Shitō-ryū

Shitō-ryū (糸東流) is a form of karate that was founded in 1931 by Kenwa Mabuni (摩文仁 賢和, Mabuni Kenwa).

History

Kenwa Mabuni (Mabuni Kenwa 摩文仁 賢和) was born in Shuri, Okinawa in 1889. Mabuni was a 17th generation descendant of the famous warrior Uni Ufugusuku Kenyu.^[1] Perhaps because of his weak constitution, he began his instruction in his home town in the art of Shuri-te (首里手) at the age of 13, under the tutelage of the legendary Ankō Itosu (糸州 安恒, Itosu Ankō) (1831–1915). He trained diligently for several years, learning many kata from this great master. It was Itosu who first developed the Pinan kata, which were most probably derived from the "Kusanku" form.

One of his close friends, Chōjun Miyagi (宮城 長順, Miyagi Chōjun) (co-founder of Gojū-ryū Karate) introduced Mabuni to another great of that period, Kanryō Higaonna (東恩納 寛量, Higaonna Kanryō). Mabuni began to learn Naha-te (那覇手) under him. While both Itosu and Higaonna taught a "hard-soft" style of Okinawan "Te", their methods and emphases were quite distinct: the Itosu syllabus included straight and powerful techniques as exemplified in the Naihanchi and Bassai kata; the Higaonna syllabus stressed circular motion and shorter fighting methods as seen in the kata Seipai and Kururunfa. Shitō-ryū focuses on both hard and soft techniques to this day.

Although he remained true to the teachings of these two great masters, Mabuni sought instruction from a number of other teachers, including Seishō Arakaki, Tawada Shimboku, Sueyoshi Jino and Wu Xianhui (a Chinese master known as Go-Kenki). In fact, Mabuni was legendary for his encyclopaedic knowledge of kata and their bunkai applications. By the 1920s, he was regarded as the foremost authority on Okinawan kata and their history and was much sought after as a teacher by his contemporaries. There is even some evidence that his expertise was sought out in China, as well as Okinawa and mainland Japan. As a police officer, he taught local law enforcement officers and at the behest of his teacher Itosu, began instruction in the various grammar schools in Shuri and Naha.

In an effort to popularize karate in mainland Japan, Mabuni made several trips to Tokyo in 1917 and 1928. Although much that was known as "Te" (Chinese Fist; lit. simply "hand") or karate had been passed down through many generations with jealous secrecy, it was his view that it should be taught to anyone who sought knowledge with honesty and integrity. In fact, many masters of his generation held similar views on the future of Karate: Gichin Funakoshi (founder of Shotokan), another contemporary, had moved to Tokyo in the 1920s to promote his art on the mainland as well.

By 1929, Mabuni had moved to Osaka on the mainland, to become a full-time karate instructor of a style he originally called Hanko-ryū, or "half-hard style". The name of the style changed to Shitō-ryū, in honor of its main influences. Mabuni derived the name for his new style from the first kanji character from the names of his two primary teachers, Itosu and Higaonna. With the support of Ryusho Sakagami (1915–1993), he opened a number of Shitō-ryū dojo in the Osaka area, including one at Kansai University and the Japan Karatedō-kai dojo. To this day, the largest contingent of Shitō-ryū practitioners in Japan is centered in the Osaka area.^[2][3]

Mabuni published a number of books on the subject and continued to systematize the instruction method. In his latter years, he developed a number of formal kata, such as Aoyagi, for example, which was designed specifically for women's self-defense. Perhaps more than any other master in the last century, Mabuni was steeped in the traditions and history of Karate-dō, yet forward thinking enough to realize that it could spread throughout the world. To this day, Shitō-ryū recognizes the influences of Itosu and Higaonna: the kata syllabus of Shitō-ryū is still often listed in such a way as to show the two lineages.

