TOKYO — In a small, famed, mostly empty arena here, an Olympic sport came and went. Karate was never an Olympic sport before. It is not scheduled to be an Olympic sport again. But Japan wanted it, and ...

To Japan’s traditionalists, karate represents qualities fundamental to the national character. But to be a modern sport, the discipline has been forced to adapt. By Ben Dooley and Hisako Ueno TOKYO — ...

Karate originated as a martial art in fourteenth-century Okinawa. In the upcoming Olympics, karate will be included for the first time, with two divisions of competition: one for kata (forms) and one ...

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DONGAN HILLS -- At 74 years of age and 120 pounds, Keigo Abe stood in front of the contingent at the Legend Karate dojo in Dongan Hills, calling out short, staccato commands in Japanese. Next to him, ...

Ryo Kiyuna, a three-time individual world champion, hails from Okinawa, where karate was developed centuries ago. By Ken Belson and Enya Toyama TOKYO — Every city that hosts the Olympics pushes for ...

All of my martial arts teachers did techniques hard on me: strikes kicks throws locks. NONE of them ever intentionally injured me or use a weapon to punish me. And while I have been yelled at, they ...