As there is no written record of the begins of the martial arts, we must rely on word of mouth and legend. So, it is believed that about 1400 years ago, a monk named Daruma (or Bodhidharma) left India to spread the word of Buddhism. One of the places he went was China. In China, he made his way to the Shaolin Temple to teach. Once he started teaching, a problem arose. The monks would pass out due the strenuousness of his training methods..

To get the monks into shape, Daruma decided to show them a way to get into better physical condition. The exercises he showed them are in the Ekkin Sutra. With the practice and perfection of these exercises, the Shaolin monks gained a reputation for their abilities. These exercises would eventually become known as Shorin-ji Kempo and become the forbearer of karate..

Again, since there is no written record, it is difficult to know what happened when, but it is believed that martial arts then began to spread through out China. And as the Chinese made contact with other foreign cultures, they would pass their arts on to these peoples. One of the cultures they made contact with were the Okinawans.

References: Karate-Do Kyohan, Karate-Do: My Way of Life