Martial Arts Karate is a form of self-defense that developed in Okinawa; it was influenced by Chinese kung fu. It has now spread around the world, and it became the theme of an American movie, The Karate Kid. After martial art techniques were introduced from China in the fourteenth century, people embraced them eagerly to protect themselves against foreign enemies, and this eventually evolved into karate. This was because the Ryukyu government issued an order prohibiting them from owning weapons.