The oldest authorized, preserved kumite is the 12-set prearranged kumite, which was presented by Choki MOTOBU during the Taisho period; no kumite prior to this one has preserved, although kumite have been practiced since the era of the Ryukyu Kingdom.
組手は琉球王国時代から行われていたが、制式化されてなお現存するのは本部朝基が大正時代に発表した十二本の約束組手が最古で、それ以前のものは現存していない。