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Grand Master Tatsuo Shimabuku Tatuso Shimabuku, the founder of Isshinryu Karate was born in 1906, in Okinawa. He began his study of Karate at age 8. After four years of study with his uncle in Shiri-Ti Karate, Master Shimabuku went in other forms of karate with such famous instructors as Chotoku Kiyan, Chojun Miyagi, and Motosbu Choken. He was contemporary of Gichin Funakoshi, the man who introduced karate to Japan. Just prior to World War II, Master Shimabuku was at the height of his reputation as an expert, not only of Shorin-Ryu and Goju-Ryu, but also of weapons, such as the bo and the sai, Master Shimabuku's reputation was such that Japaneseofficers stationed on Okinawa during World War II kept him from military conscription in exchange for karate lessons.... After the war, U.S Marines stationed on Okinawa sought him out, and he began teaching them karate. At a demonstration, he missed the nail he was driving into a board with his fist and cut the back of his hand. He put a handful of dirt on the hand and finished the demonstration. Some of the Marines, impressed by his skills and manner, became Black Belt instructors and spread karate throughout the United States. The karate the Marines brought back to the U.S. was a blending of what Master Shimabuku thought to be the best of the karate systems. He formed this system of Karate on January 16, 1954, after consultation with leading karate experts on Okinawa. Because he was highly respected as a karate master, he recieved their blessing.(This would be later be rescinded due to the radical changes made to traditional Okinawan Karate)* Master Shimabuku named his system "Isshin-Ryu", meaning One heart,One mind. *Dynamics of Isshinryu Karate Long and Wheeler
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