One of these early Tou-di masters was Kanryo Higaonna (right). He was born on March 10, 1853, in Naha, the capital city of Okinawa and from an early age he worked for his father, a merchant sailor. In his youth he studied with Aragaki Seisho and Taite Kojo. Kanryo eventually traveled to Fuzhou, China in 1869 to study martial arts. There he reportedly began studying with an instuctor called Ru Ru Ko. It is not known how long Kanryo studied in China - some sources stating three years and others stating ten years. He eventually returned to Okinawa to continue the family business, but initially refused to teach. However at the turn of the 20th century with the resurgance of interest in Okinawa's fighting traditions. The style of martial arts that he taught was a combination of both soft, circular techniques along with very hard, linear techniques. Kanryo also introduced numerous katas or forms to Okinawa tou-di and was noted for having very powerful techniques.

Two of Kanryo Higaonna's most prominent students were Juhatsu Kyoda (right) and Chojun Miyagi (left). Both Kyoda and Miyagi would eventually go on to create their own style of martial arts based upon Kanryo Higaonna's teachings. Juhatsu Kyoda's style became Tou'on-ryu and Chojun Miyagi's became Goju-ryu.

Early 1900's

During the early part of the 19th Century Japan was changing rapidly due to the adoption of new western ideas and technology and there was an increasing sense of nationalism spreading though out all regions of the country. Within Okinawa Tou-di was beginning to be taught in schools as a way of building the physical and moral character of young men so that they could better serve the country. Around this same time Tou-di was capturing the attention of mainland Japan as Okinawan Tou-di masters, such Gichin Funakoshi and Kenwa Mabuni, were performing demonstrations for the Emperor and the Dai Nippon Butokukai. The Dai Nippon Butokukai, created during the Meiji period around 1895, was an organization responsible for the preservation and perpetuation of Japanese martial ways. Two of the more prominent martial arts under the Dai Nippon Butokukai at the time were Kendo and Judo. Dr. Jigaro Kano, the father of modern Judo and a prominent member of the Dai Nippon Butokukai went to Okinawa to observe Tou-di and to see whether or not it would be included in the various martial arts taught by the organization.

During the 1920's and 30's Tou-di had no formal teaching curriculum or training uniforms and instructional standards varied across systems and teachers. In the eyes of the Japanese mainlanders Tou-di was uncultivated and uncivilized and in need of a standard curriculum and grading system. Before Tou-di could be accepted by the Dai Nippon Butokukai (the regulartory group for Japanese martial arts) it would need to change to fit Japanese cultural standards. As a result, Tou-di teachers adopted the white 'do-gi' and the coloured belt system.

The 1936 Meeting: Tou-di Becomes Karate

A pivotal event in the evolution of Karate happend on October 26, 1936 during a meeting of some of the most prominent Tou-di teachers at the time. In attendance at this meeting were Choshin Chibana, Shimpan Gusukuma, Chomo Hanashiro, Choki Motobu, Chotoku Kyan, Chojun Miyagi and Juhatsu Kyoda. In addition to these leaders in Tou-di being present there were also members from the prefectural police department, the Japanese military and the prefectural physical education board. During this meeting it was discussed that the term 'Tou-di' was not appropriate for Japanese mainland practitioners since the Chinese ideogram 'Tou', for 'China', did not conform with Japan's growing sense of nationalism. In its place Japanese mainland practioners were using the hiragana term 'Kara' which means 'Empty'. The term 'kara' had been used before but it had never replaced the more popular Okinawan term, Tou-di. After much discussion by the meeting members it was agreed that "Kara" should be considered as a replacement for "Tou".