Birthplace of Karate

Traditions of Cultivating Body and Mind

From ancient times, martial practice has been handed down not only as a technique for victory, but as training to straighten the body, settle the breath, and refine the heart.

Among the traditions that speak to the spiritual roots of karate is the story of Bodhidharma training his body, regulating his breath, and refining his spirit on Mount Tai in China. One tradition also tells that Bodhidharma sparred with an Ishiganto stone there.

The “Ishiganto” stones found throughout Okinawa have long been cherished as signs of protection that ward off misfortune and calm a place. The tradition of Ishiganto and the stories surrounding Bodhidharma tell us that martial practice was received not as mere fighting technique, but as a discipline to protect the body, purify a place, and harmonize body and mind.

Stories connected with Bodhidharma and Shaolin Temple also speak of training that forges the body, regulates the breath, and refines the spirit.

These traditions are not meant to fix karate’s origin in one place. Rather, they convey that martial practice has long been handed down as a way to harmonize with heaven and earth and to refine body and mind.

Martial practice begins by calming oneself first. Straightening the body, settling the breath, and clarifying the heart—this spirit runs deeply through the etiquette and prayer of karate nurtured in Ryukyu.

Across the Sea to Ryukyu

Ryukyu was a kingdom opened by the sea.

Through exchange with China and the southern seas, and through the history of investiture and trade, many martial arts and bodily cultures reached Ryukyu.

What arrived did not remain unchanged. It was received within Ryukyu’s climate, faith, and manners, and was refined as the martial art of this land.

The sea was not only a boundary. It was also a path that connected people, carried culture, and linked prayers.

The currents of martial practice that came through that sea path became the foundation of Okinawan karate.

A Martial Way of Etiquette and Prayer

In Ryukyu there was a heart that honored ancestors, valued etiquette, and placed prayer within daily life.

There, martial practice that crossed the sea met the “te” long transmitted in Okinawa.

Shuri-te, Naha-te, Tomari-te, and Tode—each stream was refined in this land and eventually led to karate.

Before being a technique to defeat another, Okinawan karate is a way to correct one’s own posture. In one bow there is prayer; in one kata there is a heart inherited from the ancestors.

To refine technique is to refine the heart. To train the body is also to set one’s path as a human being in order.

Sun, Moon, and Mirror

The crest of Okinogu is the Sun, the Moon, and the Mirror.

The Sun is light from heaven. The Moon receives that light and creates movement and cycle. The Mirror reflects one’s own heart and serves as a sign of correction.

Looking up to heaven, standing on the earth, and honoring people—the gestures of Ryukyu karate quietly reveal the spirit of heaven, earth, and humanity in harmony.

Under the light of the Sun, straighten the body. Like the cycle of the Moon, settle the breath. As toward the Mirror, look again at one’s own heart.

The path of karate is also a path of refining the heart while polishing technique.

Sun "Light shining from heaven"

The Sun is a sign of light from heaven. In karate, it corresponds to the work of straightening the body and making the path forward clear.

Moon "Cycle and the work of receiving"

The Moon is a sign of receiving light and creating cycle. In karate, it corresponds to the work of settling the breath and gently harmonizing the flow of body and mind.

Mirror "A sign that reflects and corrects the heart"

The Mirror is a sign that reflects one’s own heart and corrects it. In karate, it corresponds to the heart that looks at oneself, guards against pride, and returns to etiquette and sincerity.