The History of Karate and the Masters Who Made It Quotes

“Originally, the people who learned karate were members of Okinawa's noble class, and for the most part, common people were excluded from karate training.”
― Mark I. Cramer, The History of Karate and the Masters Who Made It: Development, Lineages, and Philosophies of Traditional Okinawan and Japanese Karate-do

“In the early 1920s Okinawan karate was taken to the main islands of Japan; however, all Okinawan arts were looked down on by the Japanese people as being primitive and savage. Practicing karate naked to the waist and without a ranking system only reinforced these beliefs. Consequently, in order for karate to be accepted in Japan as a sophisticated Japanese martial art, the teachers of karate adopted Jigoro Kano's system of belts and began wearing the gi that he developed.”
― Mark I. Cramer, The History of Karate and the Masters Who Made It: Development, Lineages, and Philosophies of Traditional Okinawan and Japanese Karate-do