History
The Samurai and Their Martial Arts: From Bujutsu to Budō
How Japan’s warrior class rose with the bow, ruled with the sword, lost both to rifles and a law, and left behind judo, kendo and aikido.
10 min read · 21 Sept 2026
History · Region
East Asia
Martial arts that originated in or were shaped by East Asia.
Articles
History
History
Ip Man: The Foshan Policeman Who Taught Bruce Lee
The documented life of Ip Man (1893–1972): rich boy in Foshan, Nationalist policeman, refugee in Hong Kong, and the teacher who made Wing Chun public.
10 min read · 21 Sept 2026
History
Jigorō Kanō: The Educator Who Invented Judo
The life of Jigorō Kanō (1860–1938): the bullied boy from Mikage who built the Kōdōkan, ran Japan’s teacher training and became Asia’s first IOC member.
10 min read · 21 Sept 2026
History
Mas Oyama: The Man Who Fought Bulls and Founded Kyokushin
The life of Mas Oyama (1923–1994): Korean-born, trained under Funakoshi, hardened on a mountain, famous for fighting bulls, founder of full-contact Kyokushin.
10 min read · 21 Sept 2026
History
The Shaolin Temple: The Real History Behind the Legend
Founded in 495 for an Indian monk, burned by a warlord in 1928, revived by a Jet Li film: the documented history of the Shaolin Temple, legends kept apart.
9 min read · 21 Sept 2026
History
The History of Kendo: The Way of the Sword After the Sword
How the samurai fencing schools invented armour and the bamboo sword, survived the end of their class, and became kendo, practised by millions.
7 min read · 20 Sept 2026
History
The History of Wing Chun: From Foshan to Ip Man and Bruce Lee
How a compact southern Chinese style passed from the Red Boat opera troupes through Foshan to Ip Man’s Hong Kong school and Bruce Lee.
7 min read · 20 Sept 2026
History
The History of Karate: From Okinawan Te to the Olympic Games
How Okinawan te absorbed Chinese boxing, became karate-dō in Japan, split into styles, spread through the world and reached the Tokyo Olympics.
10 min read · 20 Sept 2026
History
The History of Kung Fu: Shaolin, Family Styles and Modern Wushu
How Chinese martial arts grew from army drill and Shaolin legend into hundreds of styles, survived rebellion and revolution, and became wushu and cinema.
10 min read · 20 Sept 2026
History
The History of Taekwondo: From the Kwans to the Olympic Mat
How Korea built taekwondo after 1945 from karate, native traditions and national ambition, split it between two federations and made it Olympic in 2000.
7 min read · 20 Sept 2026
History
The History of Aikido: Ueshiba Morihei and the Art of Peace
How a farmer's son from Tanabe learned Daitō-ryū from Takeda Sōkaku, found religion with Ōmoto-kyō, and built aikido, the Japanese art that refuses to compete.
8 min read · 20 Sept 2026
History
The History of Hapkido: Korea's Art of Locks, Throws and Kicks
How Choi Yong-sool brought a Japanese joint-lock art to Daegu in 1946, how Ji Han-jae added Korean kicks and a name, and how hapkido spread worldwide.
6 min read · 20 Sept 2026
History
Judo: Kanō Jigorō and the Gentle Way
How Kanō Jigorō turned samurai jujutsu into judo in 1882, why the Kōdōkan beat the old schools, and how the gentle way became an Olympic sport.
10 min read · 17 Sept 2026