Karate was created in Okinawa, an island in between Japan and China.   During the time of the Samarui (Japanese Warriors), the Okinawan people were disallowed from owning or using weapons.   This was a particular problem for the King of Okinawa as he needed protection from both the Samarui overlords and other foreign visitors, which included large Westeners.

The solution from his officials, who were also his personal bodyguards, was to develop the ancient Chinese martial arts into to a new art form that was both incredibly powerful and effective against superior numbers or physical size.   Their single aim would be create instant mayhem very quickly, with powerful attacks and then secure the escape of the King. The secret of this new art form was kept a very close secret.

With the end of the Samarui period, King's position in Okinawa was also abolished.    The highly trained Okinawa martial arts masters had to find a new job!   One such master took these new skills to Japan, where the newly named martial art of Karate flourished.

We now how many different styles of Karate as it's been developed by many masters.   They all retain the root though of being originally developed for bodyguards of the King.