to Europe and America. Emperor Hirohito in 1966 awarded Ohtsuka-sensei with The Grand Order of the Rising Sun (Kyuokujitsusho). In 1972, the president of International Martial Arts Federation (Kokusai Budo Renmei) awarded Ohtsuka the title of “meijin” (master), the first time a karateka had been given such an honor in Japan. Even now, many years after his death in 1982, people all over the world are still being affected in a positive way by Ohtsuka’s Wado-Ryu Karate-do, which is his ultimate honor.

The author lives in Lake City, South Carolina, where he also teaches at his Wado ryu Karate school. For more information about Karate and the martial arts, please visit Johnston Wado ryu Karate - School, Supplies, Downloads or the Johnston Karate Online Community.

This section covers two extremely valuable life skills that many adults pay a “king’s ransom” to attain. Adults pay a life coach, business coach, or read plenty of self-improvement books, to gain this knowledge and develop these life skills. However, within a Karate class, children can be molded toward a lifetime of achievement.

Success

There are many types of success such as: The power of influence, mental, physical, spiritual, and material success. A child can get a strong grasp of most of these types of successes, within the structure of his or her Karate class. Each form of success is valuable in today’s world.

The power of influence is learned through social skills, and children have to work together in order to learn Karate. Children work in pairs, or groups, to accomplish a single goal. Sometimes, the highest ranking child will lead a group, while the Karate teacher (sensei) observes or corrects at certain points.

However, the influential Karate student can be observed voluntarily helping others. This is one of many positive qualities that children learn, which are valuable in their Karate training, and it applies to having influence in life.

Mental success can be academic or something as simple as learning a new martial arts technique. The child who learns to apply his or her success, gained in a martial arts class, toward life outside Karate training, has learned one of the biggest lessons a Karate teacher can give.

Spiritual success is really left up to the parents, but many advanced Karate students learn to meditate. Meditation offers the ability to clear your mind and concentrate on one single concept, object, or idea. At the very least, kids Karate students will learn to be quiet and know how to quiet their minds. This is a relief for parents who desperately need some quiet time in the evening.

Material success arrives when all of the other forms of success work in harmony. A child who has the tools for success, learned within the Karate classroom, will be able to apply them toward school, college, and business. For most of us, success, in life, will not be attained without working at it.

Leadership

As a child attains a higher rank within his or her Karate class, the ability to lead a small group of Karate students is learned. To enhance this quality, we developed a “leadership team.” These children, on the leadership team, have displayed leadership and compassion toward their fellow Karate students.

However, every child within our North Providence kids Karate program is taught the value of leadership as it applies to life. There is a time to lead and a time to follow, but children have to learn to think for themselves for their own safety and success. The power of peer pressure is a heavy burden on the minds of children.

Proper conduct is not always popular with children, but the child with strong leadership skills will not follow the negative path of influence. Children have serious daily concerns about peer pressure, drugs, and bullies. Karate training, and the leadership skills that result from it, will carry your child in the right direction.

Paul Jerard is a co-owner and the director of Yoga teacher training at: Aura Wellness Center, in North Providence, RI. He has been a certified Master Yoga teacher since 1995. He is a master instructor of martial arts, with multiple Black Belts, four martial arts teaching credentials, and was recently inducted into the USA Martial Arts Hall of Fame. He teaches Yoga, martial arts, and fitness to children, adults, and seniors in the greater Providence area. Recently he wrote: Yoga: The Key to Self-Mastery http://www.kids-karate.com

Aside from the dojo precepts, kata is traditionally Karate-do’s primary tool for personal development. It is the textbook of Karate-do that is to be learned, understood, and applied. It is the tool by which Karate-do demonstrates fighting principles, but also creates unity in one’s body, mind, and soul.

The fighting principles, when well applied, will work in many situations. Awareness and defensive principles help avoid, assess, or diffuse encounters. The search for unity means we should use lethal force as a last resort. The key is to move last, but hit first. In this way, there is no first strike in karate, but we meet force with a passive counter. Look for new ways to interpret kata - many secrets may be found…or created.

