 Shoren Ryu was one of the oldest karate systems. It originated in Okinawa under the name Shurite founded by Grandmaster Sokan Matsumura. It means hand and Shuri was one of the three cities that had the strongest roots in karate. Grandmaster Anko Itosu was one of the most prominent of these Shurite masters who created many of the kata and shaped the art further. His student, master Chosen Chibana branched off and renamed the art to Shoren Ryu or Okinawan for Shaolin. Chibana expanded on the kata and became the first practitioner of the art to reach Tentan. Now Shoren Ryu focuses on fluid movement, higher stances, and it favors a canted inverted punch that is the source of much debate. Shoren Ryu is the basis of Shotokan karate itself, the root of many other martial arts including Kyo-Kashin and Tonksudo. With the oldest roots in karate, Shoren Ryu has some of the most influence on the modern-day martial art systems.