Styles
SHORIN-RYU(SUKUNAI HAYASHI SHORIN-RYU) around 1962
Shimabuku, Zenryo(11/5/1909?1969)
It is very difficult to determine who founded this style. Kyan's Karatedo history is a good starting point. Kyan studied from Sokon Matsumura, Kokan Oyadomari, Chatan-Yara and Anko Itosu, among others. It is important to point out that Kyan's techniques were not purely of Shuri-Te origin. For instance, Oyadomari was a Tomari-Te teacher. Kyan developed into an excellent technician despite his small stature. He practiced eight Katas: Ananku from a Taiwanese, Naifanchi, Sesan and Gojushiho from Sokon Matsumura, Wansu from Maeda, Passai from Oyadomari, Chinto from Matsumora, and Kusanku from Yara.
It is now appropriate to describe "Shorin-Ryu". Many people believe Kyan founded "Shorin-Ryu". However, this is incorrect. Kyan never tried to start a new style. This is the true story about "Shorin-Ryu". There are three different types of Shorin-Ryu. They are described elsewhere in this book. The three styles are: Chibana's Kobayashi Shorin-Ryu, Nagamine's Matsubayashi Shorin-Ryu, and Kyan's Sukunaihayashi Shorin-Ryu. The story starts with Sukunaihayashi Shorin-Ryu. Itosu described the term in his article about Shorin-Ryu (with Shorei-Ryu). This was the origin of the term and its first usage. He used a different Kanji (Sho), but people later began to use another Kanji. This latter Kanji came from a Chinese temple's name Shorinji (Shorin Temple). It is not important to describe each Kanji's meaning at this time. Funakoshi used these names in his books (Renro Goshin Karate-Jutsu in March, 1925 & Karatedo Kyohan in May, 1935). For this reason, these names became very popular. There is an interesting situation in Shuri-Te groups today. One of the most important Shuri-Te teachers was Choshin Chibana. He changed the Kanji in 1933, because he believed Shuri-Te was not derived from techniques from the Shorin temple. However, he did not imply that none of the Shuri-Te techniques were the same as those from the Shorin-Temple, but that most were independent. Therefore, he used the kanji "Sho" instead of another "Sho" for his style. Today Chibana's students have the largest numbers in the Shuri-Te group, but they do not use the old Kanji, except for a few people. However, this kanji is popular in groups of Kyan's students now. In my research, many groups do not know that Chotoku Kyan never used this kanji (Shorin) for his style "Shorin-Ryu", and, of course, they do not know that Kyan never used the name "Shorin-Ryu".
Recently I had very interesting conversation with Mr. Joen Nakazato who is the highest student of Kyan today. He told me, "Kyan never made this style, but Zenryo Shimabuku, who was Zenpo's father, created this style." This is the story about the origin of Shorin-Ryu. One day a few years after World War II, Isamu Tamotsu, who is Japanese, contacted Zenryo Shimabuku wanting to learn Kyan's techniques. Shimabuku then contacted Joen Nakazato to watch this teaching at his home Dojo. These two people were the highest students of Kyan's teachings. Nakazato went to Shimabuku's house, but only watched the first day of several weeks of training. Tamotsu had already studied another martial art. After this training was finished, Tamotsu went back to Japan. He later visited both teachers for a short time for additional training.
Tamotsu wanted to make a new style and call it "Kyan-Ryu", but Shimabuku and Nakazato were very disappointed in this idea, because both of them thought it was disrespectful to Kyan. Both of them denied him the privilege of using his idea. Shimabuku asked Nakazato to find some other idea for a name. Later Nakazato found the name "Shorinji-Ryu" (Shorinji means Shorin-Temple in Japanese) from Shorin-Temple in China. Thereafter, all of them began to use this name for their style. But later, Shimabuku ceased to enjoy teaching Tamotsu, because of his differing philosophy of Karatedo. Therefore Shimabuku stopped using this name and created a new name, "Shorin-Ryu." It was a very simple idea.
Later I talked with Mr. Zenpo Simabuku, who is a son of Mr. Zenryo Shimabuku. He said, "This story is almost right, but the name of Shorinji-Ryu was made by both Shimabuku and Nakazato." It is not certain whose memory is correct, but it is correct that the founder of Shorin-Ryu was Zenryo Shimabuku.
