Shōrin-ryū Karate

Shōrin-ryū is less a single style than a family: the Okinawan karate that grew most directly out of Shuri-te. Shotokan, Shitō-ryū and Wadō-ryū all draw on the same roots, but Shōrin-ryū stayed in Okinawa and kept closer to the older way of moving.

The Shuri-te line

The key teachers in Shōrin-ryū’s lineage run in a straight line. Matsumura Sōkon was one of the great masters of Shuri-te. His top student was Ankō Itosu, the teacher of Gichin Funakoshi and Kenwa Mabuni. And one of Itosu’s top students was Chōshin Chibana, who in 1933 chose to name his style Shōrin-ryū.

The characters used for Shōrin are the same ones used for Shaolin, and the style is often described as combining elements of Shaolin kung fu with the Okinawan fighting method of Shuri-te.

The branches

Shōrin-ryū has several branches. Two of the best known are:

• Kobayashi-ryū: Chōshin Chibana’s own line, dating from 1933.
• Matsubayashi-ryū: founded in 1947 by Shōshin Nagamine (1907–1997). Nagamine named it after two masters his teaching was based on, Sōkon Matsumura of Shuri-te and Kosaku Matsumora of Tomari-te, taking the character matsu (pine) shared by both names. Its curriculum has 18 kata, and its seven yakusoku kumite forms were inspired by Motobu Chōki.

Kata

Core Shōrin-ryū kata include the three Naihanchi kata, the five Pinan kata, Passai, Gojūshiho, Chinto, Kusanku (Sho and Dai) and Jion. Shotokan practitioners will recognise most of them under their Japanese names: Tekki, Heian, Bassai, Gojūshiho, Gankaku, Kanku and Jion.

How Shōrin-ryū trains

Shōrin-ryū emphasises natural breathing, natural (narrower and higher) stances and circular rather than direct movement. It looks lighter and quicker than Shotokan, closer to how karate was practised in Okinawa before it was adapted for the mainland.

Is Shōrin-ryū right for you?

Shōrin-ryū suits people who want traditional Okinawan karate and are curious about where the Japanese styles came from.