Shugoro Nakazato
仲里周五郎
Okinawan karate master, student of Choshin Chibana, founder of the Shorin-ryu Shorinkan association (1975), hanshi 10th dan and holder of the Order of the Rising Sun.
Quick Facts
JapanBiography
Shugoro Nakazato was an Okinawan karate master and the founder of Shorin-ryu Shorinkan. He was born on 14 August 1920 on Okinawa and died on 24 August 2016 at the age of 96.
He began training karate in 1935 under Seiichi Iju in the Minato district of the city of Sakai in Osaka Prefecture and studied with him until 1940; from 1936 to 1940 he studied kobudo, that is, work with weapons, under Seiro Tonaki. In 1942 he joined the Japanese army and after the war returned to Okinawa, where he trained under Choshin Chibana; he is listed among his nine students. From 1955 to 1958 he studied bojutsu under Masami Chinen.
In 1951 he helped open the Dai Ichi Dojo. In 1955 he received a shihan licence from Chibana and in the same year opened the Nakazato Dojo in Aja near Naha. He taught, among others, Fukyu no kata, Naihanchi, Pinan, Passai, Kusanku, Chinto and Gojushiho, and himself created the kata Gorin and several kata with weapons. After Chibana's death in 1969 he served as vice-president of the Okinawan Shorin-ryu Karate-do Association. He left it in November 1975 and founded the association Okinawa Karate-do Shorin-ryu Shorinkan. Seven of his black belts, known as the Original 7, brought the style to the United States; the teachers of Shorinkan include Tadashi Yamashita and Noel Smith.
He held the rank of hanshi, 10th dan. In 2000 Okinawa Prefecture named him a holder of the status of intangible cultural property, and on 4 November 2007 he received the Order of the Rising Sun, fifth class, with Gold and Silver Rays.
Associated Martial Arts
Organisations
- Okinawa Karate-do Shorin-ryu Shorinkan AssociationFounder · 1975
Ranks and titles
- ShihanShorin-ryu Shorinkan · 1955
Achievements and honours
- State award2000
- State award2007