Kenwa Mabuni died on May 23, 1952, and the lineage of the style was disputed between his two sons, Kenzō and Kenei. Currently, the Shitō-ryū International Karate-dō Kai (also known as Seito Shitō-ryū) lists Kenzō Mabuni as the second Sōke of Shitō-ryū,^[4] while the World Shitō-ryū Karate-dō Federation (also known as Shitō-kai Shitō-ryū) lists Kenei Mabuni.^[5]

Characteristics

Shitō-ryū is a combination style, which attempts to unite the diverse roots of karate. On one hand, Shitō-ryū has the physical strength and long powerful stances of Shuri-te derived styles, such as Shorin-ryū and Shotokan (松涛館); on the other hand, Shitō-ryū also has the circular and eight-directional movements, breathing power, and hard and soft characteristics of Naha-te styles such as Uechi-ryū and Gōjū-ryū (剛柔流). Shitō-ryū is extremely fast, but still can be artistic and powerful. In addition, Shitō-ryū formalizes and emphasizes the five rules of defense, developed by Kenwa Mabuni, and known as Uke no go gensoku (受けの五原則), Uke no go genri (受けの五原理), or Uke no go ho (受けの五法):^[6]

• 落花 (rakka, "falling petals"). The art of blocking with such force and precision as to completely destroy the opponent's attacking motion. Examples of rakka are the most well-known blocks, such as gedan-barai (下段払い) or soto-uke (外受け).
• 流水 (ryūsui, "running water"). The art of flowing around the attacker's motion, and through it, soft blocking. Examples are nagashi-uke (流し受け) and osae-uke (押さえ受け).
• 屈伸 (kusshin, "elasticity"). This is the art of bouncing back, storing energy while recoiling from the opponent's attack, changing or lowering stance only to immediately unwind and counterattack. Classic examples are stance transitions zenkutsu (前屈立ち) to kōkutsu (後屈立ち) and moto-dachi (基立ち) to nekoashi-dachi (猫足立ち).
• 転位 (ten'i, "transposition"). Ten'i is the utilization of all eight directions of movement, most importantly stepping away from the line of attack.
• 反撃 (hangeki, "counterattack"). A hangeki defense is an attack which at the same time deflects the opponent's attack before it can reach the defender. Examples of this are various kinds of tsuki-uke (突き受け), including yama-tsuki (山突き).

Modern Shitō-ryū styles also place a strong emphasis on sparring. Shitō-ryū stresses speed, and fighting is generally initiated from a higher, more upright stance than Shotokan employs. On the other hand, because the style has so many kata, a great deal of time is spent perfecting any one of its 40 to 60 forms.^[3]

Schools

Other schools of Shitō-ryū developed after the death of Kenwa Mabuni, both because the death of a founder typically results in a dispute as to who will succeed him as the leader of a given school and because many prominent Karate teachers choose to modify the style, thereby creating new branches.

Major existing schools of Shitō-ryū include:

