Biographies
Master Chotoku Kyan
Master Chotoku Kyan was born in 1870, to a very wealthy
family in Shuri, Okinawa, the cradle of Karate. At the
tender age of five he was taught the empty hand art
of self-defense from his father Chofu Kyan and his grandfather.
Every morning Kyan was required to perform specific
exercises by his grandfather, who had a very discerning
eye and required nothing less than perfection. Being
born into a rich family he was able to devote all of
his time studying the martial arts and was sent to the
best Okinawan Karate teachers available.
In those days, a Karate Sensei had only three or four
Kata, therefore Master Kyan went to many teachers in
hope of gaining a well rounded view of the art. Kyan's
father was an official of the King, and because of this
Kyan was able to gain instruction from many of the great
Teachers in Okinawa. Sokon Matsumura of Shuri was at
that time the Karate Teacher of the King. Matsumura
taught Master Kyan the Kata, "Seisan" and "Gojushiho".
Kyan learned the most from Matsumora (Shorin-Ryu teacher
of Tomari) including the kata "Chinto". Another great
teacher of Tomari was Pechin Maeda. Kyan studied quite
a while under Maeda Sensei and learned the Kata "Wansu".
He learned the Kata, "Passai", under Pechin Oyadomari
Kokan of Tomari. Pechin was a title, given to someone
in employment of the King. The next teacher Kyan studied
with was the small 4ft, 10 inches tall, Yara of Chatan,
a power packed dynamite of a man. Chatan Yara Sensei
taught Kyan the longest and most beautiful Kata "Kusanku".
Some times known as "Yara no Kusanku". His last teacher
was Tokumine, who was reputed to be the best Bo, (Staff)
man on Okinawa. Sensei Kyan traveled to the island of
Yaeyama and studied the Bo and the Bo-Kata "Tokumine
no Kun".
After completing his apprenticeship under the six famous
Okinawan Shorin-Ryu masters, Kyan started to teach the
art at his home. In the 1920's Kyan traveled to mainland
Japan to promote the art. On his return he visited Taiwan
on a martial arts exchange tour of Okinawan and Chinese
Martial Arts. Being proficient in both arts, Kyan invented
his own Kata "Ananku". In the late 1920's Kyan moved
to the village of Kadena due to personal and financial
problems. There he taught a small number of devoted
students who were introduced by friends and city officials.
One student, Zenryo Shimabukuro of Chatan was introduced
by a school headmaster and accepted as a student. Zenryo
Shimabukuro studied 10 years under the tutelage of Master
Kyan until Kyan's death. Food was scarce during WWII
and whatever food master Kyan obtained, he gave to the
children. He felt it was his duty to take care of those
who could not take care of themselves. In 1945 at the
age of 75 grandmaster Kyan passed away from hunger.
Master Zenryo Shimabukuro
 Master Zenryo
Shimabukuro, 10th Dan Red Belt, the foremost disciple
of Sensei Chotoku Kyan. Master Zenryo Shimabukuro, a
baker by trade, was only 5 feet, 2 inches tall, but
he was a very strong man. After completing 10 years
of Karate as a private student under the great Master
Chotoku Kyan, he began teaching.
During World War II all karate instruction had ceased.
With the end of the war he resumed active teaching.
Early in his career as a karate teacher Shimabukuro
Sensei had no Dojo (training hall). All his instruction
was conducted outside of his home, with a small group
of students, one being his son Zenpo (presently Supreme
Sensei of this style) and his nephew Zenji Shimabukuro.
In 1962 he built his own Dojo and named it Seibukan.
Seibukan radiates Sensei Shimabukuro's philosophy of
Karate. He was a highly respected member of his community
and received many certificates of appreciation from
city officials for his work for the betterment of the
Okinawan people.
In 1964 he was awarded the highest rank in Karate by
the All Okinawan Karate-do Federation, the 10th Dan
Red Belt. Master Zenryo Shimabukuro developed Karate
to a very high level in Okinawa. He was also one of
the founding members of the Chubu Shorin Ryu, which
was a very strong association. During the American occupation
of Okinawa, he was persuaded to teach American service
men stationed in Okinawa karate and thus spreading the
art to the United States and other countries. A small
man, but a giant in the world of Karate, Master Zenyro
Shimabukuro died in 1969 at the age of 61 of appendicitis.
