“Squinty Eyed Chan”

Chotoku Kyan 1870 – 1945  

“Squinty Eyed Chan”

Kyan was an Okinawan karate master who was famous for both his karate skills and his personal life attributes.

Born in Shuri, Okinawa to a very wealthy family, he was the son of Kyan Chofu, a high ranking official in the Okinawan public service. His father reputedly had a background in karate, and is known to have taught Kyan tegumi in his early years. Following tradition, Kyan began training at an early age, with Bushi Matsumura. Only a child, the discipline required made a lifelong impression on him. He emerged with a sense of justice and order beyond the comprehension of most men, which motivated him for the rest of his life. Kyan had a significant influence on the styles of karate that would become Shorin-Ryu and its related styles.

At the age of 8, he began training with Bushi Matsumura.

Kyan had poor eyesight, which led to his early nickname of Chan Migwa or “squinty-eyed Chan”.When Kyan was 20 years old, he began his karate training under Kosaku Matsumora and Kokan Oyadomari. At 30 years of age, he was considered a master of the karate styles known as Shuri-te and Tomari-te. Kyan lived in Shuri until the age of 30, spending the rest of his life in Kitena where he taught at a karate dojo near Hisabashi.

Kyan was a master of the jump, and was without peer when it came to kicking techniques which were his forte. His jumping or flying kicks were apparently amazing and without equal. His favorite kata was Seisan, which he practiced for two years. The incessant drill and pedantic attention to details required for mastery of the kata became the rule of thumb in his practice and training. His advice always was learn to obey the laws and techniques of the kata, stressing that when you practice your kata you must move from your tanden. Once you become the kata you will have achieved the secret of karate.

Kyan never considered himself a specialist, and was always accessible to students as they perfected their training. He was a good listener and skilled in resolving controversy. In one such instance, he listened carefully to arguments as to whether the foot or hand was stronger. His advice which has stood the test of time was that one should use both for optimum results, that relying on one too heavily will cause an imbalance in self defense.

The longest training student of Kyan was Zenryo Shimabukuro, who studied with Kyan for over 10 years.

Kyan is noted for encouraging his students to visit brothels and to engage in alcohol consumption at various times. He was not alone in this practice. In the early years, the only venue in which competitive kumite existed for aspiring martial artists was in the red light districts, where martial artists and their supporters gathered to observe, learn, and in the process to popularize and spread the martial fighting skills of defense

Master Kyan was a participant in the critical 1936 meeting of Okinawan masters, in which the term "karate" was standardized, and other far-reaching decisions were made regarding martial arts of the island at the time.