is a style of Okinawan Karate

Karate

is a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Islands in what is now Okinawa, Japan. It was developed from indigenous fighting methods called and Chinese kenpō. Karate is a striking art using punching, kicking, knee and elbow strikes, and open-handed techniques such as knife-hands. Grappling, locks,...

 that is descended from Uechi-ryu, and hence from Pangai-noon

Pangai-noon

Pangai-noon was a style of Southern Chinese kung fu taught by Shu Shi Wa which formed the basis for Uechi-ryū karate. The name Pangai-noon indicates that the art's techniques are half-hard, half-soft, and is derived from the Okinawan pronunciation of the original Chinese.Shu Shi Wa was a teacher...

 Kung Fu. Following the 1991 death of Kanei Uechi, son of Uechi-ryu founder Kanbun Uechi

Kanbun Uechi

was the founder of Uechi-ryū, one of the primary karate styles of Okinawa.- Early life :Kanbun grew up in the mountain farming village of Izumi on the Motobu peninsula of Okinawa. Uechi's family were farmers of daikon radishes....

, there was an organizational split and the directors of the Okinawa Karate-Do association officially created the name Shohei-Ryu for their organization's version of the style. Shohei-ryu means in Japanese

Japanese language

is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...

to "shine brightly with fairness, equality, and peace." The organization's chairman is Tsutomu Nakahodo.

The art is practiced internationally, with schools in North and South America, Europe, Asia, and Australia.

Ryuko Tomoyose (Shohei-ryu Hanshi 10th Dan) was recognized as an Intangible Cultural Asset holder in the Field of Okinawan Karate and Martial Arts with Weaponry by the Okinawa Prefecture in 2000.

The Okikukai Emblem

"The emblem is really a composite of two symbols, one representing the old Okinawa and the other the new. The off-center circle-within-a-circle is the official prefectural symbol of Okinawa; the outer red ring represents the ocean, the inner white ring peace, and the central red sphere means development or progress. This symbol of modern Okinawa is enclosed within a symbol of the ancient Ryukyuan Kingdom consisting of three yellow waves that circle a white region. The Okinawan emblem combines symbols to represent the continuity of ancient Ryukyuan values within modern-day Okinawa, and the concentric circles motif symbolizes, variously, the eternity of Heaven and Earth, self-completion, equality, and peace. This whirling vision of justice and peace, so central to the Okikukai philosophy, is also the confident expression of the belief that the ancient Ryukyuan ethos continues and will continue to enliven Okinawan life." .

Kata

The kata of Shohei-ryu are a superset of Uechi-ryu:

• Sanchin
• Kanshiwa
• Kanshu
• Seichin
• Seisan
• Seiryu
• Kanchin
• Sanseiryu
• Ryuko

External links

• Okikukai The international headquarters of Shohei and Uechi Ryu.
• English language version of headquarters website
• Description of Uechi-ryu.
• History of Shohei-ryu and Uechi-ryu (brief).
• History of Shohei-ryu and Uechi-ryu (detailed).
• The Ryuha Name Significance of the name Shohei-ryu.