Originally Posted by
enbudo
Yes, karate is a style that is primarily an empty-handed art, but in its "original" form, before names and styles, it was meant to be a means of self-defense for native Okinawans, who were not "allowed" to carry weapons of any kind due to a ban on weapons by the (Satsuma?) samurai who invaded the island in 1609.
Oh, please...
Ban of weapons was set way before the samurai conquered Okinawa in 1609. First weapon ban was set during the reign of king Sho Shin (1477). It was reinforced by Satsuma clan, but there still were weapons - real weapons, not farm tool implementation (as usually claimed in popular tales) - used and trained in Okinawa.
The Okinawans didn't have access to "typical" weapons, and that's really where the seeds of kobudo took root.
Timbei and rochin, bow, sai etc. are pretty typical weapons and known in many cultures (in one form or another).
Okay, starting to ramble, sorry, everyone. I think Funakoshi also wanted to capture the Buddhust notion of "emptiness" when he changed the name from kara (China) to kara (empty). I don't think he meant "no weapons" at all.
As already stated, Gichin Funakoshi did not change the name from "China" to "empty".
Jussi Häkkinen
Shorin-Ryu Seibukan Karate-Do
Turku, Finland