This is not a Print!
This "karate" calligraphy symbol wall scroll is hand-painted by the disabled artist.
Approximate Measurements:
Length of Silk Scroll: 52.6" (133cm)
Width of Wooden Scroll Roller: 18.6" (47cm)
Japanese Kanji, Traditional
or Simplified Chinese Characters & pinyin
（からて）
The original interpretation of
this word is literally, China hand. Unfortunately, due to long term regional animosities
that have occurred historically over time, this was changed to mean empty hand.
However, linguistically and historically, it is a reference to the fact that the
art form was imported from China.
'Karate was originally written
as Chinese hand in kanji. It was later changed to a homophone meaning empty hand.
The original use of the word karate in print is attributed to Ankō Itosu. He wrote
it with the kanji 唐手:からて (Tang Dynasty hand) rather than the present usage of 空手:からて
(empty hand). The Tang Dynasty of China ended in AD 907. The kanji representing
it remained in use in Okinawa as a way to refer to China generally. Thus the word
karate was originally a way of expressing "Chinese hand," or "martial art from China."
Since there are no written records
it is not known definitely whether the kara in karate was originally written with
the character 唐 meaning China or the character 空 meaning empty. During the time
when admiration for China and things Chinese was at its height in the Ryūkyūs it
was the custom to use the former character when referring to things of fine quality...
It should be noted that use of the written character is possibly linked to the origins
of karate from China.
Talented Disabled Calligraphy
Artist creates this 'karate' Japanese calligraphy art scroll!
When I first saw a person without
hands who could not only write but also became a good calligrapher, I was shocked.
Disabled artist, Mr. Wang, has
sat in a wheelchair more than 30 years after a catastrophic accident during fieldwork
left him paralyzed from the waist down. Master Wang was gracefully moving and pausing
his brush that can be mesmerizing, and there is one of his artworks on display here.