Mentally, kata teaches focus, and attention to all angles. One must cut through disclarity of mind to understand kata, and with this a growing process takes place. You will find bunkai where you did not before, as you imagine the problems the kata creators faced. This problem solving that kata teaches is invaluable. It balances the mind and grounds it to a reality that is still unpredictable, yet enriched by clearer understanding.

Physically, kata enforces proper use of body structure. It also strengthens the muscles through natural body weight exercises. Practiced vigorously, kata improves cardiovascular efficiency. Kata is therapeutic and empowering.

Spiritually, kata provides a path of self awareness. In practicing or even creating new kata, one builds resolve. In aiming for mastery, one builds patience. In either, one has to continually search in and outside of themselves, that one may learn how to apply the truths contained within kata.

The author lives in Lake City, South Carolina, where he also teaches at his Wado ryu Karate school. For more information about Karate and the martial arts, please visit the Johnston Karate Online Community.

When I talk to people about Iron Palm, they think that it’s just about breaking bricks. They even ask, "Why do you want to learn how to break bricks?". Well, it’s not about breaking bricks. What it is about is cultivating and controlling your Chi, your internal energy.

I look at Chi and where it is stored like money and a bank account, a Chi account, if you will. Deposits have to be made, savings for our "golden years". The more you know about cultivating it, and "depositing it into your account", the more internal energy you’ll have when you need it the most.

Once we have an account built up, we have to be able to manage our account. We have to be able to move the energy where we want to, when we want to. That is the Mind-Body connection, to transmit energy where we command it to go.

This is Iron Palm training, this is what we’re after. The breaking of the bricks is strictly a training aid. It’s a measuring devise. It is also a way of losing Chi. You lose Chi from fighting, breaking bricks, and through sex. That’s why Semen Retention, is so vital. That’s why it is so important to makes deposits into your "Chi Account", and not withdrawls.

This is a problem that happens with most Iron Palm people. They stop training because their capabilities become greater.

They think that they have the "heavy hand" and that they have some good techniques, so they slow down in their learning, in their training, and depend on their hand.

This has been a grave error that many a skillful martial artist have made. Fundamentals, the basics are always going to be necessary.

Grand Master Tung Sheng Chang, never trained his hand in Iron Palm. He trained his elbows. When I learned this, I began training my elbows as well. I did keep up with my palm training though.

This was the reason that he didn’t train his hand. He didn’t want to become dependent on this unique special training. He saw many men die from their dependency.

Think about it, the year is 1930, you master this special program, then several years afterward you begin slowing down in your training. Then you receive a challenge, you take the challenge. You feel as though your abilities will see you through. But once the fighting begins, you see the "rust" that has built up on you. You want so badly to land that one blow. The one that will end it, the one that will get you home tonight.

You can see the rest of the story. GM Chang, saw it too many times. How much knowledge went to the graves with these masters?

Most of the Iron Palm courses that are out there start the student off with the striking of a bag filled with mung beans. Then, they move up to the bag that is filled with gravel, all the while using the herbal medicine known as Dit Da Jow.

Dit Da Jow, is a simple formula we call bruise medicine. This formula will get rid of bruises, aches and pains, and so forth. And, it might be a good formula for striking beans and gravel, but, for striking a canvas bag, that is filled with iron shot (about the same size as BB’s) this bruise medicine will not do.

One of the Herbalist that I use for our Iron Palm formula, told me that he and some of his students, put a little of my medicine on their hands, he then told me that their hands were tingeling. This man is an Herbalist, and he said that he had never felt this before.

This is Iron Palm medicine. This is what it does. It pulls your energy, your Chi, to the part of the body that it’s applied to.

There are many different types of formulas, many of them containing between 9 and 16 different herbs in them. I have seen a couple of formulas that have as many as 30 herbs in them. The formula that has been passed down to me has 39 different herbs in it! It is by far the best that I have ever used. It isn’t by any stretch of anyone’s imagination, a Dit Da Jow. It is an Iron Palm medicine.

