ABOUT
SENDAI

Shitō-Ryū Karate was founded by Kenwa Mabuni in the early 20th century. Born in Okinawa in 1889, Mabuni Sensei began his martial arts training at the age of 13 under the legendary Anko Itosu — one of the most influential Karate masters in history.

Under Itosu Sensei, Mabuni learned Shorin-Ryu Karate and developed a deep understanding of traditional Okinawan martial arts. Itosu Sensei is also credited with creating the Pinan Kata, which remain widely practised around the world today.

Later, through his close friend Chojun Miyagi, Mabuni Sensei was introduced to Kanryo Higaonna and began training in Shorei-Ryu (Naha-te traditions). After the passing of both Itosu Sensei and Higaonna Sensei in 1915, Mabuni Sensei continued his research and training, ultimately blending the teachings of both systems into what would become Shitō-Ryū Karate.

In 1929, Mabuni Sensei moved to Osaka, Japan, where he formally established his dojo and began teaching his unique system. The name "Shitō-Ryū" was created by combining characters from the names of his two primary teachers:

Kenwa Mabuni worked tirelessly to spread Karate throughout Japan and played a major role in shaping modern Japanese Karate. He passed away on 23rd May 1952, leaving behind one of the most influential Karate systems in history.

The Shūkōkai school of Karate was founded by Chojiro Tani (1921–1998). Tani Sensei originally began training in Goju-Ryu Karate during junior high school before continuing his studies at Doshisha University in Kyoto under the legendary Chojun Miyagi.

Following Miyagi Sensei's return to Okinawa, Kenwa Mabuni took over the university classes, where Tani Sensei continued training in both Shorin-Ryu and Shorei-Ryu traditions. After graduating, Tani Sensei continued training directly under Mabuni Sensei and eventually established his own branch — Tani-Ha Shitō-Ryū Shūkōkai.

Following World War II, Tani Sensei began teaching Karate in an open-air car park in Kobe, Japan. His group quickly grew, leading him to establish his own dojo. In 1946, he received the scroll of succession from Kenwa Mabuni and was formally granted permission to establish his own branch of Shitō-Ryū Karate.

Tani Sensei became internationally recognised for developing the explosive power generation and body mechanics that became synonymous with Shūkōkai Karate. Upon his passing in 1998, leadership passed to one of his senior students, Haruyoshi Yamada.