A history of the martial arts: origins and founders

Karate developed in Okinawa, then the Ryukyu Kingdom, through a blending of indigenous fighting traditions with influences from Chinese martial arts, arriving through trade and cultural contact over several centuries. The art was practised and taught in various local forms before being introduced more widely to mainland Japan in the early twentieth century, where it was further systematised and organised into the styles widely recognised today.

Different karate lineages developed distinct approaches to stance, striking and kata, and this diversity is still visible in the range of styles practised internationally, overseen in international competition contexts by bodies such as the World Karate Federation, commonly abbreviated as WKF.

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu traces its roots to Japanese judo and jujutsu, brought to Brazil in the early twentieth century, most notably through the teaching of Mitsuyo Maeda, a judoka who travelled and taught extensively outside Japan. The Gracie family, particularly Carlos and Helio Gracie, are historically credited with adapting and developing this instruction into what became known as Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, placing particular emphasis on ground based grappling and leverage based technique.

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu grew substantially in international recognition from the 1990s onward, partly through the visibility of early mixed martial arts competitions, and is governed in major competition contexts today by organisations such as the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation, commonly abbreviated as IBJJF, which sets rules including uniform requirements often referred to as being IBJJF legal.

Aikido was developed by Ueshiba Morihei during the first half of the twentieth century, drawing significantly on his earlier training in Daito ryu aikijujutsu along with other martial influences he studied over his lifetime. Ueshiba's approach emphasised blending with and redirecting an opponent's movement and energy rather than meeting force directly with force, a principle reflected in aikido's characteristic circular, flowing technique.

The hakama, a pleated garment worn over the dogi in aikido and several other arts, was traditionally associated with more advanced students in many schools, and its use and the traditions around it vary between different aikido organisations and instructors today. Our aikido hakama guide covers its structure and practical use in more detail.

Several patterns recur across these otherwise distinct arts. Many trace at least part of their lineage back to older Japanese martial traditions, either directly, as with judo, kendo and aikido, or indirectly, as with Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu's roots in judo brought to Brazil. Several also underwent a period of deliberate systematisation, where an individual founder or a small group of teachers took older, less formally documented practices and organised them into a structured curriculum with clearer grading and teaching methods.

International federations, from the IJF and WKF to World Taekwondo, the IBJJF and the FIK, generally emerged later still, once an art had already spread beyond its region of origin and needed shared rules for fair competition. This progression, from regional practice to formal founding to international governance, is a useful lens for understanding how many modern martial arts reached their current form, even though the specific timeline and details differ considerably from one art to the next.

Is judo the oldest of these arts?

Judo as a formally founded art dates to 1882, but it drew on much older jujutsu traditions. Karate and kendo both trace their roots to older, less formally documented practices in Okinawa and Japan respectively, so precise comparisons of age depend heavily on how each tradition is defined.

Did Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu come directly from karate?

No, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu developed from Japanese judo and jujutsu, brought to Brazil in the early twentieth century and further developed there, most notably by the Gracie family. It is historically distinct from karate.

Why do some arts use a V-neck uniform and others a cross over collar?

Uniform design generally reflects each art's specific history and practical needs. The WT style taekwondo dobok's V-neck, for example, developed separately from the cross over collar common to judogi, karategi and BJJ gi, which share closer historical roots.

Are belt colour systems the same across all these arts?

No, kyu and dan grading concepts are widely shared, particularly among arts with roots in Japanese budo, but specific belt colours, requirements and the number of grades vary considerably between individual arts, schools and even between clubs within the same art.

Is there a single agreed history for every art covered here?

For more recent arts such as judo, taekwondo and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, key events and founders are relatively well documented. For older traditions such as early karate and kenjutsu, some details are less precisely recorded, and different schools sometimes describe their own lineage somewhat differently.