Shuri-Ryu is a system of
martial arts created around the beginning of the
20th century. It is the result of a collaboration between
Choki Motobu, master of
Okinawan Shuri-Te, and
T'ung Gee Hsing, master of the
internal arts of
Chuan-fa,
Hsing-Yi and
Pakua, as well as the external systems of
Shaolin-chun and
Hung-kun. Originally from
China,
Master Hsing originally learned his arts as a way to defend himself from highway
robbers and
cutthroats. He later moved to the Chinese settlement of
Kume Mura on the
Japanese island of
Okinawa, where he met
Master Motobu.
Their combined knowledge resulted in many changes to the Shuri-Te system, as well as the creation of Shuri-Ryu. Shuri-Ryu utilizes mostly
hand techniques over
kicks and other
foot techniques, at a
ratio of about 3:1. The
strikes and
blocks tend to be
circular in nature, allowing for easy
deflection of incoming
attacks, and an overall
gracefulness unmatched by most other
fighting arts. The favored stance is
Kiba-Dachi, or
horse stance, a low, long stance that is strong to each side, but weak forwards and backwards.
Bone strength and
alignment play a strong role in Shuri-Ryu, with the body's
center of gravity lined up with at least three points of muscular bone strength before and blocks or strikes are excecuted.
The overall fighting style of Shuri-Ryu is similar to other graceful martial arts, as it attempts to capture the fast
reactionary fighting style of a
snake. Each block is immediately followed up with a quick
counter attack, emphasising the need to remain loose until the moment of
impact, at which point everything tightens up, much like a striking
whip.
A
practitioner of Shuri-Ryu is most recognizable based on his/her low stances,
clenched teeth and
wide eyed stare, and circular techniques.