Washin-Ryu meaning "harmony with truth," is a style of 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,...

 brought to the United States by Hidy Ochiai

Hidy Ochiai

Hidehiko "Hidy" Ochiai is a Japanese-born martial arts instructor, author, and actor, residing in Broome County, NY. Hidy Ochiai is credited with establishing the Washin-Ryu style of Karate-Do in the United States...

  . Its headquarters is in Vestal

Vestal, New York

Vestal is a town within Broome County in the Southern Tier of New York, and lies between the Susquehanna River and the Pennsylvania border. As of the 2000 census, the population was 26,535, estimated to have grown to 27,369 in 2009....

, NY

New York

New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

 just outside of Binghamton

Binghamton, New York

Binghamton is a city in the Southern Tier of New York in the United States. It is near the Pennsylvania border, in a bowl-shaped valley at the confluence of the Susquehanna and Chenango Rivers...

. However, there are many branch schools throughout the Northeast

Northeastern United States

The Northeastern United States is a region of the United States as defined by the United States Census Bureau.-Composition:The region comprises nine states: the New England states of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont; and the Mid-Atlantic states of New...

. With 13 branches in New York, 2 each in Connecticut

Connecticut

Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...

 and Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...

 and 1 each in Ohio

Ohio

Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...

 and Massachusetts

Massachusetts

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...

, Washin-Ryu has a very strong following.

While some martial arts are said to focus on kicks or punches, Hidy Ochiai is quoted as saying that Washin-Ryu is 100% everything: mind, body, and spirit.

Classes include kata

Kata

is a Japanese word describing detailed choreographed patterns of movements practised either solo or in pairs. The term form is used for the corresponding concept in non-Japanese martial arts in general....

practice, self-defense, sparring and weapons practice.

Belt sequence

• White
• Yellow
• Orange
• Green
• Blue
• Purple
• Brown (3rd to 1st)
• Black (1st to 10th)

Some Kata families

• Taikyoku
• Heian
• Naifunchi
• Goho no Uke
• Matsukaze

The kata that typifies Washin-Ryu is Washin-Ryu Ten-no-Kata, meaning Kata of the Heavens.