Okinawa BBTV | Okinawa KARATE | The History 11 -Karate-

Photo with Karate master in mainland of JapanBefore that, people mostly used other kanji [with Chinese Hand] to mention Karate and cold the kanji by Karate or Tou Te.
After 24 years ago since Hanashiro used the kanji [Empty hand] the kanji gradually used by many people, thanks to Keio University’s Karate Research Club’s newspaper.
At those times, Gichin Funakoshi was teaching Karate at the university. The club published newspaper of Karate irregularly and they mentioned that they officially changed kanji of Karate [Chinese hand to Empty hand.] After that, the new kanji spread all over Japan.

Also in Okinawa, on October 25th in 1936, at "Karate Masters’ Conversation" held by Ryukyu Shinpo, they passed a resolution to use “Empty hand” kanji for Karate and since then, we use the "Empty hand" Karate kanji.
*According to a newspaper of Ryukyuu Shinpo on September 23rd in 2006, they had found an article of "Karate Masters’ Conversation" at Okinawa Prefectural Archives.

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