Shito-Ryu Karate was founded by Kenwa Mabuni (1889-1952), an Okinawan Karate master who studied Naha-te and Shuri-te.
Shito-Ryu
was formed by the combination of kata and techniques from these two
styles. Mabuni Sensei named the Shito style by taking the first
characters (kanji) from the names of his two teachers, Ankoh Itosu
(Shuri-te) and Kanryo Higashionna (Naha-te). The name Shito-Ryu was
named to honor his instructors. Other Karate styles and many well-known
instructors can trace part of their lineages back to Mabuni Sensei.
The
second Soke of Shito-Ryu was Mabuni Kenzo (1927-2005), Mabuni Kenwa's
second son. Mabuni Kenzo trained for over 65 years in Shito-Ryu Karate.
The third Soke of
Shito-Ryu is Tsukasa Mabuni. She is the elder of Mabuni Kenzo's two
daughters. After Mabuni Kenzo passed away in June 2005, she assumed the
position of Tsukasa Soke with the full approval of the Saiko Shihan Kai
(Head Council of Teachers).
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