Karate is the art of self-defense and counter attack without weapons. It is a Japanese word and in its native language means literally "empty hands".
Karate as a method of self- defense originated hundreds of years ago in Japan. Originally, Karate (or earlier ju-jitsu) was practiced only by the nobility in Japan and especially by the Sumurai. The techniques were kept secret. The hoi polloi were denied the knowledge. It was a form of superiority that the upper class could demonstrate to the commoners to prove that they were superior physically—even - without weapons!
This art of self-defense may be defined as "an application of anatomical knowledge to the purpose of offense and defense. It differs from wrestling in that it does not depend upon muscular
strength. It differs from the other forms of attack in that it uses no weapon. Its feat consists in clutching or striking that part of an enemy's body as will make him numb, and incapable of resistance. Its object is not to kill, but to incapacitate one for action for
