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Shuri-te

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Shinjo Choken, a member of the king’s court in the late 16th and early 17th century, is the first name that the annals of the Shuri-te left us. Then, in the mid-17th and 18th centuries, Chatan Yara (1668-1756), Takahara Peichin (1683-1760), Kushanku (?-1790), Chinese military ambassador and master of Shaolin kempo, about which we have little information but which we find in the name of a kata Kushanku or Kosokun or Kanku and Tode Sakugawa (1733-1815). Sokon Matsumura (1797-1889) will mark the end of the history of Shuri-te and the advent of Shorin-ryu. 
 
Chatan Yara (1668-1756) 

 

Yara was born in the small village of Chatan in Okinawa. 
He spent twenty years in China where he learned several styles of Chinese boxing. Upon his return to Okinawa he quickly acquired an enviable reputation for efficiency. 
He was one of the masters of Takahara Peichin. 
Towards the end of his life, he taught in Sakugawa, especially the kata Hakusturu (White Crane kata). It was then that old Yara and young Sakugawa met Kushanku who taught them his legendary kata. Each taught it in turn to his own students. Sakugawa’s version, which according to various sources would not have understood the subtleties very well, has come to us through Sokon Matsumura (1797-1889); Yara’s version, certainly more faithful to the original model, followed a paved path of less famous names to Chotoku Kyan (1870-1945). Obviously these differences of interpretation are relevant to us, but what about the seven clearly differentiated versions that exist today? 
 
Takahara Peichin (1683-1760) 
 
Shinun Ho Takahara was born in the village of Akata, Shuri province. He was a Shaolin Buddhist monk, astronomer, cartographer and master of both primitive Shuri-te and Shaolin kempo. 
Seeing martial arts as a way of life and although the “do” has not yet made its appearance in this field, he establishes an “ethics” of the perfect fighter: compassion, humility, modesty, fidelity and deep understanding of the essence of techniques. 
He placed a high priority on kata, which he said were effective tools for understanding and testing combat techniques. 
Sakugawa, a legendary character of the Shuri-te, was his main disciple. 
The honorary title of “Peichin” was granted by the king for services rendered to the country. 
 

Tode Sakugawa (1733-1815) 

 

Sometimes the dates 1762-1843 are found, probably corresponding to the son Sakugawa who, although he is also a master of martial art, is not the one who entered the legend. 
His real name was Kanga Sakugawa, he was a disciple of Takahara Peichin for six years, and then, from 1756, for six years of Kushanku. He learned the technique called “hikite” from Kushanku. 
He made several trips to China to perfect his art, which contributed greatly to the evolution of Shuri-te, a mixture of local techniques and Shaolin kung fu. Upon his return to Okinawa, he was considered the greatest local expert in Chinese boxing, hence his nickname: Tode (Chinese hand). 
He had many disciples, but the most prominent was Sokon Matsumura. 
 
Sokon Matsumura (1797-1889) 
 

Note that different and later dates are very often cited to frame the life of Matsumura, but only the dates we mentioned fit correctly with those of his contemporaries. 
Also called Bushi (warrior) Matsumura, he came from the local nobility and began learning Shuri-te at the age of ten, under the rule of Tode Sakugawa whose last disciple he became the successor. 
His fighting qualities were so exceptional that he very quickly became, in 1816, at the age of nineteen, the head and instructor of the guard of the palace of Shuri and personal bodyguard of the king. He remained in this position under the last three reigns of the kings of Okinawa. 
He trained with several Chinese masters including one named Chinto. He created a kata in his honor, which bears his name (Gankaku in Japanese pronunciation). 
He systematized his art to be able to teach it and introduced the kata Kushanku and Hakutsuru, which Sakugawa had taught him, and created, in addition to Chinto, the kata Passai (Bassai) and Gojushiho. In order to strengthen the body and allow the development of the stability of the fighter in fast movements, he invented the kata Naihanchi (Tekki). 
Among his followers, it is worth mentioning Anko Itosu (1830-1915), his official successor. 
At the end of his life, he integrated the kata of the Tomari-te and those of the Shuri-te in a unique style that he named «Shorin-ryu». 
All modern styles of karate, without exception, are derived from his teaching, including, in part, the Goju-ryu and the Uechi-ryu. 
 
Tomari-te 
 

This style, which was not really established until the 19th century, had some original kata, but its general form was very close to the Shuri-te because both cities, under the impetus of Sokon Matsumura and Kosaku Matsumora attention to the confusion between these two names , have gradually engaged in a fruitful collaboration while the rivalry with Naha has remained alive. 
 
Kosaku Matsumora (1829-1898) 
 
It is the figurehead of the Tomari-te. 
He first studied Tomari-te with Karyu Uku (1800-1850) then with Kishin Teruya (1804-1864) who taught him the kata Rohai, Wanshu (Empi) and Wankan. 
Then he was a disciple of Sokon Matsumura for a while. He also trained with the Chinese Chinto who would have taught him Chinte, Jiin and Jitte. 
He was about sixty years old when Kentsu Yabu (1866-1937) and Choyu Motobu (1865-1927), two disciples of Anko Itosu, came to challenge him as this was commonly practiced in Okinawa. But Matsumora used another way to win: Yabu and Motobu drank the tea, listened to Matsumora’s precepts on the «rules of politeness» and left him by calling him «Master». 
It is generally believed that the moral and philosophical dimensions are the prerogative of karate-do; this second example, the first being Takahara, shows that karate-dojutsu the transition took place in the first half of the 20th century Matsumora did not neglect the spiritual aspect of martial art. 
His two main disciples were Chotoku Kyan (1870-1945), and Choki Motobu (1871-1944; brother of Choyu). 
 
