Tatsuo Shimabuku was an Okinawan, Japanese martial artist.
25 Facts About Tatsuo Shimabuku
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Tatsuo Shimabuku is the founder of Isshin-ryu style of karate.
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Tatsuo Shimabuku was born in Gushikawa village, Okinawa on September 19,1908.
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Tatsuo Shimabuku was the first of ten children born into a farming family.
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Tatsuo Shimabuku began his study of karate at the age of 13 from his uncle, who lived a few miles away from him in Agena Village.
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Tatsuo Shimabuku began his study of "Ki" for which Kyan was most well known.
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From Miyagi, Tatsuo Shimabuku learned Tensho, Seiunchin kata and Sanchin kata.
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Tatsuo Shimabuku opened his first dojo in 1946 after the war in the village of Konbu, near Tengan village.
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Tatsuo Shimabuku continued to study and develop his skills in both Shorin-Ryu and Goju-Ryu but he was not satisfied that either style held the completeness he was looking for.
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Tatsuo Shimabuku soon became a master in the Bo and Sai weapons.
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Tatsuo Shimabuku learned Hama Higa nu Tuifa, Shishi nu Kun, Chatan Yara nu Sai, and Urashi Bo.
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Tatsuo Shimabuku created Kyan Chotoku nu Sai and Kusanku Sai using sai techniques he learned from Chotoku Kyan.
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Tatsuo Shimabuku first called the style he was teaching Chan-migwa-te, after Chotoku Kyan's nickname Chan-migwa.
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Tatsuo Shimabuku renamed his Chan migwa-te style "Sun nu Su-te" in about 1947 after having trained with Chojun Miyagi "Isshin-ryu" on January 15,1956.
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Tatsuo Shimabuku consulted with several of the masters on Okinawa about his wish to develop a new style.
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One night in 1955, Tatsuo Shimabuku fell asleep and dreamed of the goddess Isshinryu no Megami.
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The next morning when Tatsuo Shimabuku awoke, he felt that his dream had been a divine revelation.
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In 1955, the Third Marine Division of the US Marine Corps was stationed on Okinawa, and the Marine Corps chose Tatsuo Shimabuku to provide instruction to Marines on the island.
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The karate that the Marines brought back to dojos in the United States was a blend of what Tatsuo Shimabuku considered the best of the karate systems.
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Tatsuo Shimabuku made only two trips to the United States to visit his many military students.
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Tatsuo Shimabuku was known to not enjoy traveling far from home.
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Tatsuo Shimabuku continued teaching at his dojo in Agena until his retirement in early 1972.
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Tatsuo Shimabuku passed his legacy over to his son, Kichiro Shimabukuro; Eiko Kaneshi was considered for this honor.
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Tatsuo Shimabuku died from a stroke at his home in the village of Agena on May 30,1975, at the age of 66.
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In 1980, Tatsuo Shimabuku was the first person inducted into the International Isshin-ryu Karate Association's Isshin-ryu Hall of Fame.