is a style of Karate, based on Tani-ha Shitō-ryū, a branch of

Shitō-ryū is a form of karate that was founded in 1934 by . Shitō-ryū is synthesis of the Okinawan Shuri-te and Naha-te schools of karate and today is considered one of the four main styles of the art. History Kenwa Mabuni (Mabuni Kenwa 摩文� ...

developed by Chōjirō Tani in the late 1940s, and refined by his students, including Yamada Haruyoshi and Kimura Shigeru.

History

Chōjirō Tani (谷長治郎 ''Tani Chōjirō'') was born in 1921, and started his formal karate training under Miyagi Chōjun, who founded the Gojū-ryū style, while a student at the

Doshisha University , mottoeng = Truth shall make you free , tagline = , established = Founded 1875,Chartered 1920 , vision = , type = Private , affiliation = , calendar = , endowment = €1 ...

Kyoto Kyoto (; Japanese language, Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in Japan. Located in the Kansai region on the island of Honshu, Kyoto forms a part of the Keihanshin, Keihanshin metropolitan area along wi ...

. After a few months, Miyagi Chōjun returned to

Okinawa is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi). Naha is the capital and largest city ...

and the founder of

, and recommended

Mabuni Kenwa was one of the first karateka to teach karate in mainland Japan and is credited as developing the style known as Shitō-ryū. Originally, he chose the name Hanko-ryu, literally "half-hard style", to imply that the style used both hard and so ...

to Tani Chōjirō to carry on his learning. Upon graduating from university, Tani began learning

Shuri-te Okinawan martial arts refers to the martial arts, such as karate, tegumi and Okinawan kobudō, which originated among the indigenous people of Okinawa Island. Due to its central location, Okinawa was influenced by various cultures with a long hi ...

and then

from Mabuni as well. After many years of training under Mabuni and becoming one of his most senior students, Tani received the certificate of succession from him and became the head of Shitō-ryū, enabling him to use the name Tani-ha Shitoryu. Chōjirō Tani began teaching the Karate style Shūkōkai (meaning ''the way for all'') at a dojo in Kobe, Japan, in 1946. Shūkōkai was designed around the study of body mechanics, is very fast due to its relatively high stance aiding mobility, and is known for the ''double hip twist'', which maximises the force of its strikes; making it one of the most hard-hitting Karate styles. One of Tani's most senior students, Sensei Shigeru Kimura, left Japan in 1965 to teach Shūkōkai in

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

. He developed Shukokai even further, emphasizing its power and strength; and was regarded as an expert on the style. He continued to teach after travelling to

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

, before settling in the United States in 1970 at the age of 29, where he taught at Yonezuka's Cranford dojo for two years; creating the first Shukokai World Tournament in 1981. Sensei Kimura died of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which ma ...

at the age of 54. Tani died on 11 January 1998.

Kata

Jion kata group Ji'in, Jion, and Jitte form a group of kata used in Shotokan and other karate styles, beginning with the same characteristic kamae of the left hand covering the right, which apparently has roots in ancient Chinese boxing. Their origin is thoug ...

which includes Jion and Jinn *

Pinan The ''kata'' are a series of five empty hand forms taught in many karate styles. The Pinan kata originated in Okinawa and were adapted by Anko Itosu from older kata such as Kusanku and Channan into forms suitable for teaching karate to yo ...

Nidan *

Shodan *

Sandan *

Yondan (also called Pinan Shidan) *

Godan *

Bassai ''Passai'' (拔塞, katakana パッサイ), also ''Bassai'' (バッサイ), is the name of a group of kata practiced in different styles of martial arts, including karate and various Korean martial arts, including Taekwondo, Tang Soo Do, and S ...

Dai * Seienchin *Shiho Zuki *Jurokono * Chinte *Matsukaze *

Saifa Saifa (kanji:砕破, katakana:サイファ) is a ''kaishugata'' (kata) of Gōjū-ryū karate. According to the International Okinawan Goju-Ryu Karate-Do Federation, this kata is taught third, after Gekisai Dai Ichi and Gekisai Dai Ni, and precedi ...

* Annanku *Shio Kosokan *

Sōchin Sōchin (壯鎭) (Japanese: "Tranquil Force", or "Preserve the Peace") is a kata practiced in several styles of karate. It may have derived from Dragon style kung fu, and was taught in the Naha-te school in Okinawa by Seisho Arakaki. It was the ...

*Seipai * Tensho (kata) *

Sanchin is a kata of apparent Southern Chinese (Fujianese) origin that is considered to be the core of several styles, the most well-known being the Okinawan Karate styles of Uechi-Ryū and Gōjū-Ryū, as well as the Chinese martial arts of Fujian W ...

Sho * Nijūshiho *Seriu * Chintō *Tomoro no passai *Na-Pa-Pu *Kurunnfa *kosokun dai *Supa Impa

Branches

Shūkōkai has evolved into several independent style branches throughout the world over the past few decades: * Kimura Shukokai grew out of the Shūkōkai school taught since 1978 in Hackensack, New Jersey, United States and later in

Tenafly, New Jersey Tenafly () is a Borough (New Jersey), borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census the borough had a population of 15,409,Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

, France, by Yoshinao Nanbu, a student of Chōjirō Tani. Yoshinao Nanbu abandoned the style to create Nanbudō in 1978, and Sankukai is currently taught by several national organizations throughout the world. * Kawata-ha Seikukai Karate founded in

Kawanishi, Hyōgo 270px, Lake Chimyo 270px, Aerial view of Kawanishi city center 270px, Tada-in is a city located in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 155,165 and a population density of 2900 persons per km². The total area of ...

, Japan after the death of Chōjirō Tani in 1998 by Kawata Shigemasa, his most senior student

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shukokai Shitō-ryū Okinawan kobudo Japanese martial arts