Today his son Sensei Zenpo Shimabukuro continues where
his father left off.
Hanshi Zenpo Shimabukuro
 Hanshi Zenpo
Shimabukuro, 9th Degree Black Belt and Supreme
Instructor of the International Seibukan Shorin Ryu
Karate Association was born in Chatan Cho, Okinawa,
on October 11, 1943. He was the fourth of five children
of Master Zenryo Shimabukuro. His father was the student
of Master Chotoku Kyan, and founded the Seibukan Shorin
Ryu (Sukunaihayashi) School in July of 1962 in Jagaru,
Okinawa.
Hanshi Zenpo Shimabukuro was born during a period in
history when the island of Okinawa was preparing for
W.W.II. One of his sisters died as the war was beginning
and a younger brother died shortly after the war ended.
During the course of the war, the Shimabukuro family
lost everything they owned.
As the attack on Okinawa began, the family moved to
the northern area of the island and did not return to
the central part until after the war. Before W.W.II,
Master Zenryo Shimabukuro was a baker and tatami maker
by trade. For a short time after the war he worked for
the United States military, then resumed his profession
as a baker, and also as a city government official.
Hanshi Zenpo Shimabukuro assisted his father with the
teaching of Seibukan karate on US military bases and
helped construct the Seibukan Dojo in Jagaru.
Hanshi Shimabukuro graduated from Futema High School
in March of 1962, and in September 1963, upon request
of his father, left to go to the United States to teach
Sukunaihayashi karate-do to Seibukan students. He lived
and taught karate in Philadelphia, Pa. and is noted
in Okinawan karate history as one of the very first
Okinawan Sensei to teach karate-do in America.
During his three and one-half year stay in the Pennsylvania
area, Hanshi Zenpo Shimabukuro entered and won first
place in kata competition at the Jhoon Rhee International
Tournament, and finished second in kumite. He also won
the Canadian National Championships Kumite competition
in 1964, along with the Pennsylvania State Championships
kumite division. Hanshi Shimabukuro not only was one
of the first Okinawan/Japanese to teach in America but
was the first to compete in the tournaments and win
convincingly.
In 1966, Hanshi Shimabukuro returned to Okinawa to
help his father with the Seibukan honbu dojo, and became
Supreme Instructor over the Seibukan Karate-do System
upon his father's death in October of 1969.
In 1975, the International Seibukan Karate-do Association
was formed. Sensei Shimabukuro returned to America that
year for a three month stay in the Mississippi area
to meet with prominent United States Seibukan Sensei
and begin the formalities of organizing International
Seibukan. During this time Seibukan students in America,
Japan, Malaysia, Germany, Poland, South America, the
Middle East, and India realized the need for his regular
visits to update and standardize their karate techniques
and katas. Because of his ability to speak and write
English, he used his skills to share with English speaking
karate-ka around the world, his great knowledge of karate-do.
Since Hanshi Shimabukuro's initial visit to the United
States, he has returned nine times, with the most recent
being his demonstration at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.
The demonstration was followed by a historic seminar
conducted by Hanshi Shimabukuro and four other Hanshi
from Okinawa, representing different Okinawan disciplines,
to over 260 black belts. This trip and seminar laid
the foundation for Okinawan karate-ka to work together
for a common goal, to spread Okinawan Karate throughout
the world.
Hanshi Shimabukuro is married, and now has a family
of five children, three girls and two boys. He is very
successful real estate developer, and along with his
wife own a restaurant and have various other business
interests. He continues to teach karate and holds offices
in three different Okinawan karate associations, and
serves on the board of directors of the Nago Crippled
Children's Home. Hanshi Shimabukuro gives freely of
his time and resources to help his community. He also
encourgaes those who lack strong bodies to practice
the art of Karate-do.
Hanshi Shimabukuro has branch schools in sixteen foreign
countries dedicated to the preservation of Seibukan
Karate-do, and his goal is the continuation of the Association's
international growth, and the expansion of his father's
teachings.
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