A Brief History: Chinese Origins
The evolution of karate is an epic story, spanning continents and oceans, covering thousands of years, and playing a tangible role in defining history. A synthesis of legend, anecdote, and accurate record defines karate as an art form more thoughtful than fighting, more immeasurable than a mere collecting of coloured belts, and more universal than sport. At a profound level karate has potential to dispel ignorance, to transcend suffering, and to offer meaning in life. In 520ad Bodhidharma the 28th patriarch of Buddhism left India for the Shao-lin Temple of northern China. His Zen philosophy renounced intellect and pointed to an intuitive grasping of reality. Legend describes that he sat in meditation for nine years. To prepare his disciples for long meditation, he devised exercises known as the 18 hands of Lo-Han. This developed into Shao-lin Temple boxing, the forerunner of karate. In those turbulent times, the temple was destroyed on numerous occasions. The monks travelled far and wide, beginning the spread of Zen and Shao-lin Temple boxing.
The Development Of karate in the united kingdom
Most Karate organisations require that their members register with their governing body and hold a licence. Currently, there are approximately 235,000 people who hold a valid, up-to-date licence registered with Karate’s governing body. Not all associations are affiliated to the governing body. and it does not cover all styles of Karate. However when one considers that this number is only those with valid licences from one group of associations, a conservative estimate of the number of people involved in karate in the United Kingdom would require this number to be multiplied several times.