Karate
Karate is a martial art that originated from the Ryukyu archipelagoes, a group of island in the South of Japan, and initially it was a system of using unarmed and armed techniques and tactics to defend the property of those living in the islands.
Later on the art was divided to that of unarmed, called the "chinese hand" and later the "empty hand", and to the armed art called Ryukyu kobujutsu.
Karate has many styles and schools, and the one I am active studying and promoting is called Yuishinkai.
Yuishinkai preserves 41 karate kata, which consist of Shuri-te, Tomari-te, Naha-te, and Aragaki-te, as well as other study kata innovated by old masters. All of these preserved kata are traditional and represent the footprints of old masters. The goal is to learn by one's own body and understand the meanings of defending and attacking movements and orders in each kata.
Taijutsu is the training method to learn the principles of Sabaki, Hazushi (escaping from grasping), and Kuzushi (breaking the opponent's balance). These are basic elements of self-defense, weapons techniques, and form the backbone of all martial arts.