Since the mid Twentieth century, Karate has been looking for an appropriate place within modern society. And to understand this process better, it is advisable to review its history.

        Karate was practiced in Okinawa as a martial art and thus, naturally it became part of its idiosyncrasy. Therefore it was taught in educational establishments, so that children and young people would have access to a formative art that would be fundamental in their personal development, hence becoming respectful citizens, respecting ancestral traditions and helping to preserve them. The adults would also practice Karate because they were proud of their history and the acquisition for their culture of an art that originally had been developed in China. And that is how new masters and new styles of Karate started appearing and would convey to the new generation in Okinawa, a message that spoke of the efforts made by their ancestors to develop Karate. Even so, it is also necessary to mention that in Okinawa, Karate was not practiced as a sport and only begun to derive towards the competitive aspects when it emigrated towards Japan.

        Karate was introduced to Japan by Master Gichin Funakoshi in 1922. In Japan, Karate took a sport orientation, due to the way of thinking of the Japanese being very different from that of the people of Okinawa. Also it is necessary to consider, that some martial arts pertaining to the Japanese Budo, such as: Kendo, Jiu-jitsu, Judo and Sumo: would participate in sport competition, and the Japanese could not understand why Karate was not competitive. Therefore some disciples of Master Funakoshi decided to create a new type of Japanese Karate, which was based fundamentally on the improvement of competition techniques. And, around 1930, the first Karate tournaments were held imitating the rules of Kendo and Judo tournaments. That is how Japanese Karate found its own identity, and soon after some teachers would begin to travel towards the West to spread their art.