​Beikoku Shidokan ShorinRyu Karate (Kobayashi)

It all started when…

Our pedigree, or lineage, traces back directly to Sokon Matsumura, the recognized founder of Okinawan Karate and body guard to the last three Okinawan Kings. Karate worldwide traces its roots to Okinawa.

​Whether a beginner, or experienced martial artist, now you can now learn the traditional, practical, proven effective natural body movement self defense Karate techniques used by Matsumura against the 36 unarmed violent attacks that an unarmed person can inflict on another. No new unarmed attacks have been discovered since Matsumura's time. Why try "new", possibly incomplete, or impractical types of self defense styles if this practical, proven effective style has worked since the 1800s?

Sokon Matsumura (1809-1899)

The personal body guard to the last three Okinawan Kings who named his self defense techniques Shuri-te. Shuri being the Okinawan capital. Te meaning hand. Another name used is Sui-di, or "our hand". Matsamura was also widely known as Bushi Matsamura, or Warrior Matsamura. Sokon Matsamura is recognized as the source of nearly all martial arts called Karate whether Okinawan, Korean, Japanese or American. While he had many instructors very little information exists about them. So people generally acknowledge Matsamura as ¨the Source¨ of Karate.

Anko Itosu (1831-1915)

One of Matsamura's most famous students. He also studied with Gusukuma (unrelated to the one mentioned below) Anko Itosu also used the name of his karate as: Shuri te (Shuri hand). He developed the Pinan Katas to introduce karate to school age children.

Choshin Chibana (1886-1969)

Known as the "last warrior of Shuri", Chosin Chibana was the ultimate karate expert on Okinawa and taught a wide range of students. Many of his contemporaries died during the ¨Battle of Okinawa.¨ Many of his senior students developed their own karate schools. The Kanji characters for "Kobayashi" can also be pronounced as "Shorin ryu".

His most prominent students promoted to 9th Dan formed their own dojos:
Katsuya Mirahira formed Shidokan, our school falls under Miyahira´s Shidokan,
Shuguro Nakazato formed Shorinkan,
Yuchoku Higa formed Kyudokan.

Other Okinawan styles also use the term Shorin Ryu Karate. When reading the the Japanese Kanji characters denoting the styles, the differences are readily apparent. However, for languages that don't readily differentiate the various Shorin ryu Karate styles we use the terms:
Kobayashi Shorin Ryu for Chibana style, or schools deriving from Chibana.
Matsubayashi for Nagamine's Shorin Ryu style,
Shobayashi for Shimambukuro's Shorin Ryu style, and
Matsamura Seito for Hohan Soke's Shorin Ryu style.

Note: many Karate schools with little or no affiliation with Chibana's Senior Okinawan students claim they are Kobayashi Karate schools because they follow Chibana's Kata curriculum. Yet they often have little to no contact with any existing traditional Okinawan Karate schools.

Shinpan (Shiroma) Gusukuma (1890-1954)

Shinpan Gusukuma was Seikichi Iha's first karate instructor. He was a school teacher and acupuncturist. He was well known for his sturdy, powerful karate even though he was only about 5´1¨ tall. Okinawan Shuri-te evolved from Gusukuma's senior students.
Gusukuma developed Kihon Katas 4 and 5. Seikichi Iha relates that Gusukuma would teach partner techniques or applications to his students. Then string them all together and tell them the name of the kata. Thus, the students learned the applications before they learned the kata.

Katsuya Miyahira 10th Dan (1918-2010)

Miyahira studied longer with Chibana than any other student. In 1948 Miyahira named his karate school or dojo: Shidokan. Many Okinawans consider Shorin Ryu Karate and Shidokan Karate to be synonymous as Shidokan Dojos were most prevalent in Okinawa. Rather than call his school Shidokan Shorin Ryu Karate, Miyahira just called it Shidokan Karate. Shidokan means "Warrior Way", "Right Way", "Heart Way" or "Gentleman's Way". Miyahira was one of 5 people Chibana promoted to 9th Dan. Chibana presented his Okinawan Shorin Ryu Karate Association duties to Miyahira before his death. Miyahira was promoted to 10th Dan by the Okinawan Shorin Ryu Karate Association. (Two of the others promoted to 9th Dan by Chibana are Shigeru Nakazato who formed Shorinkan and Yuchoku Higa who formed Kyudokan.)

Seikichi Iha, Hanshi, 10th Dan (1932 - )

Seikichi Iha is an internationally renown Karate Grand Master, 10th Degree, who was senior student of Grand Master Katsuya Miyahira. Iha Sensei's name is still listed in rank order right after Katsuya Miyahira's name in the Shidokan Dojo Rank Board in Okinawa in 2017, long after Miyahira's death in 2010. Iha began his karate studies with his uncle and then with Shinpan (Shiroma) Gusukuma in 1950. When Gusukuma died in 1954 he then began studying at the Shidokan Karate Dojo with Katsuya Miyahira. Seikichi Iha received his 10th Degree in 2001. Iha began teaching at the Original Okinawan Karate school/dojo in Lansing, Michigan in 1975 and continues to teach there today. He has a broad Shidokan Karate School network throughout the United States and Canada.

Iha named his Karate Association Beikoku Shidokan when he received his 10th Degree. Beikoku meaning American, so it means American Shidokan. The whole name is Beikoku Shidokan Shorin Ryu Karate (Kobayashi).