Steve Hamp, is a 6th Degree Black Belt in the Chinese Martial Arts. He is soaring quickly because of his willingness to teach and his knowledge of health and the Chinese martial arts. You can find out more about Iron Palm by going to; http://www.noweightsworkout.com/

Karate-do, in all its various forms, finds its origins in one place - the Ryukyu islands off the coast of Japan. What we know as one of the most widely practiced systems of self defense and discipline in the world is the result of centuries of development. While Karate-do was introduced as a code of ethics to a peacetime America only a few decades ago, it began through the need of Ryukyu natives for better methods of fighting.

There are a few theories about the origins of the fighting arts that later became collectively known as Karate-do. However, it is certain that many notable Chinese kung fu practitioners settled in Okinawa, the capital of the Ryukyu kingdom.

The origins of the Chinese arts themselves are also shrouded in the mists of time. A widely accepted theory is that Bodhidharma, the founder of Ch’an (Zen) Buddhism created what would later evolve into Shaolin kung-fu. The original exercises were used to strengthen his monks’ bodies, minds, and spirits, to help them better fulfill their duties. This level of personal cultivation carried across to many Chinese martial arts. By way of transmission to other countries, this carried across to other martial arts, Karate-do being one of them.

Details are rather sketchy at best as to the actual origins of Karate-do, however. It is most widely accepted that in the year 1507, the weapons ban passed by King Sho Shin led to the rapid development of native unarmed fighting arts. These arts were primarily influenced by various forms of Chinese kung fu, which Okinawans began learning in the 14th century.

Okinawans learned forms of Shaolin kung fu from Shaolin masters who fled China as a result of the oppressive Qing dynasty. Okinawans also learned various forms of kung fu from Chinese merchants, Chinese officials on diplomatic missions, and young members of wealthy Okinawan families who went to China to learn “Quan Fa” / kung fu to further their education and martial arts studies. The general name given to the fighting arts learned and further refined by the Okinawan martial artists was tode-jutsu (alternately spelled tou-di), the Okinawan name given to Chinese martial arts.

In February 1609, invasion of Okinawa by the Satsuma clan (of Kyushu, Japan) triggered another period of rapid development of native Okinawan fighting arts. Satsuma control lasted until 1879, when the King of Ryukyu finally abdicated and the country became part of Japan.

During this period, kobudo (often translated “old fighting method”; commonly used to represent Okinawan weapon fighting) evolved. Farm implements were used as weapons, as traditional weapons were not allowed. However, some of the native Ryukyu warrior class traveled up to the Satsuma clan in the later part of the 19th century and learned their samurai fighting art Jigen-ryu kenjutsu. It was not long after this that Sokon Matsumura, “Toudi” Sakugawa, and Tsuken Koura, among the many who had made the trip, introduced their contributions to kobudo.

Matsumura is commonly considered the great grandfather of the karate movement in and around Shuri. He learned native Okinawan fighting from Sakugawa (who in turn learned from Kusankun and other masters). He later studied in Fujian and Satsuma. He learned Shaolin Boxing (Shorin-ryu) under the tutelage of master Iwah. As a result of the efforts of Matsumura, the fighting arts that surfaced around the noble / castle district of Shuri came to be known as Shuri-te (Shuri hand).

The Chinese master Ason taught Zhao Ling Liu (Shorei-ryu) to Sakiyama, Gushi, Nagahama, and Tomoyori of Naha, leading to the development of Naha-te. Xie Zhongxiang (nicknamed Ryuru Ko) of Fuzhou founded Whooping Crane kung fu (hakutsuru) and taught it to a number of notable karate masters in the Fuzhou province. Wai Xinxian, it is said, was a Qing dynasty officer, and taught Xingyi kung fu as well as Monk Fist Boxing. It is also said he assisted Master Iwah’s instruction in Fuzhou province.

The author lives in Lake City, South Carolina, where he also teaches at his Wado ryu Karate school. For more information about Karate and the martial arts, please visit Johnston Wado ryu Karate - School, Supplies, Downloads or the Johnston Karate Online Community.

Here are three more valuable life skills for children who study Karate.

Attraction

Doesn’t everyone want to feel appreciated, popular, and get some recognition? Children need it even more that you do. This is why a child, who has leadership, success, and social skills, will go far among his or her peers. This is one more reason why a child who studies Karate will avoid following the crowd and become a trend setter.