Naha-te 
 
While the Chinese contributions have simply enriched the Shuri-te whose genesis is lost in the dawn of time, the Naha-te is essentially made up of techniques from the wu-shu. The history of this style starts much later since we do not find any significant personality before the middle of the 19th century. 

 

Seisho Aragaki (1840-1918) 
 

Born in Kumemura or on the nearby island of Sesoku, Okinawa. Official and interpreter at the royal court of Okinawa, he had as teacher the Chinese Wai Xinxian from Fuzhou, a city in the province of Fujian. 
Il était célèbre pour l'enseignement de Unshu (Unsu), Seisan (Hangetsu), Shihohai, Niseishi (Nijushiho), Sanchin et pour sa maîtrise des armes du kobujutsu. 
Aragaki’s techniques and kata are scattered in a number of modern styles of karate and kobudo. The Chito-ryu created by Tsuyoshi Chitose; not to be confused with the Shito-ryu is probably the style closest to the teaching of Aragaki. This is probably the reason, combined with the fact that he was not born in Naha, for which Aragaki is rarely mentioned as a precursor of Naha-te. However, his predominantly South Chinese martial training and the influence he had on the young Higaonna unambiguously placed him in this line. 
 
Kanryo Higaonna (1853–1915) 

 

Sometimes called Higashionna, he was born in Naha, on the island of Okinawa, to parents who were lumberyard merchants. 
In the early 1860s, he began studying martial arts under Seisho Aragaki. Several other masters, including Matsumura, completed his training. 
In 1877, Higaonna sailed for Fuzhou. He spent several years there studying, almost full-time, the Chinese martial arts with several teachers, including Liu Liu Ko whom Higaonna cited as extremely strong. 
In 1885, Kanryo Higaonna returned to Okinawa and took over the family business. He also began teaching martial arts in and around Naha. He distinguished himself in his style by integrating both hard (go) and soft (ju) techniques into a single system. He became so indispensable that the name Naha-te was eventually assimilated to his teaching. 
Higaonna was known for his powerful kata Sanchin. 
Upon his death in 1915, he left a few disciples, but some of the most influential masters of karate are: Chojun Miyagi (1888–1953), Shigehatsu Kyoda, Koki Shiroma and Seiko Higa (1898-1966). 
Miyagi, who later founded the Goju-ryu, succeeded him as head of the school. 
 

 
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How to explain the historical advance taken by the Shuri-te over the two competing styles, Tomari-te and Naha-te? 
When you want real effectiveness, you get a weapon; the fight with bare hands is only a second-best. However, weapons have been banned in the kingdom of Okinawa since the 15th century. However, in Shuri reside the nobles; their only weapon is the sword. If the king forbids them to carry it, they have only their hands. Naha and Tomari are cities of workers who use many tools difficult to ban; quite naturally, these tools become the weapons of kobudo and it is only when the surveillance of samurai grows that the bare-handed combat develops. In addition, the nobles of Shuri have nothing to do and can devote much time to training while farmers or fishermen know little free time. 
 
Shorin-ryu 

 

So named by Sokon Matsumura, this style is therefore, essentially, derived from combat concepts drawn from the Shuri-te, the Shaolin quan (Shaolin fist) and, more marginally, the Tomari-te. The Shorin-ryu is still very practiced today, but great differences are observed between each master. 
Matsumura’s principal disciples, apart from his grandson, Nabe, who had only one pupil, Hohan Soken (1889-1982), were Yasutsune Azato (1827-1906), Anko Itosu (1830-1915), Kentsu Yabu (1866-1937), Chomo Hanashiro (1869-1945) and Tokchou Kyan (1870-1945). 
This non-exhaustive list of masters presents some of the most important figures in the history of the Shorin-ryu. 
 
Anko Itosu (1830-1915) 

 

Yasutsune Itosu, better known as Anko Itosu, was the disciple of Sokon Matsumura between 1840 and 1848. 
It was he who introduced in the schools of Okinawa, at the beginning of the 20th century, the training of the Okinawa-te so called, to erase the differences between the different currents of the Tode and also to remove the references to China, the sequels of the Sino-Japanese war (1894-1895) being still too fresh. In order to enhance the educational aspect of karate, he transformed it into a form of physical education. 
Anko Itosu considered the old kata too complex for college students; so he created in 1907 simplified kata, the Pinan (Heian), from the kata Passai and Kushanku. He also split the kata Naihanchi into three parts to make it easier for him to learn. He is also credited with the creation of Kosokun-sho (Kanku-sho) and Shiho-Kosokun. 
Driven by his impulse, he modified notably almost all the kata that his masters had passed on to him. This fact, together with the abandonment of the martial aspect of karate, will be reproached by a part of the masters of Okinawa who prefer to continue referring to Sokon Matsumura. 
He had many disciples, of whom the four main ones were Shoshin Chibana, Gichin Funakoshi, Shinpan Shiroma and Kenwa Mabuni. 
He was nicknamed “the father of modern karate”. It can also be considered as the one who most profoundly degenerates the heritage of the Shorin-ryu. 
 
