Okinawan martial arts  From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Gusukuma sensei at Shuri Castle c.1938, Okinawa Prefecture,
Japan.   Due to its central location, Okinawa was influenced by
various cultures with a long history of trade and cultural
exchange, including Japan, China, and Southeast Asia, that
greatly influenced the development of martial arts on Okinawa.
In 1429, the three kingdoms on Okinawa unified to form the
Kingdom of Ryūkyū. When King Shō Shin came into power in 1477,
he banned the practice of martial arts. Tō-te and Ryukyu kobudō
(weaponry) continued to be taught in secret.[1] The ban was
continued in 1609 after Okinawa was invaded by the Satsuma
Domain of Japan. The bans contributed to the development of
kobudō which uses common household and farming implements as
weaponry. The Okinawans combined Chinese martial arts with the
existing local variants to form Tōde (唐手 Tuudii?, T'ang hand,
China hand), sometimes called Okinawa-te (沖縄手?).