Shuri Tomari-te lineage the "Shorinji-ryu Naming Monument"

The "Shorinji-ryu Naming Monument," standing in Chinen, Nanjo City, is a valuable historical site that commemorates the birth and history of the major Okinawa Karate style "Shorinji-ryu," which was founded and named in 1955 by Nakazato Joen (1922-2010), a karate practitioner from Chinen Village (Nanjo City, Okinawa) who inherited the techniques and spirit of the legendary karate master Kyan Chotoku, known as the Kensei.
Nakazato Joen trained under Kyan Chotoku, who lived in Yomitan Village from 1938 to 1943, and received direct instruction from him for 6 years and 8 months.
Kyan Chotoku inherited the karate styles of Shuri-te from Matsumura Sokon and Tomari-te from Matsumora Kosaku, and from his school emerged a number of famous karate masters, including Nakazato Joen of Shorin-Ryu, Shimabukuro Zenryo of Shorin-Ryu, and Nagamine Shoshin of Shorin-Ryu.
In May 1955, Nakazato Joen named the karate style he had inherited from his master "Shorinji-Ryu," which is based on the Zen teaching of "pouring one bowl of water into another" and is founded on the 8 kata that were passed down from Kyan Chotoku.
Nakazato Joen devoted his life to preserving and faithfully passing on the traditional techniques he learned from Kyan Chotoku, ensuring that they remained unchanged.
In recognition of his achievements, he was designated as a holder of the Okinawa Prefecture intangible cultural asset "Okinawa Karate and Kobujutsu" in 2000 and was selected as an Okinawa Prefecture Person of Cultural Merit in 2007.
This monument is an important cultural heritage site that conveys the authentic lineage of Shorinji-ryu to the present day while also highlighting the significant achievements of Nakazato Joen for future generations.