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6. Karate in Okinawa
Why did karate become so popular in Okinawa?
There are several reasons.
First, the samurai of the Ryukyus had no weapons, so they needed to master martial arts.
They had had all their weapons taken away twice.
The first time was in the late 15th century.
The King of the Ryukyus disarmed the local lords and placed all the weapons in his castle.
The second time was in 1609 when the Satsuma Domain invaded the Ryukyus.
All the weapons in the castle were taken away.
Another reason is in the spirit of karate.
It begins and ends with a salute.
Karate is for self-defense, not for starting a fight.
The people of Okinawa seek peace.
They do not want to fight.
So, the spirit of karate was well understood in Okinawa.
As karate became more popular, many different styles appeared.
Sports karate is one of them.
Sports karate has strict rules, and the players win or lose in a match.
Kyokushin karate also developed from karate.
Karate has become popular abroad.
Now, 50,000,000 people all over the world practice karate.
Some of them visit Okinawa to learn about the spiritual origin of karate.