Brockton Karate Club | History | Shoheiryu Karate-Do

Okinawan Karate is believed to have originated in India and brought to China by a Buddhist monk known as Bodhidharma (Daruma Taishi) in Japanese. He taught at the Shorin-ji temple in Honan Province, combining Zen Buddhism with self-defense movements which are believed to have originated by an Indian prince who copied animals self-defense movements. These exercises shaped the foundation of the Chinese style of Ch'uan-fa (first way) known as Pangainoon. Kanbun Uechi, an Okinawan, went to China and studied three styles of Ch'uan-fa including Pangainnoon, taking the best Kata from the three styles.

Kanbun Uechi left China for Japan in 1924. He lived in a compound in Wakiyama, near Osaka. While in Japan, he met an Okinawan by the name of Ryuyu Tomoyose who eventually became his first Karate student. Kanbun taught in Japan until 1947. He died November 25, 1948. Ryuko Tomoyose, son of Ryuyu studied with Kanei Uechi (son of Kanbun). Kanei was the first teacher of Pangainoon in Okinawa. It later became known as Uechi Ryu (Uechi style) in memory of Kanbun Uechi.

Kanei Uechi Kanei Uechi revolutionized the Uechi system in order to make it more accessible to the general public, he added five new training Kata to act as stepping stones to the more difficult forms that were required for black belt rank. He also added exercises (Junbi Undo) and fundamental drills (Hojo Undo) along with multiple Kumites and Bunkais to enhance student understanding of the Uechi system. By the late 1950's Kanei's instruction in Okinawa was made available to American servicemen stationed there and it was not long before the style was brought to the U.S. and introduced to Americans.

Upon Kanei's death in 1991 there was some splintering among Okinawan karate organizations and in 1996 the Board of Directors of the Okinawa Karate-Do Association created the Shoheiryu school with the mission of blending the Uechi tradition with a renewed sense of purpose for the enhancement of the style. Since then new techniques in the form of Kumite, Bunkai, and Kata have been born, which has added new layers to an already multi-layered style of self defense.