Quickies on Karate

I've always known karate originated in Japan, and I have vague memories of it as a kid from watching movies like Karate Kid. (Can you believe Ralph Macchio is over 50 now?!) So when I found the video below, I have a new found appreciation for the beauty and strength in karate moves.

Here are some interesting facts on karate pulled from Wikipedia; some of which are very surprising!

• Originated from Ryukyu, the southernmost islands in Japan. 
• Influenced by Chinese kung fu from cultural exchanges between China and Japan
• Karate is divided into 3 more basic parts - kihon (basics or fundamentals), kata (forms), and kumite (sparring)
• Karate was only made popular in the rest of Japanese during the early 1900s