Yasutsune Azato (1827-1906) 
 

He was, like his friend Anko Itosu (same names, Yasutsune, and same nicknames, Anko), a prominent disciple of Sokon Matsumura. 
He also became an excellent rider and expert of the Jigen-ryu sword school. Unlike Itosu, he remained faithful to the martial foundation of the Tode. 
Gichin Funakoshi (1868-1957) was in the same class as his son, at primary school, and it is quite natural that he became his disciple before continuing with Itosu. 
Most of our knowledge about it comes from Funakoshi. 
 
Kentsu Yabu (1866-1937) 
 
Born in Shuri, he started training with Sokon Matsumura and then with Anko Itosu, disciple and successor of the previous one. 
He taught the Shorin-ryu himself from 1910 to 1930 in Okinawa. 
His son is known in the US as a shorin-ryu expert under the name of Yabe. 
It is mentioned in many important facts of the history of karate but often in association or in the shadow of another master. 
 
Chomo Hanashiro (1869-1945) 
 
At an early age, he started with Sokon Matsumura and continued with Anko Itosu, becoming his assistant. From the early 20th century, Hanashiro taught in a high school in Shuri. 
In the 1920s, Hanashiro was one of the most famous masters in Okinawa and one of the first to use the term “karate” in 1905. 
Chomo Hanashiro had some famous students: Shigeru Nakamura (1894-1969), Tsuyoshi Chitose (1898-1984; founder of the Chito-ryu), Chozo Nakama (1899-1982; founder of the Shubokan) and Zenryo Shimabukuro (1904-1969; founder of the Seibukan Shorin-ryu). 

 

Chotoku Kyan (1870-1945) 
 
Born in Shuri, he is one of the most famous masters of Okinawa. 
He was introduced to karate by his father, who introduced him to Sokon Matsumura. 
With Matsumura he learned the kata Seisan and Gojushiho. 
With Matsumora, he learned the old version of Passai and Chinto. A disciple of Chatan Yara taught him Chatan Yara no Kushanku. 
It is almost certain that the karate of Chotoku Kyan remained one of the most faithful to the original karate practiced in the 19th century, and even before, in Okinawa. 
Fearsome fighter, small in size, he developed a karate based on dodges. At a time when challenges were common, he was apparently never beaten. His karate style was called Sukunai-Hayashi-ryu. 
In addition to Shoshin Nagamine (1907-1997), whom he appointed as his successor, his two most loyal students were Zenryo Shimabukuro (1908-1969) and Joen Nakazato (born 1922). 
Nakazato created the Shorinji-ryu in 1954 to differentiate it from the Shorin-ryu from which it originated. 
 
Shoshin Chibana (1885-1969) 
 
Also named Chojin Kuba, he was, from the age of fifteen, a disciple of Anko Itosu until his death. At the age of 35, he opened a dojo in Shuri and named his school Kobayashi-ryu, which is one of the possible Japanese pronotions of the ideograms used to transcribe Shaolin-shu. 
In 1956, he was the first president of the Okinawa Karate-Do Renmei (federation that brings together all the styles of the island). 
He created the Okinawa Shorin-ryu Karate Kyokai in 1961. 
Teacher of great reputation, he had many disciples. The main ones were Yuchoku Higa (1910-1994), Shuguro Nakazato (born 1919), Katsuya Miyahira (born 1916). 
 
Shinpan Shiroma (1890-1954) 

 

Also known as Gusukuma (Chinese pronunciation of Shiroma). 
Student of Anko Itosu, he kept the teaching of his master and transmitted it as such to many disciples, among them Yoshio Nakamura (born in 1916), and Ankichi Arakaki (1899-1927). 
At the same time, he studied Goju-ryu with Kanryo Higaonna. 
He participated in the creation of the Shito-ryu school, with his friend Kenwa Mabuni. 
 
Shoshin Nagamine (1907-1997) 
 
Soldier, then police officer and, above all, great master of karate. 
Born in Tomari. He was a weak and sickly child. In 1926, suffering from severe gastric problems, he started a severe diet alone and began karate under the benevolent supervision of his neighbor, Shoshin Chibana. He quickly regained good health through hard work, both at school and in karate practice. He eventually got such a physical condition that he became the leader of his high school’s karate club and was nicknamed Chaippai Matsu (the tough pine). 
He continued the study of karate the following year with Ankichi Arakaki and continued with Taro Shimabuku (disciple of Chotoku Kyan). 
Later, after being demobilized from the Japanese army with which he fought in China, he joined the police and trained with Chotoku Kyan and Choki Motobu (1871-1944). 
In 1953, after retiring from the police force, he returned to Naha and opened his own dojo there, which he named Matsubayashi-Shorin-ryu Centre (Shorin School of the Pine Forest). 
He created, in collaboration with Chojun Miyagi (1888-1953; creator of the Goju-ryu), two new very simple kata, the Fukyugata which are preparatory kata for beginners. 
He taught until his death in 1997. His son succeeded him as head of his dojo. 
 
Katsuya Miyahira (born 1916) 

 

Disciple of Shoshin Chibana, from whom he learned mainly the kata taught by Anko Itosu, it was with Choki Motobu that he got acquainted with kumite. 
Miyahira says, “Without makiwara, there is no karate”. 
One of his pupils, Kenyu Chinen (born 1944), teaches Shorin-ryu and kobudo in Paris, which he learned from Shinpo Matayoshi (1922-1997), a Shorin-ryu expert and a great kobudo specialist. 
 
