HISTORY OF SHORIN-RYU KARATE & KOBUDO

Shorin-Ryu Karate & Kobudo is the principal art that has been practiced on Okinawa for several hundred years. The kanji to describe Shorin-Ryu is translated as "Shaolin style"  implying a connection to the Shaolin Temple arts of ch'uan fa (kung fu). It is thought that kung fu was introduced to China from India by about 520 AD. Karate was developed many centuries later.

Shorin-Ryu karate was developed from techniques from White Crane ch'uan fa from the southern Shaolin Temple near Foochow City in the Fukien Province of southeastern China. Sometime later, possibly by 1394 AD, ch'uan fa was introduced to Okinawa, and evolved into karate. However, other writers suggest that karate did not develop on Okinawa until considerably later, possibly in the 18th century.

Sketch by Soke Hausel, see http://DanHausel.pbwiki.com

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