• Shitō-kai: founded by Manzo Iwata in Tokyo and by Kenei Mabuni in Osaka. These two branches were reunited in 1964, establishing All Japan Karate-dō Federation Shitō-Kai,^[7] which, after the death of Manzo Iwata in 1993, became known as World Shitō-ryū Karate-dō Federation.^[5] It was led by president Ken Sakio (a student of Chōki Motobu and Kenwa Mabuni) from 1993 to 2004, and is currently led by president Tokio Hisatomi, a student of Kenwa Mabuni.^[8] Recently, Kenei Mabuni founded a private organization, International Dento (Traditional) Shitō-ryū, which is separate from the WSKF.
• Seitō Shitō-ryū: is the style promoted by Shitō-ryū International Karate-dō Kai and is the other of the two branches claiming direct lineage from Kenwa Mabuni. It was founded by his son Kenzo Mabuni and, since his death in 2005, belongs to Kenzo's daughter, Tsukasa Mabuni. In the 1990s, several Shito-ryu masters affiliated themselves with Kenzo Mabuni. It should be noted that Japan Karate Federation does not recognize Seitō Shitō-ryū.^[9]
• Genbu-Kai International: founded by Fumio Demura.
• Kuniba-Kai International: founded by Shōgō Kuniba, the son of Kōsei Kokuba. He moved to Portsmouth VA in 1983. His dojo separated from Seishin-Kai after his death in 1992 and became known as Kuniba-Kai. Kuniba-Kai is now led by Shōgō's son, Kōzō Kuniba. The organization's headquarters is located in Osaka, Japan.^[10]
• Saito-ha Shito-ryu Karate-Do: Del Saito Soke, founder of Traditional Karate-do Federation International and Saito-ha Shito-ryu Karate-Do, is one of the most highly respected karate-do instructors today. He began Karate training with Sensei Al Kahalekulu, a student of Sensei Tommy Morita, who studied under Dr. Tsuyoshi Chitose Soke of Kumamoto, Japan. In the early ‘70s he studied with Sensei Chuzo Kotaka, a student of Sensei Genryu Kimura and Shogo Kuniba Soke. After several years serving as Sensei Kotaka’s National Director, Saito began to learn Seito Shito-ryu from Master Kenzo Mabuni, the son of Kenwa Mabuni, founder of Shito-ryu. Saito was presented the Hanshi degree from Kenzo Soke, the highest teaching title of his style. He was also given permission by Kenzo Mabuni to continue his understanding of Shito-ryu while providing him with a direct line to him. For many years Saito served as National Director for the International Karate Federation of Hawaii, and National Executive Director for Karate for the Amateur Athletic Union of the United States. Inducted into the International Karate Hall of Fame in 1994, he has also won numerous awards for his leadership and dedication in martial arts as well as for other sports. His expertise in Shito-Ryu Karate-do has made a great impact on many karate-ka throughout the world. Traditional Karate-do Federation International headquarters is located in Grants Pass, Oregon.^{[11][12][13][14][15]}
• Hayashi-ha Shitō-ryū-kai: founded by Teruo Hayashi, student of Kōsei Kokuba in 1970.^[16] Hayashi led Seishin-kai before founding Hayashi-ha Shitō-ryū-kai. Hayashi-ha Shitō-ryū combines many Ryūei-ryū techniques that Hayashi learned while studying in Okinawa. The European organization is run by Miguel Fernández Vázquez, Barcelona, Spain. In the USA, Hayashi-ha is run by Akio Minakami in Seattle.^[17] Teruo Hayashi died in 2004.
• Inoue-ha Shitō-ryū Keishin-kai : founded by Yoshimi Inoue (井上慶身) in 2004 as a direct descendant of Hayashi-ha Shitō-ryū with headquarters in Tottori, Japan and dojos in Venezuela, USA, Sweden, Brazil, and other countries. Inoue is a senior coach of the Japan National Karate Kata Competition team and his students include a number of World Kata champions.^[18]
• Itosu-kai: founded by Ryusho Sakagami (1915–1993) on March 1, 1940 as Shito-ryu Karate Sakagami Dojo in Kawanishi City, Hyōgo Prefecture.^[19] He succeeded to the position of 3rd soke of Itosu-ha on January 2, 1952, and he officially named the organization Japan Karatedo Itosu-kai and the style "Itosu-ryu" in 1969. The branch is now run by Ryusho's son Sadaaki Sakagami, 4th soke of Itosu-Ryu
• Suzuki-Ha Shito-Ryu Seiko-Kai: founded by Seiko Suzuki in 1993 upon the death of Ryusho Sakagami, based in Shinkoiwa, Tokyo-Japan. Suzuki a senior student of Sakagami commenced study in 1954. In 1980 he received 8th dan from Sakagami Sensei and was issued "Menkyo Kaiden". Seiko-Kai International is under the direction of Akira Sato Shihan 8th Dan in Canada. Colin Punyer Shihan 7th Dan who is based in Australia is a direct student of Suzuki Soke .^[20]
• Kurobayashi-ha Shito-ryu Karate-Do: founded by Rudy Crosswell, a student of Shogo Kuniba, Teruo Hayashi and Kenzo Mabuni, in 2012 after 50 years of training in Shito-ryu. He is one of the most highly respected karate-do instructors today. His expertise in Shito-Ryu Karate-do has made a great impact on many karate-ka throughout the world^[21]
• Shūkōkai or Tani-Ha Shitō-ryū: founded by Chōjirō Tani, student of Mabuni Kenwa, in 1949. This style represents the Tani-ha version of Shitō-ryū. Tani's most senior student, Shigeru Kimura, left Japan in 1965 to teach Shūkōkai in Africa. Kimura continued to teach after travelling to Europe, before settling in the United States in 1970 at the age of 29, where he taught at Yonezuka's Cranford dojo for two years; creating the first Shukokai World Tournament in 1981. Sensei Kimura died of a heart attack at the age of 54. Tani died on 11 January 1998.^[22]
• Seishin-kai: founded by Kōsei Kokuba, student of Mabuni Kenwa and Chōki Motobu in 1943 in Osaka, Japan. This school originally represented Motobu-ha Shitō-ryū but no longer claims this lineage.
• Sanshin-kan: founded by Tamas Weber in Stockholm, Sweden. He was a student of Tani, Hayashi, Kuniba, and others. The term "San" (three in Japanese) stands for tradition, spirit, and justice. Sanshin-kan organization was established in 1969.^[23]
• Hokushin: taught by Minobu Miki in San Diego, California. Minobu was a student of Teruo Hayashi until Minobu left the Hayashi-ha organization.^[24]
• Kurokawa-ha Shitō-ryū-kai: founded in 1995 by Timothy M. Brooks, student of Teruo Hayashi, Shōgō Kuniba and Ryusho Sakagami.^[25]
• Aoinagi-ha Shitō-ryū Karate-dō: founded by Raymond Castilonia, MD, a student of Chuzo Kotaka and Richard Kim, in California in 1972.^[26] Aoinagi means "green willow tree" in Japanese.
• Nobukawa-ha Shitō-ryū Karate-dō: founded by Nobukawa Kuniaki, a student of Tani Chojiro and Hayashi Teruo, in Hyogo Japan in 1976.^[27] Nobukawa-ha Shitoryu is named after Nobukawa Kuniaki family name.

