What is Karate?
The Zen Buddhist monk Bodhirma is commonly considered the originator of the martial arts including karate. In the sixth century he travelled across the Himalayan Mountains from India arriving in Honan, province of China. He proceeded to start up a monastery for his disciples to develop and practice their religion.
Eventually Bodhirma noted that although his disciples were strong mentally, they were weak physically and were always suffering under the attacks of bandits and muggers. Bodhirma decided to develop a fighting system for his monks to solve the problem. He used the precepts and principles of animals to develop his fighting system. Taking the strong points of animals such as the tiger, monkey, leopard, crane, and snake. Bodhirma also employed various breathing techniques of the animals to better the health of the monks.
 
As time went on, merchants from Okinawa came to China where they traded silks and spices and met w/ Bodhirma and his monks. Eventually they too learned some of the martial arts fighting systems and took the knowledge back to Okinawa. At the time all metal weapons were outlawed in Okinawa. Through a few modifications ordinary farm tools became weapons and the techniques learned from Bodhirma helped to defend the farmers from the ruthless samurai.
 
The Japense were introduced to karate in the early 1920's and have since developed it to its present state.

A SENSEI

 

For every 10 thousand students that join a Karate class, half will drop out the first month. Of that fivethousand, half will remain through the second month. Of those remaining students, one thousand will complete six months of training, and then quit. Five hundred will study for a year, but only one shall go on to teach others what he has learned. For Karate is now part of his life and he shall go on to share this life w/ others. This man is a SENSEI

(think about it, he's one in 10 thousand)

COUNTING

 

ICH-one

NI-two

SAN-three

SHI-four

GO-five

ROKU-six

SHICH-seven

HACH-eight

KU-nine

JU-ten