Akshay Kumar in Karate

KARATE Karate is a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Islands of Okinawa. Meaning empty hand, karate is both a martial art and a sport that has grown in great numbers worldwide. Karate is a striking art using punching, kicking, knee and elbow strikes, and open-handed techniques such as the knife-hands (karate chop). Grappling, locks, restraints, throws, and vital point strikes are taught in some styles. Though unlike other martial arts such as judo, Aikido, or jujitsu, karate is not a grappling art. The root of karate was a product of fighting arts traced to Okinawa, China, and India. As travelers roamed between China, India and Okinawa, so did the art. Weaponless combat had already existed on Okinawa. With the ban against carrying arms issued by the Japanese occupation in 1470, these empty-hand techniques later thrived. Karate developed in Okinawa in the 19th century and was brought to the Japanese mainland in the early 20th century during a time of cultural exchanges between the Japanese and the Ryukyuans. In 1922, Gichin Funakoshi introduced the art with a karate demonstration. By 1932, all Japanese universities had a dojo. In this era of escalating Japanese militarism, the name was changed from "Chinese hand" to "empty hand" – both of which are pronounced karate – to indicate that the Japanese wished to develop the combat form in Japanese style. After the World War II, Okinawa became an important United States military site and karate became popular among servicemen stationed there. The martial arts movies of the 1960s and 1970s served to greatly increase its popularity and the word karate began to be used in a generic way to refer to all striking-based Oriental martial arts. "The Karate Kid" further accelerated its presence within western cultures. Karate schools have since begun appearing across the world. For many practitioners, karate is a deeply philosophical practice. Karate-do teaches ethical principles and can have spiritual significance to its adherents. Gichin Funakoshi ("Father of Modern Karate") titled his autobiography Karate-Do: My Way of Life, in recognition of the transforming nature of karate study. Basically divided into Okinawan or Japanese styles, the most widely practiced Japanese styles include Shotokan, Wado-ryu, Chito-ryu, Koei-kan, Renbukan, Sankukai, Shudokan, Shukokai, Goju-ryu, Koykushinkai, and Shito-ryu.