Editing Karate (section)

==== 15th–17th centuries ====
[[File:King Sho Shin.jpg|thumb|alt=King Shō Shin|King Shō Shin]]
The reason for the development of unarmed combat techniques in Ryukyu has conventionally been attributed to a policy of banning weapons, which is said to have been implemented on two occasions. The first was during the reign of King [[Shō Shin]] (1476–1526; r. 1477–1527), when weapons were collected from all over the country and strictly controlled by the royal government. The second time was after the invasion of Ryukyu by the Satsuma Domain in 1609. Through the two policies, the popular belief that Ryukyuan samurai, who were deprived of their weapons, developed karate to compete with Satsuma's samurai has traditionally been referred to as if it were a historical fact.<ref>{{Cite book |last = Funakoshi |first = Gichin |title = 琉球拳法 唐手 |trans-title = Ryūkyū Kenpō Karate |publisher = Bukyōsha |date = 1922 |pages = 21, 22 |language = ja |url = https://dl.ndl.go.jp/pid/971654/1/22 |access-date = 31 December 2023 |archive-date = 31 December 2023 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20231231021552/https://dl.ndl.go.jp/pid/971654/1/22 |url-status = live }}</ref>

But in recent years many researchers have questioned the causal relationship between the policy of banning weapons and the development of karate.<ref name = "Kinjo2011">{{Cite book |last = Kinjo |first = Hiroshi |title = 唐手から空手へ |trans-title = From Karate to Karate |date = 2011 |publisher = Nippon Budokan |pages = 139, 140 |isbn = 978-4583104294 }}</ref> For example, as the basis for King Shō Shin's policy of banning weapons, an inscription on the parapet of the main hall of Shuri Castle ({{lang|ja|百浦添欄干之銘}}, 1509), which states that "swords, bows and arrows are to be piled up exclusively as weapons of national defense,"<ref>The original text is in Chinese, "専積刀剣弓矢以為護国之利器."</ref> has been conventionally interpreted as meaning "weapons were collected and sealed in a warehouse." However, in recent years, researchers of Okinawan studies have pointed out that the correct interpretation is that "swords, bows and arrows were collected and used as weapons of the state."<ref>{{Cite journal |last = Uezato |first = Takashi |title = 古琉球の軍隊とその歴史的展開 |trans-title = Old Ryukyuan Military and Its Historical Development |journal = Ryukyu Asiatic Studies of Society and Culture |issue = 5 |date = October 2002 |pages = 105–128 |url = https://cir.nii.ac.jp/crid/1520009408326976000 |language = ja |access-date = 31 December 2023 |archive-date = 31 December 2023 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20231231005305/https://cir.nii.ac.jp/crid/1520009408326976000 |url-status = live }}</ref>

It is also known that the policy of banning weapons (a 1613 notice to the Ryukyu royal government), which is said to have been implemented by the Satsuma Domain, only prohibited the carrying of swords and other weapons, but not their possession, and was a relatively lax regulation. This notice stated, "(1) The possession of guns is prohibited. (2) The possession of weapons owned privately by princes, three magistrates, and samurai is permitted. (3) Weapons must be repaired in Satsuma through the magistrate's office of Satsuma. (4) Swords must be reported to the magistrate's office of Satsuma for approval."<ref>{{Cite book |editor = Kagoshima Prefecture Restoration History Materials Compilation Office |title = 鹿児島県史料 旧記雑録 後編4 |trans-title = Kagoshima Prefecture Historical Records, Miscellaneous Old Records, Part 2, 4 |publisher = Kagoshima Prefecture |page = 414 |url = https://www.pref.kagoshima.jp/ab23/reimeikan/siroyu/documents/6756_20221202133338-1.pdf |date = 1984 |language = ja |access-date = 31 December 2023 |archive-date = 31 December 2023 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20231231015927/https://www.pref.kagoshima.jp/ab23/reimeikan/siroyu/documents/6756_20221202133338-1.pdf |url-status = live }}</ref> It did not prohibit the possession of weapons (except guns) or even their practice. In fact, even after subjugation to the Satsuma Domain, a number of Ryukyuan masters of swordsmanship, spearmanship, archery, and other arts are known. Therefore, some researchers criticize the theory that karate developed due to the policy of banning weapons as "a rumor on the street with no basis at all."<ref>{{Cite book |last1 = Gima |first1 = Shinkin |last2 = Fujiwara |first2 = Ryozo |title = 対談 近代空手道の歴史を語る |trans-title = Dialogue: The History of Modern Karate-do |publisher = Baseball Magazine Sha |date = 1 October 1986 |page = 42 |isbn = 9784583026060 |language = ja }}</ref>

Karate began as a common fighting system known as ''te'' (Okinawan: ''tī'') among the Ryukyuan samurai class. There were few formal styles of ''te,'' but rather many practitioners with their own methods. One surviving example is [[Motobu-ryū|Motobu Udundī]] ({{lit|Motobu Palace Hand|lk=yes}}), which has been handed down to this day in the Motobu family, one of the branches of the former Ryukyu royal family.<ref>{{cite book |last = Bishop |first = Mark |title = Okinawan Karate |year = 1989 |isbn =0-7136-5666-2 |page = 154 |publisher = A & C Black }}</ref> In the 16th century, the Ryukyuan history book "[[Kyūyō]]" ({{lang|ja|球陽}}, established around 1745) mentions that {{ill|lt=Kyō Ahagon Jikki|京阿波根実基|ja|vertical-align=sup}}, a favored retainer of King Shō Shin, used a martial art called "karate" ({{lang|ja|空手}}, {{lit|empty hand|lk=yes}}) to smash both legs of an assassin. This karate is thought to refer to ''te'', not today's karate, and Ankō Asato introduces Kyō Ahagon as a "prominent martial artist."<ref name = "Asato1914" />