URASOE, Okinawa Prefecture--Nobuko Oshiro didn't back off when her instructor of an Okinawan-style dance suggested that she take karate to improve her dance steps.

"Karate originated here in Okinawa centuries ago," says Yasushi Nakamura, a spectator on the lawn. He runs the modern karate centre, located on the island of Okinawa not far from the city of Naha.

Japan’s big hope in karate is from the home of the sport. Ryo Kiyuna, a three-time individual world champion, hails from Okinawa, where karate was developed centuries ago. Share full article ...

After Japan annexed the island kingdom of Ryukyu, native Ryukyuans — particularly those from Okinawa — brought the martial art to the Japanese mainland, and karate clubs began forming in Japan ...

In men’s karate, though, there is no question that Japan’s most likely gold medalist is Kiyuna Ryō. Born and raised in Okinawa, where karate originated, Kiyuna finds special meaning in ...