Karate which literally means “empty hand” had its beginnings in the 5th century AD and is attributed to a Zen Buddhist priest called Bhodi-dharma.
In those days the Buddhist priests are said to have deve-loped proficiency in self-defence, based on yoga techniques.
Bhodi-dharma is said to have gone from India to China where he taught yoga tech¬niques at the Shaolin monastery. Later, he is said to have introduced the Chinese fighting method, called kempo, into his training schedule. Vital parts of the body identified in acupuncture were made target areas of attack in kempo and later formed the basis for attack areas of karate.