| There's a few wrong facts that should be cleaned up. Hopefully I don't get into a rant.
The first is Karate, which was an art style emphasising bare handed fighting, and was taught only to the rich. This old Okinawan art was once called "te", or 'hand', and 'kara', or way, was added through time. There is substantial proof that only the rich learned the martial art.
-Okinawa was mainly a farming country, like many cultures back in the day, and no citizen would have the time or energy in order to practice martial arts after their chores.
-The Japanese, who took over the island, did not exactly "take over". Both Japan and China claimed they had rights to the island for a long time, until Japan finally stepped in and overtook the island in 1609. The Okinawians fought for three days before they threw in the towel and let Japan in. They weren't terrorized by the uber-evil Samurai, either.
-The Okinawan's leader were to blame for banning civilians to hold weapons, and it was a long time before Japan showed up that this happened.
-Fighting Samurai, warriors trained since childhood to kill, with pitchforks and bare handed techniques is one of the biggest karate farces of all time. They never fought back; if they did, they would be captured by a league of Samurai, tortured, and crucified (it was one of their favorite too).
The next thing I want to clear up is Ninjitsu. This was an overlaying art used by ninja hundreds of years ago. It stressed survival in the enviorment and stealth over fighting. Most ninja were used liked the spies of today, seeking to blend in for reconnaissance. It was also a weapon art, and had many sub martial arts within it (the names which I cannot remember), which had positions such as "weapons," "natural herbs and poisons," and "hand to hand moves." I'm sad to say, but most ninjitsu learned today is a bullshit hybrid of its former self. This is because the most successful ninja were the ones we never heard about, and the most successful ninjitsu only taught by selection. | 
