:: Shihan Fumio Demura
:: History

Sokon "Bushi" Matsumura
Yasutsune Itosu
Kanryu Higaonna
Kenwa Mabuni
Ryusho Sakagami

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Yasutsune Itosu
:: 1830 - 1915 ::

Yasutsune Itosu was born in the city of Shuri, Okinawa. At the age of 16 he started to train in Karate with Master Sokon "Bushi" Matsumura.

He was a very close friend of Matsumura's uchi deshi (private student), Yasutsune (Ankoh) Azato and was furthermore a student of Shimpan Gusukuma and Yasuri, Iwah's uchi deshi.
He is famous for being instrumental in the introduction of Karate in the public school system curricula. To help the teaching process he developed the Pinan kata, basing it on the advanced kata like: Kushanku, Passai, Chinto and Jion.
Itosu is recognized for the high technical levels that he attained. Gichin Funakoshi remarked on his physical strength, his incredible ability to withstand blows, and his tremendous grip.

Master Funakoshi recounts that neither Master Itosu nor Azato ever bragged about their "heroic" achievements in karate and they would explain that those "crazy things" were to be blamed on their youth.

Itosu was a master that had several important students, many of which went on to create a series of differing Karate styles (even though it was never his intention to have this happen).
One of his most famous students was Gichin Funakoshi, someone that always remembered him throughout his life as a great example of what a great master should be and tried to transmit the teachings he received from him. ::

History Information Courtesy of Black Belt Magazine