Now I want to connect these facts. Nakazato returned from Japan to Okinawa and opened his Dojo in 1952. Tamotsu Isamu founded his Karatedo group and used the name "Shorinji-Ryu" in November 1955, so Tamotsu learned Karatedo between 1952 and 1955. The name "Shorinji-Ryu" was also used by Joen Nakazato in May, 1955. In January 1960, Zenryo Shimabuku was still using this name, "Shorinji-Ryu". However, Shimabuku created his own Dojo, "Seibu-Kan Dojo" in 1962 and used the name "Shorin-Ryu". Therefore, he created this new name "Shorin-Ryu" between 1960 and 1962. This is my best resolution of this subject. Today, Isamu Tamotsu's group organizes many schools in Okinawa, too.
In this connection, I may say that one more person created the style "Shorinji-Ryu" in the Japanese mainland. Yukitoshi Hisadaka(4/22/1907-8/13/1988) created this style Shorinji-Ryu in June, 1947. He learned from Chotoku Kyan. He was not well-known in Okinawa, because he lived in the Japanese mainland and taught Karatedo there. This style was not connected with any other Shorinji-Ryu. It was a mere coincidence. Now his successor is his son, Masayuki Hisadaka (11/18/1940- ).
SHOTOKAN RYU---1939
Funakoshi, Gichin(10/10/1868 - 4/26/1957)
Funakoshi was born as the eldest son of Gisu Funakoshi, a descendant of Tomari's Samurai. However, because his father loved to drink without saving money, he was born in a rented house. His occupation was a teacher. When he was 16 years old, he joined Koshiro's school to start the practice of Karatedo, but he quit about 3 months later. Afterwards he learned from Anko Asato, then Anko Itosu and Sesho Aragaki. In 1922, Funaoshi moved to Tokyo and lived in the Meishojuku Okinawan Dormitory. In January, 1939, Gichin Funakoshi moved from the Meishojuku Okinawan Dormitory and opened his first Karate school which was named Dainippon Karatedo Shotokan Dojo. The Japanese word "Kan" means house and "Shoto" was Funakoshi's pseudonym for his calligraphy art work and also the name of the community in which the school was located (Shoto). The students began using Shotokan in referring to Funakoshi's style of Karate and although Funakoshi chastised the students for using his name, the word Shotokan was adopted as Funakoshi's style of Karate.
The dojo was destroyed by war damage. After World War II, his students established "Nihon Karate Kyokai" (Japan Karate Federation) in 1948, and he was appointed the chief instructor. But later Shigeru Egami, Genshin Hironishi and others left this group and made a new group "Nihon Karatedo Shoto-Kai" (Japan Karatedo Shoto Federation). When Nihon Karate Kyokai had an openning ceremony for a new Dojo in 1955, he attended. But after that, he did not visit there and by the next April, he sent a letter of resignation as chief instructor. He wanted to keep a safe distance from these two groups. His third son, Yoshitaka (1906-1945) died soon after the war and his eldest son, Giei Funakoshi (1900-1961) became a member and a chairman (1957-1961) of Nihon Karatedo Shoto-Kai. Giei Funakoshi grieved over the situation of karate being made into a competition, leading to "sports Karatedo". He thought very much the same as his father.
OKINAWAN STYLES
(MAJOR)
GOJU-RYU
SHORIN-RYU(KOBAYASHI)
SHORIN-RYU(SUKUNAIHAYASHI)
UECHI-RYU
(MINOR)
CHUBUSHORIN-RYU ISHIMINE-RYU
ISSHIN-RYU KOJO-RYU
KONAN KUSHIN-RYU
MODI MOTOBU-RYU MOTOBU-RYU
OKINAWA KENPO PANGAINUN-RYU
RYUEI-RYU RYUKYU SHORIN-RYU
SHITO-RYU(1) SHITO-RYU(2)
SHOGEN-RYU SHOHEI-RYU
SHORIN-RYU(MATSUBAYASHI) SHORIN-RYU(MATSUMURA SEITO)
SHORINJI-RYU TOZAN-RYU
JAPANESE STYLES
(MAJOR)
GOJU-RYU
SHITO-RYU
SHOTOKAN-RYU
WADO-RYU
(MINOR)
CHITO-RYU GENSEI-RYU
KENYU-RYU KUSHIN-RYU
MOTOBU-RYU NIHONKENPO-RYU
OTO-RYU SEISHIN-RYU
SHINDOJINEN-RYU SHORINJI-RYU(1)
SHORINJI-RYU(2) SHOTO-RYU
TOON-RYU
NIHONDEN-RYU HEIHO MOTOBU KENPO