The History of KarateWhat is a Shisa?
Fred Altensee, Dai Sempai 

It is very difficult to discern the origin of karate-like forms of combat as much information was passed down through oral tradition and most of the knowledge of ancient fighting methods is based upon legend rather than first hand, documented accounts.  Many sources point to the existence of barehanded combat methods in both China and India at least as early as 1000 BC.  Some scholars suggest an early, strong influence on the independently developing Chinese systems from India.  Interestingly, there is recent archeological evidence to suggest systematized combat reaches back much further than previously thought.  Statues and plaques dating back to at least 3000 BC from the Babylonian era (Mesopotamia) depict figures engaged in combat using what are commonly considered karate-type blocks, other plaques depict combatants grappling using sumo-type techniques. Some current authorities feel that the Fertile Crescent (Mesopotamia) was the starting point for what are considered Eastern combat methods, spreading to China and India through trade routes.  Two Indian systems, Nata and Vajramushti, were taught to members of the warrior caste--the Ksatrija.  As the Indian warriors were Buddhist, this may explain the appearance of the Nio Bodhi-sattvas statues at many temples in karate-like postures. ( The Nio dieties are the guardians of the Buddhist faith.)

The first generally acknowledged figure in the development of hand to hand fighting in China was the legendary Bodhidharma (Da Mo), although certainly some distinct methods and systems were already in place by the time of his arrival. Da Mo was an Indian warrior monk and the 28th patriarch of Zen Buddhism.

Legend credits Da Mo with introducing both Zen Buddhism and a method of systematized fighting into China. Many authorities dispute his actual existence; however, legend places his arrival to China from India around 520 A.D.

Da Mo eventually settled at the Shaolin Monastery in the Honan Province.  Finding the monks physically unable to perform the rigorous meditations he instilled, Da Mo developed a series of 18 exercises designed to strengthen them.  These exercises, commonly believed to be the precursor of Ch'uan-fa (fist way) were called the "Eighteen Hands of Lo-Han."

Subsequent masters eventually expanded the original 18 exercises into 170 forms.  The forms were also classified according to their animal-like movements.  The more than 300 Ch'uan-fa (misnamed Kung Fu) forms have evolved from this common beginning.

Okinawa, the principal island of the Ryukyu Archipelago, was the birthplace of what is now called karate.  Okinawa's geographic location resulted in interaction with several Asian countries at a very early stage.  Some evidence suggests that China established ties with Okinawa as early as the Sui Dynasty (580-620 AD).  It is commonly accepted that Chinese Martial Arts forms were introduced to the island no later than 900 A.D.

In the 14th century, the Satsuma clan of Japan occupied Okinawa.  A subsequent ban on all weapons forced the practice of to-de and Ch'uan-fa underground.  Many believe the two systems were blended into Te during this time. Te, literally: hand, was practiced in three principal cities, resulting in three distinct systems: Naha-Te, Shuri-Te, and Tomari-Te.  The Japanese occupation and ban on weapons heightened the already secretive, clannish aspects of the arts.