25/10/2026
25th October Okinawa Karate Day!
Today we honor Okinawa, the birthplace of traditional Karate. A martial art rooted in respect, humility, discipline, and the pursuit of inner peace. Let us preserve the wisdom of the old masters and pass on the true spirit of Okinawan Karate to future generations.
On this day, 25th October 1936, the senior Karate masters in Okinawa held a meeting to decide the future of Karate. 👊⠀
Originally, the art was known as ”Toudi” (唐手 lit. ”Chinese Hand”) and taught in secrecy. But now it was decided to officially make it a Japanese art. 🇯🇵⠀
The result was a name change (空手 Karate, "Empty Hand"), adopting Judo’s belt system (kyu/dan), creating new styles (-ryu), implementing titles (hanshi, kyoshi, shihan etc.) and introducing a competition format. 🥋🥋🥋
If it wasn’t for this decision, maybe Karate wouldn’t exist today!
That's why 25th October is celebrated as "World Karate Day". 🌎🥋