Yoshio Nakamura (born 1916) 
 
He was a disciple of Shinpan Shiroma, himself a pupil of Anko Itosu. 
He knew most of the great karate masters in Okinawa. He has a vast knowledge of martial arts and their history. 
Although he started karate at a very young age, it was only at the age of fifty that he thought he would be able to teach karate in his dojo in Naha, which he called the En-Bu-Kan (Temple of Martial Culture). 
Its very traditional teaching perpetuates the learning of the original Shorin-ryu kata. As a specialist in bunkai, Nakamura has spent a lifetime researching the complexity and use of techniques used in kata. 
He is the president of the Zen Okinawa Karate-Do Renmei. 
Yoshio Nakamura has put his experience and some of his knowledge in a book entitled “Shuri Shorin-ryu Karate-do”. 
 
Shuguro Nakazato (born 1919) 
 
Born in Naha, he started karate in Japan at the age of sixteen. 
After the war he became a disciple of Shoshin Chibana. 
When his master died in 1969, he was officially the successor of this school despite his status as an external disciple (soto deshi). 
Its current is called the Shorinkan and is one of the major branches of the current Shorin-ryu. 
 
All the masters we have just presented have always referred to the term Shorin or one of its derivatives but each has cultivated its difference in the line of the Shorin-ryu of Sokon Matsumura or that of Anko Itosu, This is why we now have a wide range of styles claiming to be from a common origin. 
Some constants can nevertheless characterize the Shorin-ryu: 
 

-Relatively high, almost natural and flexible postures; 
-High speed of travel; 
-Thorough work on kata; 
-Natural and unforced breathing; 
-Direct strike techniques rather than circular ones. 
 
Many other masters have inherited the Shorin-ryu, but for various reasons they have abandoned this name and have more or less modified its technical or philosophical content. The main ones are: 
 
Shotokan 
 
This style is today the most practiced in the world but the variations related to each master are particularly marked especially because of a great confusion between the practice of father Funakoshi and that of the son who were extremely dissimilar. 
 
Gichin Funakoshi (1868-1957) 

 

Born in Shuri, he is the descendant of a line of samurai. 
About his tenth year, he began his martial training with Anko Azato. Some years later, he occasionally trained with Anko Itosu who became his only master after the death of Azato in 1906. Although he stayed with Azato for much longer, it is the karate of Itosu that he chooses to transmit, thinking thus better to meet the desires of the Japanese youth who rejected ancestral values and marveled at Western novelties such as English boxing. 
He made a demonstration in 1916, in Kyoto, which was probably the first outside of Okinawa. 
In 1922, at the age of fifty-four, he presented the Okinawa karate to the Ministry of Education in Tokyo. This second public demonstration of karate in Japan was somewhat successful and the founder of judo, Jigoro Kano, invited Funakoshi to the famous dojo of Kodokan, to give a demonstration before martial arts specialists. Following his performance, he began teaching in Tokyo. 
In order to promote the introduction of karate throughout Japan, Funakoshi published a book entitled “Ryukyu Kempo Karate”, the first formal writing on the art of karate-jutsu, which was well received. Then in 1929, when the second Sino-Japanese war was in gestation, he gave Japanese names to kata for which the Chinese pronunciation was used in Okinawa and, in consultation with other karate experts, changed the ideograms of the term "karate". Although the pronunciation was identical, the meaning changed from “Chinese hand” to “empty hand”. During this time, Funakoshi began to practice Zen Buddhism, which strengthened the philosophical aspect of his teaching and comforted him in his educational conception of karate. He refused any form of confrontation because, he claimed, karate was too dangerous to consider jyu kumite. This aspect suggests a very martial side to his teaching. But the lack of implementation, since his training was limited, essentially, to the work of kata, and his fidelity to the principles developed by Itosu argue rather for a concealment of the martial side. Ambiguity reflected on his students, who show many hesitations between the martial, sports and educational aspects of karate. 
By the late 1930s, karate clubs had been established in higher education institutions across Japan. To properly accommodate a growing number of students, in 1939 Funakoshi built the dojo «Shotokan». “Shoto”, which roughly means “pine waves”, is the name he used to sign his calligraphy and poetry. 
In the air raids of World War II, the Shotokan was destroyed and the growth of karate temporarily stopped. After the war, Funakoshi’s students regrouped and in 1949 formed the Japan Karate Association (JKA) which had hegemonic claims over the whole of karate but never represented other than the Shotokan, with Gichin Funakoshi as official supreme master. Despite his title, Funakoshi never endorsed the initiatives of the JKA, which was officially recognized by the Ministry of Education on 10 April 1957. 
Gichin Funakoshi trained many students who themselves became renowned teachers: Obata, Okuyama, Egami, Harada, Hironishi, Takagi, Ohshima, Nakayama, Nishiyama, Kase. 

Gichin Funakoshi was awarded the exceptional title of "O-sensei" (grand master) during his lifetime. 
However, in 1957, after his death, a public disagreement between the JKA and several former students of Funakoshi including Obata, Ohshima and Egami creator, a few months later, of the Shotokai, who said they were disgusted by the sporting and commercial drift that the official organization was taking, led to a first split. 
 
Yoshitaka Funakoshi (1906-1945) 
 
The Funakoshi son, Yoshitaka, also called Gigo Funakoshi, was the originator of the Shotokan style as we now most often encounter it. This style is considered one of the most powerful thanks to low positions and long attacks. Another technical development is the hanmi (three-quarters) positions during blockages. On the other hand, if he is not the inventor, the son Funakoshi has at least popularized the use of leg techniques: mawashi geri, yoko geri kekomi and keage, ura mawashi geri and ushiro geri. 
Gichin Funakoshi has left a more marked mark than his son thanks to his writings and longevity, but the technical transformations adopted by the Shotokan are mostly the work of Gigo Funakoshi. The father was very concerned about the spirit, the son preferred the body. His karate was martial, thanks to his passionate search for efficiency, and sporty but not yet victim of the excesses related to competition , given its physical requirements not always respectful of anatomy. 
 
