Forms fist came about as a way for warriors to tell others about their encounters with bandits or robbers. While telling this story, a samurai (or other warrior) would demonstrate the techniques that he used during the conflict with his attackers. Eventually, forms were developed into a teaching tool that was used by martial arts masters to pass their art on to others.

This was especially useful when local governments banned the open practice of martial arts with two or more people together. The Yi Dynasty (the final dynasty of Korea, which lasted from 1136 A.D. to 1845 A.D.) put forth a decree, that any two people caught practicing martial arts together would be put to death. Forms then became the most common way (the only way, in that case) of practicing martial arts. As the arts progressed through time, the practice of forms were commonplace in most East-Asian styles. Eventually, they became a permanent part of most school curriculums.

The actual age of forms varies greatly. Most Japanese/Okinawan forms are very old, going back some three or four hundred years. By comparison, most Korean forms are relatively young (only fifty or sixty years old). But no matter what the age, it has long been told that the true essence of an art lies within its forms.