Woodley Karate Club

Although karate is considered to be a Japanese martial art it roots can be traced back over 200 years to India. It is believed that during the sixth century the Indian monk Bodhidharma travelled to China to teach Zen Buddhism and whilst there settled in a Shaolin temple. Whilst there he taught a series of exercises that was over time developed in to the fighting art of Kung Fu. In the late 14th century a number of families moved from China to the island of Okinawa which lies between China and Japan.