Masatoshi Nakayama (1913-1987) 

 

Nakayama was born in Yamaguchi Prefecture. He began studying karate in 1932 under the guidance of Gichin Funakoshi and his son. 
In 1949 he helped to found the JKA and was appointed chief instructor. Nakayama is known for his work in spreading the Shotokan to the world through the establishment of a system of training high-level coaches who were sent as delegations on all continents. 
Unfortunately, after his death, the JKA suffered from deep dissension. Several organizations were born: 
Japan Shotokan Karate Association with Keigo Abe (very strong competitor, born in 1938). 
Japan Karate Shotokai with Tetsuhiko Asai (great kata and kumite champion who developed a very fluid karate, in dodges, almost a dance; 1935-2006). 
 
Karatenomichi with Mikio Yahara (famous for his unsu competition kata and his victory in an altercation that would have opposed him to 34 yakusa, he turned towards the search of the absolute effectiveness of atemi; born in 1947). 
 
Hidetaka Nishiyama (1928-2008) 

 
Born in Tokyo, Nishiyama started kendo in 1933 and judo in 1938. In 1943 he began practicing karate with Gichin Funakoshi. 
He was involved in the founding of JKA and elected to the board. 
In 1952, he was assigned to train the US military of the Strategic Air Command. 
In July 1961, he moved to the USA and organized the first national karate championship in Los Angeles where he had established his dojo. 
After working to create various amateur karate structures to promote sports karate, Nishiyama founded the International Traditional Karate Federation (ITKF) in 1985 It was recognized as the sole governing body of traditional karate worldwide. He has no doubt played on the meaning of the term «traditional», because the trace it leaves is more sporting than martial. He tried to restore the martial image of karate but never gave up the competition. In fact, its most famous students are all former champions. 
 
Taiji Kase (1929–2004) 
 

Born in Tokyo. From the age of five he practiced judo assiduously. In 1944, when he had begun to learn aikido, he discovered the book “Karate Do Kyohan” by Gichin Funakoshi and decided to go to the Honbu Dojo Shotokan where his son Yoshitaka accepted it despite his young age after a long discussion on budo. This meeting was a revelation and, although he trained little with him, Yoshitaka’s practice was a shock for the young Kase and the model that he constantly sought to imitate. In his teaching, Taiji Kase constantly referred to this son Funakoshi who was looking for «more mind, more power, more energy». 
In 1945, he entered Senshu University and graduated in 1951. He was captain of the karate team, which allowed him to practice intensively with Genshin Hironishi (1913-1999), one of the few 5th dan named by Gichin Funakoshi, and Jotaro Takagi, one of the most faithful students of Yoshitaka Funakoshi. Introduced by Hironishi, he entered the JKA and became a highly qualified teacher. He trained young instructors: Enoeda (1935-2003), Shirai (born 1937), Kanazawa (born 1931), Ochi (born 1940). 
In 1965 and 1966 he led tirelessly training and demonstrations around the world on behalf of JKA. 
He settled in Paris in 1967. 
At the end of his life, he was convinced that the development of modern karate, although he had contributed to it by training many champions, made karate-do lose its authentic soul and was incompatible with the concept of budo. 
Kase dies at the age of seventy-five in Paris. The mark he leaves is particularly marked in France, but also in Yugoslavia, Italy, Algeria, Mali and Ivory Coast. 
 
Tsutomu Ohshima (born 1930) 

 

Ohshima was born in China where he spent his childhood. Very young, he started to learn sumo, kendo and judo. 
Returning to Japan just before the beginning of the 2nd world war, he discovered karate. Registered in the Waseda Karate Club, from 1948 to 1953 he studied directly under the rule of Gichin Funakoshi who awarded him the 5th dan (highest rank) just before dying in 1957. For this reason in his school he kept the 5th dan as maximum attainable grade and always refused honorary grades out of respect for his master. 
Ohshima then worked with various prestigious seniors but was mostly influenced by Shigeru Egami (1912-1981) and Hiroshi Noguchi. 
He was one of the precursors of karate in the west. His teaching has retained a very «martial» aspect despite a period when he was particularly active in establishing competition. His kata are very similar to those of Gichin Funakoshi, but his courses reserve a large place for kumite. 
 
Hirokazu Kanazawa (born 1931) 
 
Born in Iwate Prefecture, Japan. He began karate at the age of eighteen after studying judo. Made famous by his victory in kumite at the first championships of Japan in 1957 with a broken wrist, he then entered the JKA which entrusted him with an ambassador role to spread karate in the world. His first international tour was in Hawaii, the UK and Germany. 
In 1977, he left the JKA and founded his own organization, Shotokan Karate International (SKI). His mastery of tai chi has greatly influenced his karate which combines power and fluidity. Another particularity: a spectacular karate thanks to its ease in the kicks jodan, characteristic considered incongruous by the supporters of the martial art because of the excessive exposure of the lower abdomen. However, this has become the norm in sports karate. 
 
Enoeda Keinosuke (1935-2003) 

 

He was the chief instructor of the Karate Federation of Great Britain until his death from cancer. 
After studying at Takushoku University he studied at the JKA dojo in Tokyo with Masatoshi Nakayama. He won several kumite titles. 
In 1965, in accordance with the JKA policy of sending its instructors abroad to spread Shotokan karate, he travelled to England with Shirai, Kanazawa and Kase. He then settled in Liverpool. 
 
