Historical archive
Historical archive
Martial arts history is full of good stories and bad dates. This archive brings together what can be checked: when things happened, what the old masters actually wrote, who really said what, and how beliefs shaped each art. Tradition and legend are told as such, and kept apart from what is documented.
In the archive
年Martial arts timelineA single, verified timeline of martial arts history, from Beni Hasan to modern MMA, with dates checked and links to every art.53 moments
書Historical texts in our translationSun Tzu, Musashi, Hagakure, Takuan, Liechtenauer, Fiore and Kanō read in the original, with our own translations, notes, context and the copyright status of every source.7 texts · 3,374 words translated
言Verified martial arts quotes — and the mythsFamous martial arts quotes checked against the original texts, with our translations, context and the false attributions exposed.13 verified · 5 myths
伝Legends, rituals and myths of the martial artsBodhidharma, Musashi, the tengu of Kurama, Ng Mui, the roda of capoeira: each legend told as an illustrated story, then checked against the historical evidence.9 stories
転Turning points in martial arts historyThe moments that changed how the world fights and trains: Meiji Japan, karate reaching Tokyo, judo at the 1964 Olympics, Bruce Lee, the 1970s–80s boom, Olympic taekwondo, UFC 1 and modern MMA.8 events
心Beliefs and philosophies of the martial artsZen and bushido, Taoism and the internal arts, Confucianism, ki and chi, European chivalry and the Afro-Brazilian religions in capoeira: what each tradition holds, and what history and science can show.6 beliefs
論History essaysShort essays on the big questions of martial arts history: invented traditions, the road from battlefield to sport, and why every art has a founding legend.3 essays
How we work
- Every date and quote has a source, listed at the end of each page.
- We only reproduce texts in the public domain, translated by us. Modern translations under copyright are not copied.
- Beliefs are explained with respect, but we always say what is tradition and what has been tested.
- When a famous quote is false or misattributed, we mark it as a myth.
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You may quote and share this page with a link to WABUKAN. Suggested citation:
WABUKAN 和武館, «Historical archive», https://wabukan.com/arquivo-historico (accessed 2026-10-30).