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唐手 is a very seldom-used title for Karate.
This title uses a character that represents the Tang Dynasty of China. Thus, this is often translated as the “Tang Hand” or, incorrectly, “Tang Fist.”
I have also seen some call it “China Hand.”
There is not a lot of information on this title but some believe that a simplified form of Kung Fu that started in China, and ended up very popular in Japan used this title initially. It was later changed in Japan to a different Karate title which means "Empty Hand" (as in, without weapons).
I am sure that some will suggest a different history or argue a different origin. I think that nobody can be sure.
Note: Just like the more conventional Karate title, this one can have the "way" or "method" character added to the end, as in Karate-Do.
唐手道 is the alternate title for Karate-do.
This title uses a character, 唐, which represents the Tang Dynasty of China. Thus, this is often translated as the “Tang Hand Way” or incorrectly, “Tang Fist Way.”
I have also seen some call it “China Hand Way.”
Many in Korea refer to and romanize these characters as “Tang Soo Do” (당수도) where these characters refer to a kind of Korean style of Karate.
There is not a lot of information on this title but some believe that a simplified form of Kung Fu that started in China and ended up very popular in Japan used this title initially. It was later changed in Japan to a different Karate title which means “Empty Hand” (as in, without weapons).
Note: When used in Korean, this is pronounced 당수도. This title is often romanized as “Tang Soo Do,” “Tangsudo,” “Dang Su Do,” or “Dangsudo.” The last two romanizations on that list are the official Korean government romanization, though martial arts schools tend to use other non-standard versions.
The first two characters mean “fist law” which is Romanized from Japanese as “Kenpo” or “Kempo.”
The last two are a secondary way to express “karate.”
Notes:
The more common way to express “karate” is literally “empty hand” (meaning “without weapons in your hand”). This version would be translated literally as “Tang hand” (as in the Tang Dynasty) or “China hand” (sometimes “Tang” means “China” in Japanese). Even though the character for “Tang” is used instead of “empty,” it's still pronounced “kara-te” in Japanese.
拳法唐手 is not commonly used in China - so please consider it to be a Japanese-only title.
Many Japanese people will say the last two Kanji are the old and antiquated way of saying Karate. This fact does not stop this title from existing, as these four characters are often seen in Kenpo / Kempo Dojos around the western world.
Below are some entries from our dictionary that may match your 唐手 search...
Characters If shown, 2nd row is Simp. Chinese |
Pronunciation Romanization |
Simple Dictionary Definition |
唐手 see styles |
karate からて |
More info & calligraphy: Tang Hand |
唐手道 see styles |
táng shǒu dào tang2 shou3 dao4 t`ang shou tao tang shou tao |
More info & calligraphy: Tang Soo Do / Tang Hand Way |
Variations: |
karate からて |
(1) karate; (2) (空手 only) being empty-handed; having nothing in one's hands |
Variations: |
karatechoppu; karatechoppu からてチョップ; カラテチョップ |
{sports} karate chop (pro wrestling move) |
Variations: |
karatechoppu; karatechoppu(sk) からてチョップ; カラテチョップ(sk) |
{prowres} karate chop |
The following table may be helpful for those studying Chinese or Japanese...
Title | Characters | Romaji (Romanized Japanese) | Various forms of Romanized Chinese | |
Tang Hand | 唐手 | kara te / karate | táng shǒu tang2 shou3 tang shou tangshou | t`ang shou tangshou tang shou |
Tang Soo Do Tang Hand Way | 唐手道 | kara te do / karatedo | táng shǒu dào tang2 shou3 dao4 tang shou dao tangshoudao | t`ang shou tao tangshoutao tang shou tao |
Law of the Fist Karate Kempo Karate | 拳法唐手 | ken pou kara te kenpoukarate ken po kara te | quán fǎ táng shǒu quan2 fa3 tang2 shou3 quan fa tang shou quanfatangshou | ch`üan fa t`ang shou chüanfatangshou chüan fa tang shou |
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Professional calligraphers are getting to be hard to find these days.
Instead of drawing characters by hand, the new generation in China merely type roman letters into their computer keyboards and pick the character that they want from a list that pops up.
There is some fear that true Chinese calligraphy may become a lost art in the coming years. Many art institutes in China are now promoting calligraphy programs in hopes of keeping this unique form
of art alive.
Even with the teachings of a top-ranked calligrapher in China, my calligraphy will never be good enough to sell. I will leave that to the experts.
The same calligrapher who gave me those lessons also attracted a crowd of thousands and a TV crew as he created characters over 6-feet high. He happens to be ranked as one of the top 100 calligraphers in all of China. He is also one of very few that would actually attempt such a feat.
Check out my lists of Japanese Kanji Calligraphy Wall Scrolls and Old Korean Hanja Calligraphy Wall Scrolls.