Three Basic Things You Should Know About Karate 

 Karate (空手) is a martial art that originated in Japan. It was first developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom (now Okinawa) under the influence of Chinese martial arts as an unarmed martial art. Karate is famous for its striking techniques using bare hands and feet like punching, kicking, and other open-hand techniques, and it has been selected for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. It has unique rules and regulations, such as belt colors that symbolize the level of knowledge and skill of the practitioner. This article introduces the meaning of belt color, karate uniforms, basic rules, and its history. 

The Meaning of Karate Belt Colors 

In karate, belt colors are used to identify a practitioner’s level (dan or kyu). The color indicates their knowledge and skill level. 

A black belt, the symbol of strength, can only be worn by a dan holder. Beginners start with a white belt, which is said to represent purity and innocence, being untainted by any knowledge. More and more dojos and schools have adopted the colored belt system to check progress and to encourage practice, whereas, in junior high school and high school clubs, there are basically no colored belts. 

The general relationship between belt colors and kyu/dan is as follows: 

After you reach the Shodan level (master class), the color of the belt remains black. The reason for this is that the belt starts out as plain white and gradually becomes colored, then turns black to signify a return to “Mu,” or nothingness, which means going back to basics or a beginner’s spirit 

During a match, both practitioners wear blue and red belts regardless of their level (dan/kyu), to make it easier for a judge to distinguish between them. 

Basic Techniques and Main Competitions of Karate 

The basic karate techniques can be broadly classified into five categories: “tsuki“, “keri“, “uchi“, “ate“, and “uke“. There are also two main types of competitions in karate: kumite and kata. Let’s take a look at each one. 

Five Basic Techniques 

The basic techniques of karate are as follows: 

• Tsuki: Attacks by thrusting arms 
• Keri: Attacks with legs 
• Uchi and Ate: Using fists or arms and elbows for both attacks and defense 

Uke: Defensive techniques using arms and other parts of the body 

Kumite 

Kumite is a sparring style of karate, literally meaning “meeting of hands”. In kumite, competitors face off against each other in one-on-one matches to score points. 

The rules of kumite vary depending on factions and organizations, but generally, a winner is the one who has more points within the time limit. 

Kata 

Kata, literally meaning “shape” or “model”, is a sequence of movements that demonstrate offensive and defensive postures. In kata competitions, competitors perform the kata by themselves or in teams. They are divided into red belt and blue belt groups. A panel of judges decides the winner by raising either a blue or red flag. It is not enough to simply perform the movements in order, one must also perform them in the same way as if one were actually fighting an enemy. The best performances are those that convey the true meaning of kata and have a good balance between power, speed, grace, and rhythm. 

Karate Uniform 

The karate uniform is called karategi and is worn when practicing karate. It consists of a jacket, pants, and obi. There are two types of karategi for kumite and kata. The karategi for kumite is made from a soft material to maximize mobility and speed when performing, while the karategi for kata is made from a thicker material. It is done to give an impression of crispness in quick movements when the practitioners thrust or kick. 

History of Karate 

Lastly, let’s have a look at the brief history of karate development. 

Karate Roots in Okinawa 

As already mentioned, karate was developed in Okinawa, which was once known as the Ryukyu Kingdom. Karate (唐手), a martial art in which one attacks or receives strikes by an opponent using only one’s own body, without weapons, was passed down from ancient times in the area. In order to prevent the people of Ryukyu from revolting, there was a time when the rulers forbade them from having weapons, which eventually led to people coming up with karate. 

In addition, Okinawa was visited by hundreds of Chinese envoys at that time and was influenced a lot by Chinese culture. It is said that Karate (唐手) adopted Chinese kenpo (拳法) and developed uniquely in Ryukyu. 

Yondai Ryuha 

Karate was introduced to mainland Japan during the Taisho period. The first karate performance was given by Gichin Funakoshi at the first Sports Exhibition sponsored by the Ministry of Education (now the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology). Following Funakoshi, many karate practitioners traveled to the Japanese mainland to promote karate. As a result, the Yondai Ryuha (four main schools) of karate, Shoto-kan, Wado, Goju, and Shito, emerged. 

Unification across Ryuha 

After World War Ⅱ, karate clubs were established at many universities in Japan, and interactions across universities and the Ryuha schools increased. As a result, the All Japan Student Karate Federation was established in 1957, and rules for tournaments were created, with a tournament system. The first tournament was held in the same year, successfully making karate a competitive sport. The 1964 Tokyo Olympics inspired a lot of karate practitioners to unify beyond their Ryuha schools and form a national organization. The All Japan Karate Federation was established in 1969 to unify karate as a whole. Since then, karate has been promoted beyond national borders and has been recognized as an Olympic sport for the Tokyo 2020 Games. 

Summary 

In this article, we have introduced some basic knowledge of karate, such as its color belts, techniques, competitions, and history. We hope this will help you appreciate this Japanese traditional martial art and maybe inspire you to watch or practice it someday soon! 

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