Shōrei-ryū

Shorei Ryu (昭霊流, Shōrei ryū) is the Naha-Te style of Okinawan karate. Shorei Ryu means "the style of inspiration". It is believed that the term Shorei is derived from the Shoreiji Temple in southern China. The teachings of this temple provided the basis for the Naha-Te style.

The Shorei Ryu system was influenced in its early development by Shuri-Te. Kanryo Higashionna originally studied Shuri-Te with Sokon Matsumura but he later traveled to China and studied kempo there. Shorei Ryu has two major styles today. One style is called Goju Ryu and was founded by Chojun Miyagi (1888–1953) and the other is called Uechi Ryu, founded by Kanbun Uechi (1877–1948).[1]

The Shorei Ryu name (alternatively, Goju-Shorei-Ryu and later, Shorei-Goju Ryu) was also used for the style of karate brought to the United States by Robert Trias. Later Trias used the name Shuri-Ryu, although some lineages still use the Shorei Ryu name. This style should not be confounded with traditional Shorei Ryu. Trias's karate incorporated elements from Naha-Te, Shuri-Te, Tomari-Te, and others.