Photos of Okinawa
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Today, the Okinawan islands are renowned for their beach resorts and relaxed island living. The word 'Okinawa' means 'rope in the open ocean' in Japanese, referring to the way the islands form a chain along the China Sea from Kagoshima to Taiwan. The islands were not always known by this name, however - long ago, these lands were a sovereign nation of traders with an advantageous position between China, Japan and other Asian nations. Okinawa is a haven for divers, snorkelers and undersea explorers. The waters surrounding the islands are home to an abundance of coral reefs, natural sea caves and marine life. The beaches of Okinawa and most of the islands are mainly made up of various types of coral, which break up under the sea and are washed up on shore with the tide.
According to ancient Okinawan legend, Karate had its beginnings in India with a Buddhist monk named Daruma. Tradition says that Daruma traveled across the Himalayan Mountains from India to the Shaolin Temple in Honan Province of China. There he began teaching the other monks his philosophies of physical and mental conditioning. Legend has it that his teachings included exercises for maintaining physical strength and self defense.This same monk known as Bodhidharma in India and as Ta Mo in China, is credited with founding the school of Buddhist philosophy known as "Ch´an" in China and as "Zen" in Japan.The Okinawans believe that the art known as Karate today came from those original teachings of Daruma through an Okinawan who visited or lived for some time in China at the Shaolin Temple. Whether or not this is true, it is obvious that there are similarities in the Okinawan art of Karate and the language and martial arts of China.Further, we must assume that the Karate of Okinawa developed from trial and error of fighting experiences into a different and unique martial art
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