Hiroshi Shirai (born 1937) 
 
Shirai was born in Nagasaki and started karate in 1956 at the university. 
He attended the JKA Instructor course from 1960 to 1962 under the guidance of Nakayama, Nishiyama and Kase. During these classes, Kase had a great influence on him, but his main instructor was Nishiyama. 
He was a very good competitor. 
Established in Italy since 1965, he regularly conducts seminars abroad. His teaching of karate focuses on the study of bunkai. 
 
Hideo Ochi (born 1940) 
 
Multiple Japanese champion, kata and kumite. Head of JKA for Germany. Germany’s national coach for many years. 
He is one of those competitors who claim to reconcile sport and martial art. “Remember, competition is only one part of karate,” he told the young champions. But his teaching is intended to train champions, hoping that they will be able to retrain when the time of the podiums ends. 
 
Shotokai 
 
This style presents itself as an extension of the research of Yoshitaka Funakoshi and integrates techniques and notions specific to aikido in order to make the method more consistent with the traditions of budo. However, a meticulous observation raises some doubts about this filiation, especially because of the absence of kime in atemi. 
 
Shigeru Egami (1912–1981) 
 

First judoka, he discovered karate in 1932 with Gichin Funakoshi. 
In 1935, disciples of Gichin Funakoshi founded an association: the Shotokai which became a full-fledged karate style in 1957 under the aegis of Shigeru Egami. At the end of his life, Egami gave a very mystical orientation to his style. This trend was continued by one of his disciples, Hiroyuki Aoki, who founded the Shintai-do. Two currents, coming from two important personalities, predominate in the current Shotokai: one was initiated by Tetsuji Murakami, the other is led by Mitsuke Harada. 
 
Tetsuji Murakami (1927-1987) 
 
Born in Shizuoka, Japan. At the age of nineteen he began karate with Masaji Yamagushi (a student of O-sensei). At the same time he studied kendo, aikido and a little bit of iaido. In 1957, he was invited to France by Henri Plée with whom he signed a contract which was not very favourable. In 1959, he freed himself and opened his own dojo. From that moment on, his influence gradually spread to the rest of Europe: Germany, England, Italy, Portugal, Yugoslavia and Switzerland. In 1968, he went to Japan where he met Shigeru Egami. Very impressed by Egami and his technique, he decided to make a profound transformation in his practice. He returned to Europe with the title of official representative of the Nihon Karate-do Shotokai. He died in Paris in 1987. His karate was extremely demanding and he never had many students but those who followed him remained unflinching. 
 
Mitsusuke Harada (born in 1928 in Manchuria). 

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In 1943, at the age of fifteen, he attended a karate demonstration led by Yoshitaka Funakoshi which impressed him. He took his first karate lessons at the University of Waseda, Japan, under the guidance of Funakoshi father and his students, especially Shigeru Egami, who later influenced him. 
Gichin Funakoshi awarded him his degree of godan in 1956. 
First settled in Brazil, he settled in England and distanced himself from all karate organizations. He liked to repeat a quote from Gichin Funakoshi that was quite revealing of his opinion: “There is no style in karate, it’s like philosophy. Everyone has their own opinion. Who is right? Who is wrong? No one can say. Everyone has to try to reach a point where they can show that they have created something in their life.” Undoubtedly, his teaching is very original and far from that of Murakami. 
 
Wado-ryu 
 
Hironori Ohtsuka (1892–1982) 
 
Born in Shimodate City, Japan. His practice of martial arts began in 1898 with the learning of ju-jutsu. In 1905, he became the student of Shinsaburo Nakayama, a great master of the Shindo-Yoshin de ju-jutsu school who trained him in ju-jutsu and kendo. The training provided by this school gave him an extensive knowledge of techniques of seizures, dislocations and countertakes as well as some knowledge in percussion. Between 1912 and 1917, Ohtsuka took an interest in several disciplines but especially in different forms of kempo present in Japan, in order to deepen his knowledge of atemi. In 1921, Nakayama appointed him as his official successor and fourth master of the Ju-jutsu Shindo-Yoshin; and this at only twenty-nine years old, which is quite exceptional. 
The following year, Ohtsuka attended a demonstration that Gichin Funakoshi was performing in Tokyo. He lives in karate techniques that allow him to perfect his ju-jutsu. At his request, Funakoshi accepted him as a student. It was therefore in July 1922 that he began his learning of the Shotokan. Two years later, he opened his first karate school at the University of Tokyo where he stayed five years under the technical guidance of Funakoshi. During these five years, Ohtsuka also worked with different masters: Jigoro Kano (1860-1938; founder of judo), Morihei Ueshiba (1883-1969; founder of aikido), Yasuhiro Konishi (1893-1983; future founder of the Ryobukai style which incorporates kendo techniques) and Choki Motobu (initiator of the Motobu-ha Shito-ryu lineage). 