How can a child be so self assured? It comes with inner confidence, achievements, and enhanced athletic abilities. These are all benefits that children gain from regular participation in a Karate class.

Innovation and Creative Thinking

When teaching the children, in our North Providence martial arts studio, I often emphasize the value of the words, “martial artist.” It is the art that really separates a martial artist from the street fighter. Otherwise, children would only learn self-defense skills, which is a by product of Karate training, but they also have a moral code. Many life skills are learned within martial arts classes. Children in a Karate class should be encouraged to find solutions that work for them.

Therefore, the young Karate student is not a clone of his or her teacher. After the basics are accomplished, all Karate students should use techniques that work for their mind and body. Karate practitioners are not all “wired” in the same way.

As long as the basic foundations are followed, the child who practices Karate should find independent solutions, just like any other artist. I often compare this to music; and here is my comparison, “I can give you the notes, and teach you songs, but it is up to you to create your own songs.”

Time Management

Children, who practice Karate, or any other martial art, learn to be dressed on time, line up in formation, and remember to bring their equipment. This is elementary to adults, but if your child is slowing you down, Karate is a fantastic solution for the child who needs to manage time a little better.

When this same child grows into adulthood, he or she will be thankful for the lessons in time management, when going through college, working at a job, or raising his or her own children. When learning Karate, children also learn to prioritize the important things in life and establish much better control over time management. The co-worker, or college student, who is habitually late, is rarely successful, and has always left something important “on the back burner.”

Paul Jerard is a co-owner and the director of Yoga teacher training at: Aura Wellness Center, in North Providence, RI. He has been a certified Master Yoga teacher since 1995. He is a master instructor of martial arts, with multiple Black Belts, four martial arts teaching credentials, and was recently inducted into the USA Martial Arts Hall of Fame. He teaches Yoga, martial arts, and fitness to children, adults, and seniors in the greater Providence area. Recently he wrote: Yoga: The Key to Self-Mastery http://www.kids-karate.com

Gichin Funakoshi was an Okinawan native who taught at the school “Shoto Gakko”, which prepared Okinawans for Japanese civil service. His life’s passion, however, was karate. Because of the respect he commanded from Japanese gentlemen, and his skill in karate, he was selected to represent Okinawa’s martial art.

He defeated every opponent he faced at the demonstration, and won great respect. Because of this and his love of Japanese culture, he stayed on the mainland to further propagate karate. As a result of the first and further exhibitions, he gained many followers and ultimately began teaching out of a Kendo dojo.

At first, there were cultural barriers and traditions that slowed the progress of karate across the mainland. As a result of Funakoshi’s excellence in teaching, however, he broke through the prejudices against karate. Eventually, he was able to open his own dojo, which was the first formalized karate dojo. Also during this time, karate as a whole came to be formalized and “Japanized” (although divisions among separate karate styles have not, to this day, been resolved).

Such formalization included acceptance of the kyu/dan (class/grade) system as devised by Jigoro Kano (founder of judo). Also, it became important that all teachers were qualified and knowledgeable. Finally, it was necessary to institute a standard curriculum, uniform, and competitive format.

Nationalism and anti-Chinese sentiment made the karate-jutsu movement consider a more appropriate ideogram to represent their art. The original “kara” ideogram of karate meant China, as did the “tou” of toudi (Chinese hand, and a reference to the Tang dynasty). The replacement ideogram means “empty”, and takes on not just a physical but a spiritual meaning. “Kara” may represent the “void”, and freedom from worldly desire.

Also changed was the suffix for karate. Instead of jutsu (art/science), do (way/path/totality, pronounced “dao” in Mandarin) came to be used. In this sense, as a result of the efforts of such masters as Itosu, karate-do joined kendo, jiu jitsu, aikido, and judo as a modern budo, in which not only combat is practiced, but also a cultural discipline for the pursuit of harmony.

The author lives in Lake City, South Carolina, where he also teaches at his Wado ryu Karate school. For more information about Karate and the martial arts, please visit Johnston Wado ryu Karate or the Johnston Karate Online Community.