was a karate master and the founder of
Shorin-ryu Seibukan karate
(; ; Okinawan language, Okinawan pronunciation: ) is a martial arts, martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the Okinawan martial arts, indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tii'' in Okinawan) under the ...
.
Zenryo Shimabukuro was born in
Shuri,
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 ...
in 1908. He earned his living as a baker and
tatami
A is a type of mat used as a flooring material in traditional Japanese-style rooms. Tatamis are made in standard sizes, twice as long as wide, about 0.9 m by 1.8 m depending on the region. In martial arts, tatami are the floor used for traini ...
maker, but had studied karate under the karate master
Chotoku Kyan. He began his training with Kyan in 1932, but trained with him until Kyan's death in 1945, excluding the years during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, when karate instruction had ceased.
Following World War II, Shimabukuro opened his own
dojo
A is a hall or place for immersive learning or meditation. This is traditionally in the field of martial arts, but has been seen increasingly in other fields, such as meditation and software development. The term literally means "place of the ...
, teaching karate out of his home. His students included his son Zenpo Shimabukuro and his nephew Zenji Shimabukuro, each of whom became karate masters in their own right. One of his early students was an American
paratrooper
A paratrooper is a military parachutist—someone trained to parachute into a military operation, and usually functioning as part of an airborne force. Military parachutists (troops) and parachutes were first used on a large scale during World ...
named William Fuller Jr., who arranged for Shimabukuro to teach karate to some of the other American paratroopers stationed in Okinawa.
In 1960, he became president of the Okinawan branch of the Japan Karate-do Federation/All-Japan Karate-do Federation, though the branch later withdrew and became the Okinawan Karate-do United Association. In 1962, Shimabukuro founded his school, which he named Seibukan (meaning ''Holy Art School''). In 1964 he was awarded a
10th dan red belt, which is the highest rank available within the Okinawan Karate-do United Association.
In 1967, the Okinawan Karate-do United Association became the All-Okinawan Karate-do Federation, with Shimabukuro continuing to serve as the organization's vice president.
On October 14, 1969, while in Osaka on his way back from the 1st All Japan Karate Championship, organized by the Zen Nihon Karate-dō Renmei and held at the Nippon Budōkan,
where he performed kata
Seisan
The karate ''kata'' (alternate names ''Sesan'', ''Seishan'', ''Jusan'', Hangetsu) literally means '13'. Some people refer to the ''kata'' as '13 Hands', '13 Fists', '13 Techniques', '13 Steps' or even '13 killing positions'; however, these name ...
. Zenryo died of
appendicitis
Appendicitis is inflammation of the appendix. Symptoms commonly include right lower abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and decreased appetite. However, approximately 40% of people do not have these typical symptoms. Severe complications of a rup ...
. His son Zenpo Shimabukuro became the master of the school his father had founded,
Seibukan.
References
External links
His official site (Japanese)IOSSKA (International Okinawan Seibukan Shorin-ryu Karate-do Association) The Official International site Alaska/Northwest Seibukan (USA) Article about Seibukan karate with information about Shimabukuro (including photographs)
1908 births
1969 deaths
Okinawan male karateka
Shōrin-ryū practitioners
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