Tatsuo Shimabuku

Tatsuo Shimabuku was born in Kyan Village in 1908, on the island of Okinawa, on Saturday, the 19th of September. After 67 years of life, 19 of them as the Soke (head) of the major Karate style Isshin-Ryu, Tatsuo Shimabuku passed away from a stroke at his home village of Agena, Okinawa, on a Friday, May the 30th, 1975.

Young Tatsuo of the family Shimabuku of the village of Agena, began his study of Karate at the age of 8 when he walked some 12 miles to the neighboring village of Shuri to learn Shuri-Tei Karate from his uncle. His uncle sent him home; obstinately he returned and was sent away several more times. His uncle finally gave in to his persistence and accepted him as a pupil.

For about four years young Shimabuku was privileged to study Karate in the dojo of his uncle each day after completing the most menial domestic chores.He met Chokotu Kyan, who was already famous throughout Okinawa as a Karate instructor and become one of that master's leading pupils. He also studied Karate with Chojun Miyagi of the Goju style of Karate and become his best student.

Later, he again took up the study under Choki Motobu, who was virtually a legend on Okinawa."

Still seeking more knowledge of Karate, he took up the study of the art of bo and the sai as well as the tonfa forms, from the instructors Taira Shinken and Yabikumoden who were responsible for providing Okinawa's instructors with these particular skills.

Shimabuku's reputation throughout Okinawa had reached its peak when World War II struck and during the early part of the war he did his best to avoid conscription into the Japanese Army by escaping into the countryside where he worked as a farmer. As the situation grew more and more desperate for the Japanese and as the need to press the Okinawans into service became more urgent, he was forced to flee.

As his reputation in Karate spread among the Japanese, many soldiers began a thorough search as they wanted to study Karate under him. The officers who finally caught up with him agreed to keep the secret of his whereabouts if he could teach them Karate; it was in this manner that Shimabuku survived the war.

After the war he returned to farming and practiced Karate privately for his own spiritual repose and physical exercise, but as the island's leading practitioner of both Shorin-Ryu and Goju-Ryu styles of Karate, he felt a strong need to combine the various styles of Karate into one. After consulting the aged masters and the heads of schools. Shimabuku Tatsuo founded one of the world's major systems of Karate, Isshinryu.