Isshin-ryu Karate
一心流空手道Okinawan karate of Tatsuo Shimabuku, named in 1956. It is recognised by the vertical fist with the thumb on top and by blocks using the forearm muscle, not the bone.
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About Isshin-ryu Karate
Isshin-ryu is an Okinawan karate style created by Tatsuo Shimabuku (1908–1975). The name is translated as whole-hearted method. We have not found a federation source or specialist literature. The overview draws on Black Belt magazine and on the website of Shimabuku's student A. J. Advincula. Shimabuku's main teacher was Chotoku Kyan, and according to Black Belt he studied with Chojun Miyagi only briefly. He announced the name of the style on 15 January 1956, but his son said that the style has no single birth date. The style is recognised by the vertical fist with the thumb on top, thrown with a half rotation instead of a full rotation of the forearm, and by blocks that strike the muscular part of the forearm, not the bone. The eight kata without weapons are Seisan, Seiunchin, Naihanchi, Wansu, Chinto, Kusanku, Sun nu Su and Sanchin. The school symbolically calls Naihanchi the mother from Shorin-ryu and Sanchin the father from Goju-ryu. The curriculum includes kobudo with the bo, sai and tonfa. From the end of 1955 Shimabuku taught American Marines, and through them the style reached the United States. In 1972 he handed over leadership to his son Kichiro. The school's emblem is the goddess Isshin-ryu no Megami, whom, according to tradition, he saw in a vision in 1955. Today the style exists in several organizations on Okinawa and in the USA.
History
We have found no federation source or specialist literature on Isshin-ryu. The overview draws mainly on an article in Black Belt magazine and on the website of A. J. Advincula, Shimabuku's American student. Tatsuo Shimabuku was born in 1908 in the village of Gushikawa, today Uruma. According to Black Belt, his main karate teacher was Chotoku Kyan, with whom he trained from 1927 to 1939. Sources differ on his other teachers, and according to Black Belt he studied with Chojun Miyagi only briefly, in 1947. He learned kobudo from Taira Shinken. According to both sources, he announced the name Isshin-ryu on 15 January 1956 at a meeting in his house in the village of Chan. However, his son Shinsho said that the style has no single birth date, and one of the organizations gives the year 1953. According to the school's tradition, in 1955 Shimabuku had a vision of a goddess on a dragon, who urged him to found a style of his own. At the end of 1955 he began teaching American Marines, and in March 1958 he signed a contract with the US Marine Corps. In 1972 he stopped teaching and named his eldest son Kichiro as successor. He died on 30 May 1975.
How it differs
Isshin-ryu draws on Shorin-ryu and Goju-ryu, and according to one source also on the Chinese book Bubishi. It differs from both mainly in the vertical fist, which Shimabuku introduced in place of the twisting strike, and according to Advincula he met with resistance from other teachers because of it. Black Belt reports blocks using the muscle of the forearm and higher stances. Okinawan students who wanted to keep a Shorin-ryu identity were unhappy about the renaming of the style. We have not found a comparison from a federation.
Technique
According to Black Belt magazine, the basic strike is a vertical fist with the thumb on top, thrown with a half rotation of the forearm instead of a full one. Forearm blocks are performed so that the block strikes the muscular part of the forearm, not the bone. According to the same source, the stances are higher than in older Okinawan styles, for the sake of mobility and balance. There are eight kata without weapons: Seisan, Seiunchin, Naihanchi, Wansu, Chinto, Kusanku, Sun nu Su and Sanchin. The school symbolically calls Naihanchi the mother from Shorin-ryu and Sanchin the father from Goju-ryu. The kata with weapons are Tukunmi nu Kun, Chatan Yara nu Sai, Urashi nu Kun, Shishi nu Kun and Hamafija nu Tuifa. Chan nu Sai replaced Kusanku Sai at the end of the nineteen-fifties.
Training
According to Black Belt, beginners learn 29 kihon, that is basics, and all students train on the makiwara and with kotekitai, that is forearm conditioning. The curriculum includes kobudo with the bo, sai and tonfa. Shimabuku used protective equipment in free sparring, which other teachers, according to Advincula, criticized as turning karate into a sport. We have not found the structure of a regular lesson in the sources.
Ranks and progression
According to Black Belt, Shimabuku awarded high dan grades to support the spread of the school, especially in the United States, and some students promoted this way then stopped training. According to Advincula, the Okinawan students Kaneshiro Kenji and Shigema Genyu criticized the rapid promotion of Americans. Shimabuku therefore declared by letter that dan grades awarded before 10 June 1961 were invalid. According to the American organization WUIKA, a new promotion system then arose, based on time at each rank, the rank itself and ability. We have not found a uniform examination code for all organizations.
Today
According to Black Belt, the school on Okinawa is still led today by Kichiro Shimabuku, who teaches in Uruma. The style has split into several organizations. Uezu Angi (1935–2024) founded the Okinawa Isshinryu Karate Kobudo Association in 1990, and Christopher Chase has led it since 1 February 2007. In the United States, Harold Mitchum founded the United Isshin Ryu Karate Association in September 1975. Outside Okinawa, the style spread through the American Marines whom Shimabuku taught from 1955.
Did you know
In the late nineteen-forties and early nineteen-fifties, according to Victor Smith, Shimabuku called his system Chan Migwha Te, after the nickname of his teacher Kyan. The school patch with the goddess Isshin-ryu no Megami was first printed in January 1961, helped by the American student Arcenio Advincula. According to the school's interpretation, the three stars in the emblem mean the heart of the dragon and also the character for the number one.
Frequently asked questions
What is Isshin-ryu?
Isshin-ryu is an Okinawan karate style whose name is translated as whole-hearted method. It was created by Tatsuo Shimabuku and draws on Shorin-ryu and Goju-ryu.
Who founded Isshin-ryu?
Isshin-ryu was founded by the Okinawan karateka Tatsuo Shimabuku (1908–1975). According to Black Belt magazine, he announced the name of the style on 15 January 1956.
How does Isshin-ryu differ from other karate styles?
According to Black Belt magazine, mainly in the vertical fist with the thumb on top and in blocks that strike the muscular part of the forearm instead of the bone.
Similar styles
Selected by overlap in the style profile, not by historical lineage.