Japanese Karate originated on Okinawa, an island that belongs to the island group that makes up modern day Japan. It is the main island in the Ryuku Island chain that extends from Japan to Taiwan. Surrounded by coral, Okinawa is approximately 6 mi. wide and 70 mi. long. It is located 400 nautical mi east of Mainland China and 300 nautical miles south of mainland Japan.

In the 12th century, regional Okinawan warlords called aji controlled territories around their fortified manors (gusuku). As in all feudal societies, power was divided among  small kingdoms. In 1429, one ruler, Sho Hashi, united the island and founded the Kingdom of the Ryukyus.

During the 14th to 16th centuries, a period known as the "Golden Age of Trade,' Okinawa served as a major trade center and resting spot for sailors from all over southeastern Asia, including Japan, China, Indo China, Thailand, Malaysia, Borneo, the Philippines, and of course Okinawa itself. Okinawan sailors needed to defend themselves against pirates and other threats. This need for self-defense led to the development of the Okinawan martial arts, Karate and Kobudo. Okinawan Karate began as an indigenous form of closed fist fighting called Te, or 'hand'. Weapons bans, imposed on Okinawans at various points in their history encouraged the refinement of empty-hand techniques. Over the centuries trade with the mainland led to the integration of Chinese and other SE Asian martial arts into Okinawan Te. 

At least three distinct styles of Te developed around three major Okinawan cities (Shuri, Naha and Tomari). Each of these regions was a center to a different sect of society: kings and nobles, merchants and business people, and farmers and fishermen, respectively. The three styles became known as Shuri-te, Naha-te and Tomari-te. Collectively they form what later became known as Okinawa-Te or Tode  (Chinese hand). The Shuri and Tomari forms later merged into the Shorin-ryu style, and the Naha-te style evolved into Shorei-ryu. Okinawa is a small island and the towns of Shuri, Tomari, Naha are only a few miles apart. All of Okinawa-Te styles have the same roots and differences were predominantly based on stylization and emphasis.  Shorin-ryu emphasized quick and linear motion with natural breathing while Shorei-ryu emphasized steady, rooted movements with breathing in synchrony with each movement. Similar differences may be found in the various styles that comprise Shaolin kung-fu. Modern Bok Fu utilizes many of the powerful linear motions of Okinawa-Te, especially at the early belt levels.

As in the early days of Shaolin Kung Fu, the techniques of karate and kobudo were kept secret and taught only to a privileged few.  There are few historical records and the arts were verbally from master to student. In 1879, at the end of the Kingdom of the Ryukyus, Okinawa was annexed by mainland Japan. At that time karate and kobuda were incorporated into the Meiji public education system.

In learning Okinawan Karate, students were required to study and demonstrate mastery of specific 'forms' known as 'Kata's. Once a student could demonstrate a Kata, the instructor knew the student had mastery of important basic techniques. Katas not only involve basic blocks, kicks and punches, they also demonstrate techniques to control attackers and to put attackers off balance using throws and joint locks. It is clear that traditional Okinawan Karate incorporates many elements of Jujitsu (see below). This evolved for good reason. If confronted by an attacker wearing armor and helmet or carrying weapons or a shield, closed fisted fighting alone may not be an effective defense. To penetrate protective clothing or to disarm an attacker, the unarmed fighter must take advantage of joint locks and other grappling techniques found in Japanese Jujitsu (or Chinese forms such as Chin-Na).

The art of Jujitsu arose out of feudal Japan during a period of almost constant civil war (from the 11th to the 16th centuries).  War leads to the study and development of fighting techniques, and the art of jujitsu found its beginnings as auxiliary techniques to be used on the battlefield when/if one has lost his own weapons.

Samurai of pre-Tokugawa Japan were required to be adept in a vast range of combat skills including kyujitsu (bow), kenjutsu (arrow), bajutsu (sword), sojutsu (cavalry), and kumi-uchi (spear and grappling). These skills were part of a vast array of bugei or martial arts, essential to combat in feudal Japan. Under a daimyo or regional authority (or within a family clan), fighting instruction was offered to retainers or family members in the weapons and skills of the Samurai as taught by their local school (ryu).

After 1603 when Tokugawa Ieyasu forged peace, martial traditions continued to be esteemed. Martial arts developed in Japan for duels and public sporting competitions. Various schools of jujitsu were formed and introduced the concept of ju - suppleness, flexibility, pliancy and gentleness. In combat, ju was manifested as the principle of adapting to the maneuvers of an opponent, using his own maneuvers and force to neutralize or subjugate him.

The Chinese character used to write Tode can also be pronounced 'kara'. Over time, the name Te was replaced with kara te - jutsu or 'Chinese hand art' by the Okinawan Martial Artists. This later evolved to karate-do by Gichin Funakoshi. He adopted an alternate meaning for the Chinese character kara, meaning 'empty'. From this point on the term karate came to mean 'empty hand'. The Do in karate-do means 'way' or 'path', and reflects the moral and philosophical underpinnings of karate.

This concept of Do dates back at least to 1663 and the Okinawan Philosopher Teijunsoku who wrote:

No matter how you may excel in the art of te,
And in your scholastic endevours,
Nothing is more important than your behavior
And your humanity as observed in daily life.