Literally translated, it means "Open hand" or "Empty Hand". Karate found its roots in okinawa japan and the oldest style that comes to the fore front is the Shorin-Ryu style which was started by Matsumura Sokon-sama. His forms were the basis of all karate styles later started by his students.
(thanks to www.shitokai.com For the image)
Goju-Ryu and Shotokan Karate were the next to come to the light, started by Chojun Miyagi and Gichin Funakoshi. These styles became quite prominent later on and become the foundations of martial arts for the founder of the most popular style of karate, Choi Yeong-Eui or better known as Masutatsu Oyama.
(thanks to www.kyokushinkan.in for image)
His style of karate, the Kyokushin Kaikan Karate, which means "The only true way" is the most spread style of karate around the world with more than a million practisinors. His curriculum which encorporated full contact, body conditioning and physical endurance as it's core fundamentals, was quickly adopted by a lot of karatekas around the world. His own record of having fought and defeated 52 bulls is an unchallenged record in the world of karate.
He also challenged and defeated many martial artists around the world to prove the power and ability of his regimen of training.
His aim was to make Kyokushin Kaikan Karate the most popular style in the world by showing the power that a person could assimilate by training on the paths that he had laid out. That this works, has been proved by lots of people around the world with famous members like Dolph Lundgren and Kenji Midori.
(Thanks to www.keithgeyerkarate.com for image) (thanks to www.shinkyokushin.be for image)
