Believed to have been founded by Sokon Matsumara (1797-1889) during the nineteenth century, Shorin Ryu Karate is one of the principal major modern Okinawan martial arts that blends elements of the traditional Okinawan fighting styles of Shuri-te and Tomari-te. Shorin Ryu is considered by many people as one of the two major modern styles of Okinawan karate, the other being Goju Ryu, which is rooted in the third traditional Okinawan style called Naha-te.

However, even though Matsumara is often called its founder, he neither invented all the components of the style nor did refer to it as Shorin Ryu himself. It is quite possible that he passed the system he had learnt learned on his travels and taught it as a coherent system to some dedicated pupils, who later refined it, labeled it, and passed it on. One of Matsumura’s best-known disciples, Anko Itosu then passed it on to Choshin Chibana, and the form was named Shorin Ryu.

In general, Shorin Ryu can be characterized by natural breathing, natural (narrow, high) stances, and direct, not circular movements. In the case of Shorin-Ryu Kyudokan, however, circular movements are used widely. Those who practice Shorin Ryu emphasize the importance of correct motion; they believe fluid movements and flexible positions enable one to move quickly to evade violence and a solid structure hold the key to powerful moves. However, stances that are too deep are likely to make body movement more difficult.

Shorin Ryu involves instant concentration of power, which is somewhat similar to what is followed in Kendo. A person’s strength is expressed in a voluntary type of way through the kata from the inside to the outside. It exerts no pressure on the internal organs and does not affect respiration too much. Furthermore, it produces no unnecessary muscle fatigue, and sharpens concentration. Most people believe that this increases alertness and makes possible the full use of offensive power.

Among typical kata are Naifanchi (1st-3rd Dan), Pinan (1st-5th Dan), Kusanku (dai) and Kusanku (sho), Passai (dai) and Passai (sho), Jion, Jitte, Sochin, Gojushiho, and Chinto.

Anko Itosu created Pinan as a training aid for his students. It is believed that Naifanchi is suitable for muscle training, Kusanku helps boost alertness, and Passai is suited for putting training into practice.

Some of the famous schools of Shorin Ryu were started by Matsumura’s students. Each of them changed the name of their system when they took over, so the branches began: Sukunaihayashi, Ryukyu Hon Kenpo, Kodokai Shorin-ryu, Matsumura Seito (orthodox) Shorin-ryu, Seidokan, Kobayashi Shorin-ryu (Shido-kan, Shorinkan, Kyudokan), Matsubayashi-ryu, Okinawa Kenpo, and Shobayashi-ryu. However, many others also have long histories tracing back to Matsumura and his students, for example Shinjinbukai, set up by Yoshimitsu Onaga in 1988.

Shorin Ryu these days is a major force in Okinawan karate. Since Itosu’s death in 1915, Shorin Ryu has produced numerous karate greats, has given birth to some attractive variations along with the original form, and is being practiced by thousands of people in various parts of the world.

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