Te continued to develop over the years, primarily in the Okinawan cities of Shuri, Tomari and Haha. Each of these towns was a centre to a different sect of society: kings and nobles, merchants and business people, and farmers and fishermen, respectively. For this reason, different forms of self-defence developed within each city and subsequently became known as Shuri-te, Naha-te and Tomari-te. Te meaning hand.Collectively they were called Okinawa-Te or Tode, 'Chinese hand'. Gradually, karate was divided into two main groups: Shorin-ryu which developed around Shuri and Tomari and Shorei-ryu which came from the Naha area ( these two styles were later united by Chomo Hanahiro).  Importantly, however, that the towns of Shuri, Tomari, Naha are only a few miles apart, and that the differences between their arts were essentially ones of emphasis, not of kind. Beneath these surface differences, both the methods and aims of all Okinawan karate are one in the same. Gichin Funakoshi (considerd the founding father of "modern" Karate)goes further to suggest that these two styles were developed based on different physical requirements. Shorin-ryu was quick and linear with natural breathing while Shorei-ryu emphasized steady, rooted movements with breathing in synchrony with each movement. Interestingly, these concepts of two basic styles also exist in kung fu with a similar division of characteristics

HISTORY OF OKINAWA SEISHINRYOKU KARATE DO / KOBUDO

Okinawa Seisshinryoku Karate Do is a style of Karate from Okinawa. It emerged from the union of two Okinawan schools, Shorin Ryu and Shorei Ryu. Its roots originate from Chomo Hanahiro, the man who chaneged the name of Tode to Karate do, after the death of Chomo Hanahiro Sokon Hanashiro took over his position he left the island to travel to the surrounding region (monolia, China and India). In 1980 he returned to Okinawa where he began teaching an intregrated system taht included apart fom hits with the hands and feet, ground fighting, low kicks, Aki Jitsu, judo, Kick- boxing, Kobudo, Iai do and Kendo. Uniting all martial arts in one maintaining the structure of Karate he refered to this system as Okinawan Ryu.
In 2004 he appointed Soke Nasiakos Spyros (8th Dan) as his sucessor, Soke Nasiakos Spyros renamed the style Okinawa Seisshinryoku Krate Do an together with the other students of Sokon Hanashiro Established the I.O.S.K.D.K.A based on Naha, Okinawa.

Today the Seisshinryoku organisation is present in over 30 countries including Ireland, Brendan Donnelly being the National representative to Ireland.

The Chinese character used to write Tode could also be pronounced 'kara' thus the name Te was replaced with kara te - jutsu or 'Chinese hand art' by Okinawan Masters. This was changed later to karate-do by Gichin Funakoshi who adopted an alternate meaning for the Chinese character for kara, 'empty'. From this point on the term karate came to mean 'empty hand'. The Do in karate-do means 'way' or 'path', and is indicative of the discipline and philosophy of karate with moral and spiritual connotations.The concept of Do has been prevalent since at least the days of the Okinawan Scholar Teijunsoku born in 1663, as this passage from a poem he wrote suggests:

"No matter how you may excel in the art of te, And in your scholastic endeavours, Nothing is more important than your behaviour and your humanity as observed in daily life"

The first public demonstration of karate in Japan was in 1917 by Gichin Funakoshi, at the Butoku-den in Kyoto (Hassell 1984). This, and subsequent demonstrations, greatly impressed many Japanese, including the Crown-Prince Hirohito, who was very enthusiastic about the Okinawan art. In 1922, Dr. Jano Kano, founder of the Japanese art of Judo, invited Funakoshi to demonstrate at the famous Kodokan Dojo and to remain in Japan to teach karate. This sponsorship was instrumental in establishing a base for karate in Japan. As an Okinawan "peasant art," karate would have been scorned by the Japanese without the backing of so formidable a martial arts master.

Today Free style Karate is the most popular karate, some free style clubs still maintain their tradional root name "Shotokan Free style" or " Free style wado- Ryu".

The concept of free style is simple  "take the most effective martial arts techniques from the various styles, use what is useful and disregard the rest". In simple terms "if it works for you use it".

The traditional values of repect and discipline are maintained in free style Karate which is similar too but should not be confused with "Kick Boxing".

Kick-Boxing was created by Japanese boxing promotor Osamu Noguchi in 1950.He wanted to introduce the Japanese people to what he had seen in Thailand.He brought some Muay Thai fighters to Japan, elbows and knees were forbiden as striking weapon.

Visit ecma.50webs.com for more information on the Karate Masters of Okinawa.