The Shito-ryu Sports Karate School India follows the Shito-ryu method of karate which was founded in 1931 by Kenwa Mabuni (1889-1952). Mabuni was a master who was well known for his encyclopaedic knowledge of kata and their bunkai applications. He was considered the foremost authority of the Okinawan kata. He was one of the foremost figures to popularise the art form in Japan: as a police officer himself, he taught many local law enforcement officers and also started teaching in many schools. He founded the Shito-ryu method after his move to Osaka in mainland Japan in 1929, opening several dojo there to teach the new method. Today the Shito-ryu method has its largest number of followers in the Osaka region. Mabuni, although he was deeply traditional, recognised the value of karate in the global arena. He was a visionary in that he recognised the potential of Karate in non-traditional areas. For example, he was the first master to design a kata exclusively for women’s self-defence, called the Aoyagi.
As a style Shito-ryu follows the aspect of combination attempting to unite the diverse roots of karate. It combines physical strength and long powerful stances with circular and eight-directional movements and breathing power. It is extremely fast but still artistic and powerful. It incorporates the five rules of self-defence developed by Kenwa Mabuni known as Uke no go gensoku. In Modern Shito-ryu, the emphasis is on sparring and speed with thorough focus on the 40 to 60 forms currently in practice.
