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In 1609, the Satsuma samurai clan attacked and swept Okinawa. Japanese law forbid any weapons by the islanders, so the only instruments the farmers had for self-defence were their simple farming tools. The unique martial arts of Okinawan karate and Kobudo were born from this background. Over long years, the techniques of Chinese and South East Asian martial arts were incorporated into Okinawa Karate and Kobudo to establish the forms known today. The Chinese methods were a combination of techniques with empty hands and with weapons derived from farming tools
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