Shito-Ryu ( 糸東流 ) was founded by Kenwa Mabuni (1880-1952). Kenwa Mabuni studied under Yasutsune Itosu ( 糸洲 ) who emphasized speed and agility, and later studied under Kanryo Higaonna ( 東恩納 ） who emphasized power and hardness of the body. During his time with Higaonna, Mabuni also studied Kobudo under Seisho Arakaki ( 1840-1918 ). Kenwa Mabuni originally named his system Hanko Ryu (Half-Hard Style), but, later changed it to reflect the deep respect he felt towards his two great masters, Itosu and Higaonna.
The first character in Itosu's name is 糸, or ITO. This character is also pronounced SHI. The first character of Higaonna's name is 東, which is pronounced HIGA and also TO. Mabuni had created a new name for his style or RYU ( 流 ) - 糸東流 or Shito-Ryu. Today, Shito-Ryu is one of the four major styles taught today.
