Shorin-ryu is one of the major modern Okinawan martial arts.  Said to have been founded by Sokon Matsumura during the 1800s, Shorin-ryu combines elements of the traditional Okinawan fighting styles Shuri-te and Tomari-te.  Shorin-ryu is widely considered to be one of the two major modern styles of Okinawan Karate, along with Goju-ryu, which is rooted in the other traditional Okinawan style, Naha-te.

Sokon Matsumura was a renowned warrior of his time; he has been called the Miyamoto Musashi of Okinawa.  However, while he is often referred to as the "founder" of Shorin-ryu, he did not invent all the components of the style, and perhaps did not ever call it "Shorin-ryu" himself.  It is quite possible that he synthesized his knowledge of Okinawan arts with Chinese fighting styles that he learned on his travels and taught it as a coherent system to some eager students, who subsequently refined it, labeled it, and passed it on.  (Highlighting Shorin-ryu's Chinese heritage is the fact that "Shorin" is the Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese, "Shaolin"; "ryu" means "school", or "style".)

Along with being a style on its own, Shorin-ryu is also perhaps the most influential single ancestor of modern Japanese karate.  One of Matsumura's best-known students, Anko (or "Ankoh") Itosu became a great practitioner and teacher of Okinawan karate and developed the five Pinan katas, which are now taught not only in Shorin-ryu, but also in a wide variety of Okinawan, Japanese and derived martial arts.  It is also believed by some that the first two Pinan katas were actually developed by Matsumura and the last three by Itosu.

In addition, Itosu and another student of Matsumura's named Anko Azato, were among the primary influences on a fellow Okinawan named Gichin Funakoshi.  Funakoshi introduced his Okinawan martial arts to mainland Japan in 1922, and in subsequent decades was instrumental in developing what he termed simply "karate" or "karate-do" as a popular Japanese sport and art. (The style Funakoshi taught on mainland Japan is now called Shotokan karate.)

Okinawa is the birthplace of the art of karate-do, a cultural treasure and oral tradition that has spread throughout the world and is practiced by millions.  The following timeline chronicles some of the teachers and events that have played significant roles in the development and spread into North America and the Origins of Okinawan Shorin-ryu as led by senior master, Katsuya Miyahira.

A Widely Accepted Chronology:

Sources of Historical Information
1. "Okinawa Karate Kobudo Graph," Okinawa Prefecture Board of Education,1995.
2. Article by Morinobu Maeshiro commemorating Katsuya Miyahira's receipt of the 1989 Award for Distinguished Services from the Japan Martial Arts Council. Published in 1990 Masters Demonstration Program, "3rd Karate-do Bugeisai."*
3. Okinawa Karatedo History article by Seikichi Iha, published in the "20th Anniversary Beikoku Shidokan Shorin-ryu Celebration Program," 1996.
4. "Okinawan Karate," by Mark Bishop, Tuttle Publishing, 1999.
5. Katsuya Miyahira article, 1972.*
6. Interviews and research by Ernest Estrada, 1985 - 1992.*
7. "Karate-do History and Philosophy," by Takao Nakaya, 1986.
8. "40th Anniversary Shido-kan Dojo, Okinawa Shorin-ryu Demonstration Program," 1992.
9. "All Okinawa Karate Federation," Website: http://206.191.29.157/zokr/timeline.htm, To-de Communications, 1997. 10. "The Techniques of Okinawa, Shorin-ryu Karate," by Latino H. Gonzales, 1965.
11. "Kuden no Waza ni Semare," Gekkan Karatedo, June 2000, Tokyo: Fukushodo, pp. 3-7, 20-37.
12. "The First Appearance of Karate in Okinawa's School System," Michihara S. and Yen Y., originally presented at the International Seminar of Physical Education and Sports History, 26-30 September, 1978 in Tokyo.
13. "Tales of Okinawa's Great Masters," by Shoshin Nagamine, Tuttle Publishing, 2000.
14. Interviews with Seikichi Iha by Mark McCloud and Marian Reiter, October 2000 to May 2001.
15. "Koden Ryukyu Karatejutsu," by Iwai T., 1992, Tokyo: Airyudo. *Published on Iha Dojo Web site: http://www.ihadojo.com