Karate is one of the most popular, yet misunderstood, martial arts in the world. With roots in China that led to the development of Shorin-Ryu and Shorei-Ryu in Okinawa, which eventually migrated to Japan where it transformed into Shotokan and other worldwide systems such as Shito Ryu, Wado Ryu and Goju Ryu, karate has a colorful and fascinating past. Through interviews with historical figures such as Osamu Ozawa, and current world class masters such as Hirokazu Kanazawa, Fumio Demura, Minobu Miki, Morio Higaonna, Hidetaka Nishiyama, etc., the many threads of karate learning, lore, and legend are woven together to present an integrated and complete view of the "empty hand" art of fighting and self-defense.