BRIEF HISTORY OF KARATE Hieroglyphics from Egyptian pyramids drawn over 6000 years ago showed fighting techniques that resemble karate of today. In the Eastern world, India had karate-like techniques as early as 3000 B.C. and Chinese Kempo boxing (Chuan-fa) is thought to be 5000 years old. The Greeks had free-for-all fighting(Pankration) in their Olympics. Although primitive boxing and wrestling were developed throughout the world and known to all races, Karate, in it's present form is definitely Oriental. It was both India and China, primarily China, that was the birthplace of modern karate. The Indian Buddhist priest Bodhidharma, known to the Japanese as Daruma Daishi, came to China in the 6th century A.D. and brought karate techniques and yoga meditation together as one in an effort to unite mind, spirit and body. Bodhidharma taught meditation and Chinese Kempo, the direct forerunner of modern karate, at the Shaolin Ssu Monastery. It was this religious connection with the ancient Shaolin style of Kempo that founded the Zen sect. For centuries Shaolin Kempo was known only to the monks but because marauding bandits plagued the countryside the secret techniques were taught to neighboring farmers for self-defense and these techniques then spread throughout China. As nations made war or allies with each other, the Kempo techniques gradually spread throughout the entire Orient.