At the time, Funakoshi’s karate was almost entirely based on the fifteen kata of the 5 Heian style and 10 classic kata , which had not yet undergone the adjustments of Yoshitaka and were close to the teaching of Itosu. But Ohtsuka found that these kata had elements that were unsuitable for combat. In 1928, Konishi introduced him to Mabuni (1889-1952), the future founder of the Shito-ryu, who had just arrived from Okinawa, and to whom Ohtsuka expressed doubts about the effectiveness of Funakoshi’s kata. Mabuni’s encyclopedic knowledge of the kata was a blessing for Ohtsuka, who had not yet been able to penetrate its essence. From then on, he definitively admitted the superiority of karate. 
It was at this time that disagreements arose between Funakoshi and Ohtsuka. The latter found Funakoshi’s karate too hard and wanted to develop kumite, which Funakoshi refused. Despite the arguments of his teacher, Ohtsuka began to practice free-fight exercises. The difference in their approaches made separation inevitable. 
Some groups of students, preferring the approach of Ohtsuka, followed him and formed, around 1934, the Wado-ryu (school of the way to peace). During the year 1940, Ohtsuka recorded his style at the Butokukai in Kyoto, becoming one of the four great styles of Japanese karate with the Shotokan, the Goju-ryu and the Shito-ryu. In 1981, he passed the reindeer of the Wado-ryu to his eldest son, Jiro Ohtsuka, who then took the name Hironori Ohtsuka II. 
The Wado-ryu is characterized by higher positions than in other styles and an important work of dodges and personal defense. 
 
Shito-ryu 
 
Kenwa Mabuni (1889-1952) 

 

Born in Shuri, Kenwa Mabuni was a descendant of the famous Onigusukini samurai family. He began his apprenticeship in the art of shuri-te in his hometown at the age of thirteen under the tutelage of the legendary Anko Itosu. He trained with him for many years and learned a lot of kata. One of his close friends, Chojun Miyagi (founder of Goju-ryu) introduced Mabuni to another prominent figure of the time, Kanryo Higaonna, and he began learning Naha-te under his guidance. 
Itosu’s teaching included direct and powerful techniques such as those demonstrated in the kata Naihanchi and Passai; Higaonna’s, on the other hand, was particularly centred on circular movement and close combat methods as described in the kata Seipai and Kururunfa. To this day, Shito-ryu karate is still based on a combination of the Shuri-te and Naha-te styles. 
Although he remained faithful to his two great masters, Mabuni sought to supplement and enrich his learning with other teachers: Seicho Aragaki (1840-1918), Tawada Shimboku (1851-1920), Sueyoshi Jino (1846-1920) and Wu Xianhui (1886-1940; Chinese master known as Go Kenki). In fact, as early as the 1920s, Mabuni was legendary for his encyclopedic knowledge of kata and their applications. Later, as a policeman, he taught to local authorities and, under the encouragement of his teacher Itosu, to various schools in Shuri and Naha. 

During those same years, Mabuni was part of a karate club that was managed by Chojun Miyagi and Choyu Motobu (1865-1927) with the help of Chomo Hanashiro (1869-1945) and Juhatsu Kiyoda (1886-1967; founder of Toon-ryu). Choyu Motobu was a master of Shuri-te and Gotende, the secret art of wrestling of the royal court of Okinawa. Hanashiro was also an expert on Shuri-te while Kiyoda and Miyagi had more of a background than Naha-te. Known as the Ryukyu Tode Kenkyu-kai (Ryukyu karate research club), this dojo was a legend. Experts from different backgrounds trained and taught there. It was here that Mabuni learned some techniques of the kung-fu of the white crane. 
Between 1917 and 1928, Mabuni made a number of trips to Tokyo in the hope of popularizing karate on the main islands of Japan. In fact, many masters of his time shared this objective: Funakoshi had emigrated to Tokyo in the early 1920s to promote his art in Honshu. 
In 1929, Mabuni moved to Osaka to become a full-time karate instructor in a style he called Hanko-ryu or semi-hard style. When he introduced his style to the Butokukai, he renamed it Shito-ryu, a name derived from the first kanji names of Itosu and Higaonna. With the support of Ryusho Sakagami (1915-1993), he opened a number of dojos in the Osaka region. To date, the majority of Shito-ryu practitioners are located in the Osaka area. 
In the autumn of his life, he developed several kata such as Aoyagi, which he designed especially for female self-defense, Juroku, Myojo and Nipaipo. 
Kenwa Mabuni died in 1952 and passed the torch to his sons, Kenei and Kenzo. His son Kenzo died in 2005. 
 
Choki Motobu (1871–1944) 

 
He is the third son of Udun Motobu, a member of the younger branch of the Okinawa royal family. It was therefore Choyu, the eldest son, who, according to tradition, inherited the aristocratic training and secrets of the family martial art, the Motobu-ryu. 
Despite this handicap, Choki Motobu, a colourful character, decided to become the strongest man in Okinawa. He developed his own style almost alone, tested in many fights that he incessantly started. He had a hard time getting accepted as a disciple but, thanks to his noble title and extraordinary abilities, he eventually obtained an education from the greatest masters of his day: Sokon Matsumura, Anko Itosu, Sakuma Peichin and Kosaku Matsumora. 
Although very strong, it was particularly fast, which earned him the nickname of Zaru Motobu (Motobu the Monkey). 
In 1921, he knocked a Russian boxer, then world champion of super-heavy, with a shuto to the head. He took on many challenges and was never beaten. This made him popular and contributed to the development of karate in Japan. 
His favourite kata was Naihanchi. He considered it the basis of karate. 
Motobu had a strong influence on Mabuni and Miyagi. At the end of his life, he abandoned the challenges and finally turned to the true spirit of karate-do. His style was very realistic and effective. His favorite technique was the dragon’s fist, a single-folded phalange with which he easily crushed a makiwara. Choki Motobu’s school was carried out with Kosei Kokuba and the Motobu-ha Shito-ryu. 
 
