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Film and popular culture
Karate spread rapidly in the West through popular culture. In 1950s popular fiction, karate was at times described to readers in near-mythical terms, and it was credible to show Western experts of unarmed combat as unaware of Eastern martial arts of this kind. By the 1970s, martial arts films had […]
Philosophy
In Karate-Do Kyohan, Funakoshi quoted from the Heart Sutra, which is prominent in Shingon Buddhism: “Form is emptiness, emptiness is form itself” (shiki zokuze kū kū zokuze shiki). He interpreted the “kara” of Karate-dō to mean “to purge oneself of selfish and evil thoughts … for only with a clear […]
Karate in Olympics
On September 28, 2015, karate was featured on a shortlist along with baseball, softball, skateboarding, surfing, and sport climbing to be considered for inclusion in the 2020 Summer Olympics. On June 1, 2016, the International Olympic Committee’s executive board announced they were supporting the inclusion of all five sports (counting […]
History of Karate-do
Karate (空手?) (English/kəˈrɑːtiː/; Japanese pronunciation: [karate] Okinawan pronunciation: IPA: [karati]) is a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the indigenous martial arts of Ryukyu Islands (called te (手?), “hand”; tii in Okinawan) under the influence of Chinese martial arts, particularly Fujian White Crane. Karate is now predominantly a striking […]