Shorin-Ryu is one of the two original Karate styles formally systematized in Okinawa and is believed to have had the most influence on the development of all modern Karate systems.
Following its emergence in Okinawa, Shorin-Ryu broke into three main branches being: Shobayashi-Ryu (small forest school) first taught by Chotoku Kyan; Kobayashi-Ryu (young forest school) first taught by Choshin Chibana; and Matsubayashi-Ryu (pine forest school) first taught by Shoshin Nagamine. All three names refer to the original Shaolin Temple in China and all three are considered forms of Shorin-Ryu or 'Shaolin Way'.
Before examining these three splinter groups, it is necessary to trace the origins of previous masters, Shoken Matsumura and Yasutsune Itosu, who trained many of the men who became founders of Shorin-ryu.
Shoken Matsumura's father had been a political leader in Okinawa and had befriended Kanga 'Tode' Sakagawa often referred to as the Father of Okinawan Karate and founding father or Shuri-te. As the elder Matsumura was on his death bed, he asked Sakagawa to raise his three year old son. So, at a young age, Sokon Matsumura joined residence and began to train with Sakagawa. Like his teacher before him, Matsumura developed a love for martial arts knowledge. Because of this love, his teacher gave him the nickname "bushi" which means warrior. Matsumura also trained with Kusanku and, like his teacher, traveled to China for further study. Because of his skill, he was appointed to the position of head bodyguard for the Okinawan royal family through three generations of kings. He was the first to organize his knowledge into a formal system which he called Shuri-te. He contributed three main kata- Seisan, Passai (Dai), and Naihanchi Shodan. He also trained many of the men who became the masters and founders of the current styles of Shorin-ryu.
Yasutsune "Anko" Itosu trained under two teachers - Sokon Matsumura and Tomari-te's Kosaku Matsumora. Sokon Matsumura encouraged Itosu to spread the teaching of Shuri-te which, at the time, was not received well by his peers for much of te's teachers restricted who they would teach or kept it a family affair.
He started by introducing the teaching into the Okinawan public school system, but found that the traditional katas were to difficult for the younger students. So, he developed the 5 Pi nan (peaceful mind) katas which are still taught today. He was given the nickname "Anko" or "iron horse" because of his ability root himself so solidly during kata. He also is credited with introducing the Rohai and Chinto katas.
Choshin Chibana, founder of the Shorin-ryu splinter Kobayashi-ryu, began his training under Yasutsune Itosu. With the growth and development of te, he wanted to differentiate his from other systems and so named it Kobayashi-Ryu.
Chibana was an instructor for the Shuri police department and became the first president of the Okinawan Karate-do Renmei. He was also first president of the Shorin-ryu Karate-do Kyokai and received the 4th Order of Merit from the Emperor for his contribution to martial arts. He was also the first to use the name Shorin-ryu.
Chotoku Kyan was introduced to martial arts as a young boy in a bid to improve his ill health. His early training was under Sokon Matsumura and later with Yasutsune Itosu. He also trained with Tomari-te's Kokan Oyadomari. Renowned for his sped and ability with the bo, Kyan was never defeated in a challenge, even though he was small in stature. He named his system of Shorin-ryu Shobayashi-ryu.
Shoshin Nagamine also began his martial arts training to improve his health. He was a student or three prominent sensei named Ankichi Arakaki, Chotoku Kyan and Choki Motobu. Nagamine founded Matybayashi-ryu in 1947, laming the system in honour of 5okon Matsumura and Kosaku Vfatsumora. In a decorated life iedicated to martial arts, Nagamine ichieved a 10th degree black belt in karate, a 3rd degree in Kendo and a 1st degree in Judo. He was also on he board of the Zen Okinawan Carate-do Renmei.
A minor form of Shorin-ryu lamed Matsumura Orthodox was ounded by Hohan Soken. Before rfatsumura died, he passed the eadership of his system to his lephew, Nabe Matsumura. At an arly age, Soken began to train with vfabe Matsumura, his uncle, and lecame his only student. After many ears of training, Soken carried on the raditions taught by his uncle. Unlike tosu, Soken was very selective in his tudents as he wanted to keep the cachings true to tradition.
Shorin-ryu is a natural flow, evoid of unbalanced stances or nnatural breathing patterns. It has nique patterns of coiling and of slaxing power, allowing easier oncentration of force and the attainment of speedy actions. To best develop the skills involved in the art of the single, deadly blow, training is targeted at tightly bound bales of straw. Nor is the art limited to passive modes of defense: the ability to release an effective counterattack in defense is a crucial element, summarized as "Offense is an effective form of Defense."
The system tends to use more upright stances than the Japanese styles, giving the Okinawan stylist more mobility. The Okinawan stylist does not emphasize constant forward pressure when engaging in a confrontation, nor does he use indirect countering like the Chinese stylist. Instead he maintains enough flexibility to use both approaches. K
