Isshin-ryū Karate

Isshin-ryū is one of the youngest traditional Okinawan styles, and much better known in the United States than in Japan. It combines elements of Shōrin-ryū and Gōjū-ryū with a few distinctive technical choices, most famously its vertical fist.

Tatsuo Shimabuku

Tatsuo Shimabuku was born on 19 September 1908 in Gushikawa, Okinawa. His principal teacher was Chōtoku Kyan. He also trained with Chōjun Miyagi, the founder of Gōjū-ryū, and Motobu Chōki, and studied kobudō (weapons) with Shinken Taira.

He developed Isshin-ryū from around 1947 to 1948 and officially named it on 15 January 1956. The name means “one heart method”, in the sense of wholehearted or complete. Shimabuku died on 30 May 1975.

How the Marines spread it

In 1955 the US Marine Corps’ Third Marine Division was stationed on Okinawa, and the Corps chose Shimabuku to teach karate to its Marines. When they went home, they took Isshin-ryū with them. Don Nagle opened a dojo near Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, in late 1957, and Harold Long opened one in Twentynine Palms, California, in late 1958. Shimabuku himself visited the United States twice, in 1964 and 1966.

What makes Isshin-ryū different

• The vertical punch: the fist is held upright, fingers tucked in and thumb on top, rather than turned palm-down as in most styles.
• Snapping kicks: kicks are snapped rather than thrust and aimed almost entirely at the legs and groin.
• Muscle blocks: blocks are made with the muscle of the forearm at the point of contact, rather than the bone.

Kata

Isshin-ryū has eight empty-hand kata: Seisan, Seiunchin, Naihanchi Shodan, Wanshū, Chinto, Kusanku, Sunsu and Sanchin. The mix shows the style’s roots: Naihanchi, Wanshū, Chinto and Kusanku from the Shuri tradition, and Seiunchin and Sanchin from Gōjū-ryū.

The style’s emblem, the Isshinryū no Megami, is a figure that is half sea-snake, half woman, representing the strength of the snake and the calm character of a woman.

Is Isshin-ryū right for you?

Isshin-ryū suits people who want practical, close-range Okinawan karate with a compact syllabus.