History & Dojos
Tradition
The History of Okinawa Budo Kaisai-do
The history of Okinawa budo kaisai began in the late 19th century. Master Kanryo Higaonna was an expert of te (the traditional Okinawan fighting art) and Chinese boxing. He learned a theory of kata from his Chinese master. He used it to make a new type of te called Nahate.
He passed this theory to his disciple Master Chojun Miyagi, who called it Kaisai no Genri. Kaisai signifies the work of finding hidden techniques in kata, and genri the principle behind it. Kaisai no Genri is the key to uncovering the secret techniques held within kata.
Miyagi used the theory to refine Nahate. He designed a structured karate teaching method, the first of its kind in the history of Okinawan karate, and created teaching materials such as new kata, warm-up exercises, and supplementary exercises. He called his art Goju-Ryu karate. He was not able to complete the system before his sudden death.
Seikichi Toguchi, who learned the theory from Miyagi, used it to carry his teacher’s work forward. He created many new kata, including kata performed to music, along with preset sparring exercises and supplementary exercises. From these materials he built a karate teaching system he called Shorei-Kan karate.
Toguchi taught Kaisai no Genri to Toshio Tamano, who used it to develop further elements of the system, including a sparring method called Shiai Kumite, several preset sparring systems, and supplementary exercises. He added these to the Shorei-Kan program.
Higaonna, Miyagi, and Toguchi each worked to make their arts a true budo of Okinawa through the work of kaisai. Following the same principle, Toshio Tamano named this evolution of Okinawan Goju-Ryu as Okinawa Budo Kaisai-do.
You can learn how this system is taught today on our About page and see the current programs built on it.
Profiles of the Masters
Kanryo Higaonna
Higaonna was born in 1853 in Naha. He studied te in Naha as a teenager, then traveled to China as a sailor, where he learned Chinese boxing over many years before returning to Okinawa. On his return he combined te with Chinese boxing to create a new type of te. Because it differed greatly from the traditional te of the time, known as Shurite, the islanders called it Nahate. He died in 1915.
Chojun Miyagi
Miyagi was born in 1888. He joined Higaonna’s school at age 14 and devoted his life to advancing his teacher’s Nahate. From this work he created Goju-Ryu karate and worked to spread it in Japan and abroad. Within the Shorei-Kan tradition he is regarded as a visionary who shaped the future of karate and is considered a savior of Okinawan karate. He died in 1953.
Seikichi Toguchi
Toguchi was born in 1917. He began studying Goju-Ryu karate at 16. He created a karate teaching system, Shorei-Kan karate, which his teacher Miyagi had asked him to develop. Toguchi traveled the world to promote his teaching system. He wrote several books, including “Goju-Ryu Karate” (Ohara Publications, 1974) and “Goju-Ryu Karate II” (Ohara Publications, 2001). He died in 1998.
Toshio Tamano
Tamano was born in Tokyo in 1942 and joined the Shorei-Kan karate dojo in 1960. After graduating from a university in Tokyo, he moved to New York in 1969 to spread Shorei-Kan karate and Shorei-Kai Okinawan Kobudo in the United States. After teaching at his Rockefeller Center dojo for more than ten years, he and his family moved to Milan, Italy to introduce his arts in Europe. They settled in France after five years in Milan. Tamano has written several karate and kobudo books in Japanese, English, and Italian, and he currently leads his organization, Shorei-Kan Europe, in France.
Shihan Scott Lenzi
Shihan Scott Lenzi was born on November 2, 1956 in Manhasset, New York. He joined the Mt. Kisco branch dojo under the direction of Shihan Tamano in 1972 and received the rank of Shodan in 1974. He conducted classes at Norwich University and Manhattanville College before opening the Buchanan dojo in 1980.
He was later appointed USA Representative for Shorei-Kan Karate by Master Toguchi, and USA Representative for Shorei-Kai Kobudo by Shihan Tamano.
Shihan Lenzi has traveled to study, demonstrate, and teach Shorei-Kan Karate throughout the USA, Guatemala, France, Italy, and Japan. He holds the rank of 8th Dan Black Belt in Budo Kaisai-do and 7th Dan Black Belt in Okinawan Kobudo. He has published many articles on Goju-Ryu karate in international magazines and has assisted in writing several books, including Advanced Techniques of Shorei-Kan Karate, published by Black Belt Magazine.
Shihan Lenzi continues to study under Shihan Tamano as his most senior student. He oversees the USA Organization and conducts classes at the USA Headquarters in Cortlandt Manor and throughout the United States, South America, and Central America.
Train in This Tradition
This unbroken lineage is what sets Shorei-Kan apart from generic or modern sport karate. To learn the art directly from Shihan Lenzi and his black belt instructors, see our programs or call 914-739-7804 to visit the dojo in Cortlandt Manor. You can also contact us with any questions about getting started.