Kyan hails from Shuri, Okinawa and was an Okinawan karate master who was famous for both his karate skills and his colorful personal life. He had a large influence on the styles of karate that would become Shorin-ryu and its related styles. Kyan was a participant in the 1936 meeting of Okinawan masters, where the term “karate” was standardized and other far-reaching decisions were made regarding martial arts of the island at the time.
O’Sensei studied under Miyagi before taking up Shorin-ryu, but it was Kyan who had the greatest influence on him. As Kyan’s top student, O’Sensei was left in charge of the Shobayashi Shorin-ryu system at the time of Kyan’s death.
Kyan hails from Shuri, Okinawa and was an Okinawan karate master who was famous for both his karate skills and his colorful personal life. He had a large influence on the styles of karate that would become Shorin-ryu and its related styles. Kyan was a participant in the 1936 meeting of Okinawan masters, where the term “karate” was standardized and other far-reaching decisions were made regarding martial arts of the island at the time.