Kata

These are all the katas of Shitō-ryū and an orientative grade for each of them:

Kunshi no Ken (The Noble Discipline)

Mabuni's motto "Kunshi no Ken" which means to concentrate on cultivating oneself to become a well-rounded, respectful individual. The person who is able to accomplish this as well as to exercise good manners in all situations with self-discipline and respect, who is able to assume accountability for one's actions, and to keep one's integrity as to set an example for others, is considered a Shito-ryu practitioner.

Heijutsu no Sanbyo

The three weaknesses or sicknesses of martial arts by Kenwa Mabuni.

Hitotsu: Giryo (One—Doubt or Skepticism)

Hitotsu: Ketai (One—Negligence)

Hitotsu: Manshin (One—Egotism)

Techniques

List of techniques, used in Shitō-ryū style of Karate. Blocks, kicks and strikes can be jōdan, chūdan or gedan and related to migi (right) or hidari (left).

Tachi (stances)

Source:^[28]

Uke-waza (blocking techniques)

Uchi-waza (striking techniques)

Keri-waza (kicking techniques)

References

Karate
Comparison of styles
Origins	Japanese martial arts Okinawan martial arts Chinese martial arts
Styles	Ashihara Budokan Chitō-ryū Enshin Gensei-ryū Gōjū-ryū Gosoku-ryu Isshin-ryū Kobayashi Shōrin-ryū Kyokushin Matsubayashi-ryū Motobu-ryu Ryūei-ryū Seidokaikan Shidōkan Shitō-ryū Shohei-ryu Shōrin-ryū Shōrin-ryū Shidōkan Shōrei-ryū Shorinjiryu Kenkokan Shotokan Shūdōkan Shūkōkai Shuri-ryū Tōon-ryū Uechi-ryū Wadō-ryū Yoseikan Yoshukai
Techniques	Blocks Kicks Punches Stances Strikes Throw Joint lock
Training methods	Kihon Kata Bunkai Kumite Kobudō Full contact
Culture	Dojo Dojokun Karate gi Kyu Obi
Competition	Karate at the World Games Karate World Championships Asian Karate Championships European Karate Championships Karate at the Summer Olympics
Kata	Anaku Ananku Annan Chinte Chintō/Gankaku Enpi Fukyugata Gojūshiho Jion Hangetsu Kūsankū/Kanku-dai Naihanchi/Tekki Nijūshiho/Niseishi Passai/Bassai Pinan/Heian Rōhai/Meikyo Sanchin Seisan/Hangetsu Seiunchin Shisochin Sōchin Taikyoku Tensho Unsū Wankan Wanshū
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