Pop Japan

The Japanese characters used in the word karate literally mean the "hands of the sky," making it one of the most well-known martial arts in the world. It is believed to have been developed around the 15th to 19th century, when the Ryukyu Kingdom was still reigning over a group of islands of the same name. These groups of islands are now more popularly known as the Nansei Islands, stretching along the soutwest coast of Japan, alongside Okinawa.

The signature technique of the sport includes the open-hand strikes like the knife-hands, spear-hands and palm-heel, hence the name as interpreted by the Japanese characters.

Photo by Toyama Karate Do. Licensed under Creative Commons. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en)

Tags: sports, japan, karate, ryukyu kingdom, ryukyu islands, nansei islands, okinawa, open hand technique, knife hands, spear hands, palm heel