| Japan annexed the nominally independent Ryukyu | | | | In 1806, Tode Sakukawa (1782-1838), who had |
| island group in 1874 after centuries of strong | | | | studied pugilism and staff (bo) fighting in China |
| Japanese influence over the kingdom's affairs | | | | (according to one legend, under the guidance of |
| following the invasion by the Japanese Satsuma clan | | | | Koshokun, originator of kusanku kata), started |
| in 1609. The relationship between Okinawa and Japan | | | | teaching a fighting art in the city of Shuri that he |
| is complicated. For purposes of discussing karate, it is | | | | called "Karate-no-Sakukawa" (at that time meaning |
| convenient to speak of Okinawa and Japan as | | | | "China hand of Sakakawa"). This was the first known |
| separate entities. The question of whether karate is | | | | recorded reference to the art of karate |
| Japanese or Okinawan is somewhat akin to asking | | | | Around the 1820's, Sakukawa's most significant |
| whether the luau or the hula dance are American | | | | student, Sokon Matsumura(1809-1899) taught a |
| traditions or Hawaiian ones: They developed in Hawaii | | | | synthesis of te (Shuri-te and Tomari-te) and Shaolin |
| prior to when Hawaii became one of the United | | | | (Chinese) styles. It would become the style |
| States, and so are usually described as Hawaiian, not | | | | Shorin-ryu. |
| American. The case is similar for karate, which is | | | | Anko ItosuMatsumura taught his karate to Anko |
| originally of Okinawan origin. | | | | Itosu(1831-1915), among others. Itosu adapted two |
| The Okinawan martial art "ti" was practiced by | | | | forms he learned from Matsumara, namely kusanku |
| Okinawa royalty and their retainers for centuries | | | | and chiang nan, to create the ping'an forms ("heian" |
| before, and alongside, later Chinese influences. For | | | | or "pinan" in Japanese, as the symbols can be read |
| the most part there were no particular styles of "ti", | | | | differently) as simplified kata for beginning students. |
| but rather a network of practitioners with their own | | | | In 1901 he was instrumental in getting karate |
| individual methods and eclectic traditions. Early styles | | | | introduced into Okinawa's public schools. These forms |
| of karate are often generalized as Shuri-te, Naha-Te | | | | were taught to children at the elementary-school |
| and Tomari-te, named after the three cities in which | | | | level. Itosu is also credited with taking the large |
| they emerged, although these are not concrete | | | | naihanchi form ("tekki" in Japan) and breaking it into |
| distinctions. Each area (and the teachers who lived | | | | the three well-known modern forms naihanchi |
| there) had particular kata, techniques, and principles | | | | shodan, naihanchi nidan and naihanchi sandan. |
| that distinguished their local version of "ti" from the | | | | Itosu's influence in karate is very broad. The forms |
| others. | | | | he created for beginners are common across nearly |
| Members of the Okinawan upper classes were sent | | | | all forms of karate. His students included some of the |
| to China regularly to learn and study a variety of | | | | most well-known karate practitioners, including Gichin |
| disciplines, political and practical; this exchange was | | | | Funakoshi, Kenwa Mabuni, and Motobu Choki. He is |
| not too different from the practice of exchange | | | | sometimes known as the "Grandfather of Modern |
| students today. The incorporation of empty-handed | | | | Karate."[citation needed] In addition to the three early |
| Chinese kung fu occurred partly because of these | | | | "ti" styles of karate, a fourth Okinawan influence is |
| exchanges. Estimates of the Chinese influence in | | | | that of Kanbun Uechi (1877-1948), who, at the age |
| modern karate styles (or schools) vary considerably, | | | | of 20, went to Fuzhou in Fujian Province, China, to |
| and there are no clean divisions among 'styles'. To | | | | escape Japanese military conscription. While there, he |
| this day karate styles from some areas bear a | | | | studied under Shushiwa, the leading figure of Chinese |
| striking resemblance to Fujian martial arts such as | | | | Nanpa Shorin-ken at that time.[1] He later developed |
| Fujian White Crane, Five Ancestors, and | | | | his own style of karate and brought it to Japan, |
| Gangrou-quan (Hard Soft Fist, pronounced "Gojuken" | | | | though the style itself was neither taught in Okinawa |
| in Japanese), while some karate looks distinctly | | | | nor rooted in Okinawan "ti". |
| Okinawan.[citation needed] | | | | |