Anko Itosu (Itosu Ankou)
Grandmaster / Grandfather of Modern Karate
Okinawan Shuri-te grandmaster, teacher of Gichin Funakoshi, and creator of the 5 Pinan (Heian) kata.
Quick Facts
Date of Birth1831
Date of Death1/26/1915
Era19th–20th century
Country of Origin
Okinawa (Japan)
Okinawa (Japan)Rank / TitleGrandfather of Modern Karate / Creator of Pinan kata
Active Years1860–1915
Biography
Anko Itosu revolutionized Karate by introducing it into the Okinawan public school system in 1901. He simplified complex master kata into the 5 foundational Pinan (Heian) forms.
Associated Martial Arts
KarateMaster→
An Okinawan striking art reshaped in the 20th century into Japanese budo and an Olympic sport. Built on kata and hand and foot techniques.
Shuri-teMaster→The historical Okinawan empty-hand art from the royal city of Shuri, predecessor of Shotokan. The Shuri-Naha-Tomari division is a later classification by researchers.