Okinawa
The largest island from the Ryukyu archipelago south of Japan. Famous for its
deadly fighting in 1945 between the Americans and the Japanese. Was first
conquered in the 16th century by the Chinese, in the 17the century by Japan.
It's now part of the Japanese Empire. Both the Chinese and Japanese were worried
by the obstinate resistance of the inhabitants and forbade them to possess
weapons of any kind. A few peasants brought Kempo-techniques
with them from China. They learned to use farming implements as weapons. A few
of those are the Nunchaku, the Tonfa, the Sai, the Kusarigama, etc. They also
developed unarmed combat-techniques, with every village developing its own
style. The collective name for all these styles is known as the Okinawa-te
or Tode (Chinese hand). Some of these techniques were adopted by the
samurai, and became the basis for most martial arts, including Karate.
Otokodate
The equivalent of the European knight. A virile man who defends the weak
and the oppressed. A man of strong character who has gained mastery of his
desires through the practice of martial arts.