Our journey, our passion
The Ryukyu Shorinji‑Ryu Karate Association was founded with the purpose of preserving the teachings and legacy of Hanshi Kenneth Balliet. Hanshi Balliet devoted his life to the study, refinement, and transmission of martial arts. Drawing from decades of training across multiple disciplines, he shaped Ryukyu Shorinji‑Ryu Karate‑Jutsu into a cohesive and effective system rooted in classical Okinawan principles.
Throughout his lifetime, Hanshi encouraged his students to understand technique not as rigid choreography, but as a living method adaptable to the individual. This philosophy—grounded in practicality, personal expression, and disciplined study—became the foundation upon which the system evolved.
From this mindset, a true method of self‑defense emerged: one that honors tradition while empowering each practitioner to develop skill, confidence, and personal mastery. The Association continues this mission today, ensuring that the teachings of Hanshi Balliet endure for future generations.
Our Lineage (Shorinji Ryu )
Chōtoku Kyan (1870–1945) stands as one of the most influential masters in the development of modern Okinawan karate. Trained by several of the era’s foremost teachers—including Sokon Matsumura, Peichin Yara, and Kosaku Matsumora—Kyan synthesized their teachings into a distinctive approach emphasizing speed, precision, and practical self‑defense. His instruction shaped the foundations of many later systems, including the lineage that would evolve into Shorinji‑Ryū Karate. Through his students, such as Zenryo Shimabukuro, Kyan’s methods, kata, and training philosophy became central pillars of the Shorinji‑Ryū tradition, preserving the light, fast, and efficient techniques characteristic of classical Shuri‑te. Among his dedicated students was Seisei Yokoda, who carried forward Kyan’s principles of light, fast movement, efficient technique, and adaptable application. Through Yokoda’s transmission, these teachings became part of the lineage that would later influence the development of Shorinji‑Ryū Karate. This connection preserves Kyan’s legacy as a foundational source of the system’s technical character and training philosophy.
In the early 1960s, Zenpo Shimabukuro—son of Zenryo Shimabukuro, was sent by his father Philadelphia. During this visit, he introduced the principles and kata of his family’s Shorin‑based system to a Michael Broadman. Shimabukuro’s instruction provided Broadman with direct exposure to authentic Okinawan technique, emphasizing crisp movement, disciplined basics, and the characteristic Shuri‑te approach to self‑defense. This early transmission became one of the formative influences that later shaped the lineage leading into Shorinji‑Ryū Karate
Hanshi Kenneth Balliet’s development of Ryukyu Shorinji‑Ryū Karate‑Jutsu was shaped by two key instructors whose teachings formed the technical and philosophical core of his training. From Michael Broadman, Hanshi received a strong foundation in Shorin‑based kata, disciplined basics, and the structured methodology passed down through the Shimabukuro line. Through Seisei Yokoda, he inherited the principles of Chōtoku Kyan—light, fast movement, precise technique, and adaptable application rooted in classical Shuri‑te.
The combination of these two influences provided Hanshi Balliet with both the formal structure of the Shorin tradition and the fluid, individual‑expression mindset emphasized by Kyan’s lineage. This blend became the basis of the Ryukyu Shorinji‑Ryū Karate‑Jutsu system he later refined and transmitted