Everybody wants to know what the best Karate style is. But Karate styles didn’t exist in ancient Okinawa. They were invented for political reasons to modernize the art in Japan. This obscured its Chinese history and evolution. Famous grandmasters like Funakoshi Gichin, Miyagi Chojun and Mabuni Kenwa didn’t approve the idea of ”styles”. I’ve included their quotes in the video. Yet, they founded Shotokan, Goju Ryu and Shito Ryu. Why? Because they were forced to. You see, Karate was originally called Toudi (唐手) lit. “Chinese Hand”. That’s because Kung Fu styles like White Crane and Incense Shop Boxing (Southern Shaolin Monk Fist) influenced its origins. The Japanese overlords didn’t like this historical connection. So they created new labels for the art: Shuri-te, Tomari-te and Naha-te. These categories were invented for a martial arts demonstration in honor of Jigoro Kano - the founder of Judo. He visited the birthplace of Karate in 1927. As you can see, there is no such thing as a traditional Karate styl
Hide player controls
Hide resume playing