is a branch of the Kobayashi
Shōrin-ryū style of
Okinawan karate
(; ; Okinawan language, Okinawan pronunciation: ), also , is a martial arts, martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the Okinawan martial arts, indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tī'' in Okinawan) un ...
, developed by
Shūgorō Nakazato,
Hanshi 10th
Dan. Nakazato was a student of
Chōshin Chibana. After Chibana's death in 1969, Nakazato assumed the title of Vice President of the Okinawa Shorin-Ryū Karate-do Association. In November 1975, Nakazato resigned from this association and formed the Okinawa Karate-do Shorin-Ryū Shorinkan Association.
In the United States the senior teachers are Noel Smith (8th dan) and Eddie Bethea. Both Smith and Bethea trained directly under Nakazato in the early 1960s, and have first-hand knowledge of his teachings, philosophies and concepts of karate. In the early years, seven of Nakazato's black belts returned to the US to spread Okinawan Shorin-ryu to the States; they are referred to as the Original 7.
North America Shorin-ryu Shorinkan lineage chart
/ref>
North America Shorinkan lineage
This lineage only reflects the Original 7 black belts from Shugoro Nakazato and their Kyoshis: Tadashi Yamashita, Nabil Noujaim, Eddie Bethea, Pat Haley, Noel Smith, C.D. Williamson, Neil Stolsmark, Sean Riley, Sam Ahtye, David Rogers, Robert Rowley, Claude Johnson, and Harunobu Chiba.
References
External links
United States Shorin-ryu Shorinkan website (Official North American Website. Senior North American Kyoshi Noel Smith
Shorinkan
Karate organizations
Shōrin-ryū
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