Kosei Kokuba (1901–1959) 
 
Born in the village of Kokuba, now Naha, he was the youngest son of a branch of the Okinawa royal family, the Sho Shi family. He began learning karate with Choki Motobu. In 1940, he moved to Osaka. On 6 June 1943, Kuniba (the same kanji as Kokuba, but in Japan it is the Japanese pronunciation that prevails) founded the dojo Seishinkan (dojo of pure heart) and the association Seishinkai. Upon the death of Choki Motobu in 1944, Kosei Kuniba became the Soke (literally “head of family”) of the Ryukyu Motobu-ha school. His dojo was one of the high places of martial arts where all the great names of the time met. 
 
Shogo Kuniba (1935–1992) 
 

Kosho Kuniba was born in Japan, near Fuji Yama. He began training in martial arts in 1940 under his father, Kosei. 
At the age of eight, he studied Kenyu-ryu with Ryusei Tomoyori. Kuniba father wanted his son to be a true samurai like his ancestors. He must have known all martial arts, and therefore also trained in judo, aikido, iaido and kobudo. 
In 1947, he began to train regularly with Kenwa Mabuni, but as his father’s dojo received the most important martial arts, he was able to practice with all the great names of the time. In 1952, he studied Mugai-ryu iaido with Ishii Gogetsu. He then began teaching karate at the University of Osaka. 
In 1956, he went to Okinawa, where he trained with Shoshin Nagamine, studied kobudo with Shinken Taira and Kenko Nakaima. With Junko Yamaguchi, he learned the use of tonfa. 
After his father’s death in 1959, Kosho was elected by the Seishinkai Shihan council to the post of Soke of the Motobu-ha Shito-ryu. At the age of twenty-four, he became the youngest Soke in Japan and took the name «Shogo» which means «strong warrior». 
Recipient of many awards during his career, he received one of the highest tributes when he was rewarded in the Japanese Encyclopedia, an article of four pages to illustrate the headings «karate and kobudo». 
In 1970, he was chosen by the Zen Nippon Karate-do Renmei (now JKF) to demonstrate at the first World Karate Championships at the Budokan in Tokyo. The same honour in 1972, at the second World Championships held in Paris. 

He created the goshin-budo, a personal defense system that he developed from his knowledge of judo, ju-jutsu, aikido and iaido. His art was of an unprecedented richness and great subtlety. 
He has also collaborated on numerous martial arts films (22 including a highly awarded documentary, «Budo: grands maîtres des arts martiaux») and was honored with numerous articles in martial arts magazines. 
In 1983, he opened a dojo in the USA, in Portsmouth, where he lived until his death in 1992. During his stay in Portsmouth, he concentrated his efforts on teaching and promoting his art on all continents, especially in France where he frequently came between 1987 and 1992 at the invitation of Patrick Tamburini (1949-1996). Outside of Japan, Seishinkai is currently well established in the US, but the list of its locations is long: Mexico, India, Sweden, Russia, Sri Lanka, Israel, Turkey, the Caribbean, South America and all of Europe. 
At death, he held four Soke titles: 
 
Sandai Soke of the Motobu-ha karate-do; 
Shodai Soke of the Kuniba-ryu goshin-do; 
Shodai Soke of the Kuniba-ryu kobudo; 
Shodai Soke of the Kuniba-ryu iaido. 
 
Unfortunately, like many others, the succession of Shogo Kuniba was quite turbulent and remains problematic. 
 
Teruo Hayashi (born 1924) 
 
Teruo Hayashi was born in Nara (former capital of Japan) near Osaka. He first practiced judo and around 1943, started studying karate and kobudo with Kosei Kuniba. He showed great talent, rarely seen in such a young individual, and mastered several types of ancient weapons: bo, kama, tonfa, tenbei, tenpei, nunchaku, sai, sansetsukon, kusarigama, suruchin, manji-sai, etc. For this reason, he was called the "master of arms." 
Upon the death of Kosei Kuniba in 1959, due to his position as sanpai of Seishinkai and the age of Shogo Kuniba, he remained with him as president to assist him in this task until 1968. 
Although he founded his own school, the Shito-ryu Hayashi-ha, he remained a technical advisor for the Seishinkai. 
 
Fumio Demura (born in 1938) 
 
At the age of eight he began training with Ryusho Sakagami (1915-1993; disciple of Kenwa Mabuni) in Shito-ryu Itosu-kai. From 1958 he practiced kobudo under the direction of Shinken Taira (1897-1970). 
He has lived in southern California since 1965, where he has acquired an enviable reputation, unfortunately based too much on his multiple film collaborations and demonstrations too ... cinema! 
This did not prevent him from becoming chief instructor of the Shito-ryu Itosu-kai USA. However, in 2001, a conflict with this organization will result in his expulsion. He has since founded the Shito-ryu Genbu-kai International, of which he is the president. This organization promotes genbudo, a recreational and sporting activity using foam weapons. So-called creation that takes up what already existed under the name of chambara. 
In summary, the Shito-ryu has four main trends: 
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-Mabuni-ha; the most widespread. 

-Itosu-ha; transmitted by Ryusho Sakagami. 

-Kuniba-ha; the reference to Motobu seems today abandoned because of the sultry reputation of Choki Motobu and especially the enormous notoriety of Shogo Kuniba in Japan and the world. 

-Hayashi-ha; style that gives the preeminence to the arms of the kobudo. 

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​And one whose characteristics are somewhat different from the other four and whose common name omits the name Shito-ryu: the Shukokai.