Shorin Ryu Karate

[Zanshin]

Hi, I am Wado-ryu not Shorin-ryu but most of our katas came from your style so...

Big up the shorin-ryu massive.

You guys rock!

[ShawnJ]

I practice Shorin-Ryu USA.

The full title of our style is "Shorin-Ryu USA under the direction of Grand Master Ansei Ueshiro".

Basically, we are just like Mastubayashi Shorin-Ryu except we have 19 kata instead of 18. The extra kata we have is Fukyugata Sandan, composed by Ansei Ueshiro in 1960. He was the Okinawan who brought this style to the United States.

- Shawn

[Shorin Ryuu]

I study Shorin Ryu, the original.

Chibana Chosin named his style Shorin Ryu, but it is now mistakenly referred to as "Kobayashi Shorin Ryu" nowadays. He never used kobayashi to refer to his style and only called it Shorin Ryu.

Later on, many others started tacking on the Shorin Ryu name, leading to this confusion you see today.

[armanox]

I study Shorin Ryu, the original.

Chibana Chosin named his style Shorin Ryu, but it is now mistakenly referred to as "Kobayashi Shorin Ryu" nowadays. He never used kobayashi to refer to his style and only called it Shorin Ryu.

Later on, many others started tacking on the Shorin Ryu name, leading to this confusion you see today.

Actually it is called Kobayashi Ryu because that is how he wrote it. The Kanji he used was 小林流, 小 being "ko" making 林 be read as "hayashi". The Kanji for "Sho", 少, was not used. Shorin Ryu would be written as 少林流, not 小林流.

On another note it is redundant to say Kobayashi Shorin Ryu, as both Kobayashi and Shorin mean the same thing (little forest school).

[username8517]

Basically, we are just like Mastubayashi Shorin-Ryu except we have 19 kata instead of 18. The extra kata we have is Fukyugata Sandan, composed by Ansei Ueshiro in 1960. He was the Okinawan who brought this style to the United States.

Actually Matsubayashi-Ryu was brought the style over to the states in 1960 by Jim Wax. Ueshiro didn't come over until 1962. Link

Also, although the article states that Ueshiro branched off, it is my understanding that he was asked to leave by Osensei Nagamine for creating Fukyugata Sandan--but I could be wrong on that part.

[Shorin Ryuu]

I study Shorin Ryu, the original.

Chibana Chosin named his style Shorin Ryu, but it is now mistakenly referred to as "Kobayashi Shorin Ryu" nowadays. He never used kobayashi to refer to his style and only called it Shorin Ryu.

Later on, many others started tacking on the Shorin Ryu name, leading to this confusion you see today.

Actually it is called Kobayashi Ryu because that is how he wrote it. The Kanji he used was 小林流, 小 being "ko" making 林 be read as "hayashi". The Kanji for "Sho", 少, was not used. Shorin Ryu would be written as 少林流, not 小林流.

On another note it is redundant to say Kobayashi Shorin Ryu, as both Kobayashi and Shorin mean the same thing (little forest school).

It is a common assertion that the characters for Shorin 小林, with "shou" (small) and "rin" (forest) used by Chibana Sensei when he first named the style was an error on his part, as the way to spell Shaolin 少林 uses "shou" (few) and "rin" (forest). However, he was paying tribute to the Shaolin temple, yet purposely changed the first character in order to distinguish it as Okinawan, as he felt the development and techniques made it different. So like I said, referring to Chibana-lineage schools as Kobayashi is incorrect, as he never used the term Kobayashi to refer to his style when speaking about it. Just because it can be pronounced as kobayashi doesn't mean it should be.

This isn't idle speculation on my part. Chibana Sensei himself explained this to my instructor when my instructor Pat Nakata was a virtual live-in student during the 1960s.

[ShawnJ]

Actually Matsubayashi-Ryu was brought the style over to the states in 1960 by Jim Wax. Ueshiro didn't come over until 1962. Link

Also, although the article states that Ueshiro branched off, it is my understanding that he was asked to leave by Osensei Nagamine for creating Fukyugata Sandan--but I could be wrong on that part.

Jim Wax was one of Master Ueshiro's students. He studied with him in Okinawa and was the first American to open a dojo in the US. He opened it in Dayton, Ohio. He opened that dojo in 1960, at the instruction of his sensei - Ansei Ueshiro.

As far as Fukyugata Sandan, I'm not entirely sure either. I was told that Ueshiro created that kata to strengthen the legs of the Americans, because we have weak legs - that's why that kata is so low.

Ueshiro always referred to Shoshin Nagamine as his sensei. Though, Karate was actually taught to him by his father, Anho Ueshiro, as well as Entasu Isaenta, and Toguchi Seitoku.

Ueshiro then opened a school in New York city with his student Robert Scaglione who became the CEO of Shorin-Ryu USA and ran the school with his wife, Sensei Judy Scaglione. Then, they moved to Florida and opened the Okinawan Karate Dojo. Then they got divorced, Sensei Scaglione (now Hanshi Scaglione) runs a school in Melbourne, Florida and his former-wife Judy (my sensei) runs the Okinawan Karate Dojo here on Merritt Island.

[username8517]

Jim Wax was one of Master Ueshiro's students. He studied with him in Okinawa and was the first American to open a dojo in the US. He opened it in Dayton, Ohio. He opened that dojo in 1960, at the instruction of his sensei - Ansei Ueshiro.

Ahh, thank you for the clarification.