Karate- What is it's nationality?

[alsey]

karate has had a lot of influences over the years. most of its growth as an art occured in okinawa so it is generally regarded as okinawan, but the foundations of the art came with the chinese masters who travelled to okinawa. once there, the okinawans made it their own, but chinese would still come over from time to time and add their influences. then the japanese came and added their influences. then karate travelled to japan itself and certain japanese embraced and made it their own.

some kata are distinctly chinese in style (e.g. gankaku/chinto), while others are very okinawan (e.g. bassai/passai), and others still are japanese (e.g. heian/pinan)

i would say modern karate is japanese, but is based on okinawan and chinese methods. alternatively you could say that it comes from china, via okinawa and japan.

some people even trace it further back to india.

[elbows_and_knees]

but it's changed so much since it then that you can argue it's a japanese style. It no doubt has other influence, but it is so far removed from them now that it is it's own incarnation.

[Traditional-Fist]

but it's changed so much since it then that you can argue it's a japanese style. It no doubt has other influence, but it is so far removed from them now that it is it's own incarnation.

Although that statement may hold true for karate styles such as Shotokan, even though even this style has movements that are "chinese looking", styles such as Goju-Ryu and Uechi-Ryu seem to hold closer links to their chinese heritage. Having said this, you are correct in implying that they are far removed from authentic kung fu.

I believe calling karate Okinawan is quite valid as long as one mentions the chinese influence during its development. Calling Shotokan japanese is also valid as long as one mentions Okinawa and therefore China and yet not appear to be saying that Shotokan is another kung fu style. We must not forger that karate or Te had existed in okinawa before the Chinese influence.

I know that many kung fu masters regard karate as having chinese roots/influence but they would rather eat live snakes then say that it is another kung fu style. I even read in a book about kung fu that a kung fu master, in Taiwan I believe, referred to karate as "Shaolin boxing for children" or something to that effect. Many kung fu masters do not see karate as an evolution of kung fu but the reverse. I will reserve my judgment until I become a kung fu master