LINEAGE

Kung Kusanku
1761 in Okinawa

Tode "Karate" Sakugawa
1733-1815

Sokon "Bushi" Matsumura
B. 1796

Yatsutsune "Ankoh" Itosu
1830-1915

Born in Shuri, Okinawa he taught karate in the public school systems. He felt that some of the kata, or techniques, were too difficult for school children to learn, so he developed a simplified series of katas in order to improve the teaching of karate in a public school setting. He also was the instructor of Chosin Chibana.

Chosin Chibana
1885-1969

Chosin Chibana started his martial arts career when he was fifteen years old. When he began to teach, he wanted to be able to differentiate the various styles which developed within the Shorin-ryu system. Rather than naming his style after himself, which was the popular practice, he called his style kobayashi-ryu or young forest style. He opened his first school in 1917, and was the karate instructor for the Shuri police department from 1954 to 1958. Chibanaâs top student was Shugoro Nakazato.

Grandmaster Shugoro Nakazato
1919 -
Hanshi-Judan
Shorin-Ryu Shorinkan Karate

Shugoro Nakazato was born in Naha City, Okinawa.  At the age of 16, while attending normal school in Osaka, Japan in 1935, he began his lifelong karate study under the direction of Ishu Seiichi.  Nakazato studied under Sensei Ishu for six years.  During World War II he was in the Japanese cavalry.  Following the surrender of Japan, Nakazato returned to his home in Okinawa to find his family a casualty of the war.  In June 1946, he began his study of karate under Chosin Chibana, who was the Menkyo inheritor of Anko Itotsu.  In 1948 Chibana's Shuri dojo closed, but Nakazato continued his study with Master Chibana, being personally tutored for over a year in Chibana's own home.  In 1951 Nakazato was instrumental in helping Chibana open his new Dai Ichi Dojo in Naha city at Natsuo.  Chibana continued his personal teaching of Nakazato at the Dai Ichi Dojo until January 10, 1954, when Nakazato received his Shihan Menkyojo and became Master Chibana's Shihan Dai (Main Assistant).  After working as the Shihan Dai in the Matsuo dojo under Chibana's direction for one and a half years, Nakazato was commissioned by Chibana to found the Shorin-ryu Shorin Kan Nakazato dojo in Naha city at Aza.

 Nakazato was appointed as one of the directors of the Okinawan Karate Federation when it was formed in 1956 with the four major (shiryuha) system of karate in Okinawa (Goju-ryu, Ueichi-ryu, Shorin-ryu (Ko) and Shorin-Ryu (Natsu)).  During this time Nakazato devoted all of his time and energy to teaching and perfecting Shorin-ryu karate.  In 1960, the Okinawan Karate Federation promoted him to Eighth Degree Black Belt and titled him Kyoshi.  Seven years later Nakazato continued his progress in karate when Master Chibana and the Okinawan Shorin-ryu Karate-Do Kyokai promoted him to Ninth Degree Black Belt and bestowed the title Hanshi on him.

 Nakazato began his study of weapons almost from the beginning of his training in 1935.  He was trained in the sai, bo, nunchaku, tonfa and nicho kama, but specialized in bojutsu for four years.  Throughout his career he has given of his knowledge willingly.  He has demonstrated his technique of karate all over the world and has made many trips to America in the furtherance of Karate-do.  When Master Chibana passed away in February 1969, Shugoro Nakazato inherited the leadership of Okinawan Shorin-ryu Karate-do, thus becoming the Tenth Degree Black Belt.

Kyoshi Doug Perry
Okinawan Shorin-Ryu ShorinKan Karate & Kubudo
Hachidan of Shorin-Ryu Shorinkan Kyokai of North America

Kyoshi Doug Perry began his career in 1946as an amateur boxer in Charlotte, North Carolina at the age of nine. During his boxing career he participated in 147 bouts in Golden Glove, AAU, and the marine corps. He won state, regional, and national titles and officially retired from the ring in 1959 following the 1960 Olympic trials. At the age of 14, he had the distinction of fighting a four-round exhibition match against bantamweight Champion of the world, Willie Pep.

Doug started his martial arts training in September of 1956 at Parris Island. Since that time he has had the opportunity to train under Hanshi Tatsuo Shimabuku in Isshin-Ryu Karate-do at the old Agenda dojo in Okinawa. He has studied with Kyoshi Bill Hayes of Shobayashi Ryu, one of Hanshi Eizo Shimabukuro's senior students. The karate relationship and special friendship has lasted for over 30 years. While stationed in Okinawa, Doug had  the additional honor of interacting with Sensei Kanei Uechi of Uechi-Ryu and Sensei Takemyoshi of an Old Okinawan Family System.

During 1974 to 1975, again in Okinawa, he studied with Kyoshi Jiro Shiroma, a senior student of Hanshi Shuguro Nakazato. Since that time he has been a student of Hanshi Nakazato.In 1997 Kyoshi Doug Perry recieved the rank of Hachidan from Hanshi Nakazato and was appointed to represent the Shorinryu Shorinkan Kyokai in North America. Kyoshi Perry presently operates a small dojo in Hendersonville, NC.

Sensei Clint Green
Green's Martial Arts Center
Okinawan Shorin-Ryu ShorinKan Karate & Kobudo

Sensei Green is a direct student of Sensei Doug Perry- Kyoshi, Hachidan who heads the Shorin-Ryu Shrorinkan Kyokai in North America. Sensei Green began studying martial arts in 1963 in Japan. In 1983 he began his study of Shorin-Ryu Shorinkan Karate, which continues today.  Sensei Green currently operates a large, successful dojo in Hampton, VA.