One of my points earlier was that people (not even just martial artists, but people) tend to try breaking things as kids. I used to break sticks. Sometimes with other sticks, sometimes by stomping on them, etc. I think as a young boy that was part of me testing out my abilities. I can't see how that would be unlikely to occur in any culture where wood or some similar substance exists, so it seems likely it existed - outside of martial arts - in China, Okinawa, and Japan as long as people have been there. Why would martial artists have been the ones NOT doing it?In all of this nonsensical rambling, two points jump out at me that should be addressed...
As far as I know, the earliest any “karate” was on mainland Japan was around 1917, when Funakoshi made his first trip to Japan to introduce it there.
And there was no “karate” as we know it until 1936, which is when Funakoshi changed the name from “China hand” to “open hand.”
Karate in Japan not having breaking until Oyama brought it from Korea has been said a dizzying amount of times. Let’s suspend reality for a minute and say this is true. That doesn’t mean karate didn’t have breaking at all. Stupid question, but is there any proof no karateka broke anything in Okinawa, where karate actually came from? Karate was heavily influenced by the Chinese which have been said to had breaking long before the Japanese didn’t n this ridiculous thread. Do you really think the Okinawans didn’t see anyone breaking anything during this influential time? Or did the Chinese keep it secret
Not to stereotype a whole group of people, but Okinawan karateka really like to hit things - makiwara and the like. It’s pretty stupid to think they didn’t break anything. They’re not too stupid to figure out breaking things would be another way to determine how strong their techniques were. Same for the pre-Funakoshi Japanese people. And the pre-Oyama people.
