Chōmo Hanashiro

Okinawan karateka (1869-1945)

花城長茂 · 하나시로 조모

Born

1869, Shuri

Died

1945, Japan

Citizenship

Japan

Sport

karate

Occupation

karateka, politician

Chōmo Hanashiro (花城 長茂, Hanashiro Chōmo; Okinawan: Hanagusuku Chomu; 1869–1945) was an Okinawan martial arts master who is notable for aiding in the evolution of Shōrin-ryū karate. Early in his childhood, he became a student of the renowned master Matsumura Sōkon, of the Shuri-te style. In addition to being a recognized expert in martial arts, Hanashiro was the first to formally use the kanji kara (空) instead of "to" or "tang" (唐), a term by which Okinawa's martial art became known: "karate".

Teachers

• Ankō Itosu

Students

• Ankichi Arakaki
• Seiichi Akamine

External links

• Wikipedia
• Wikidata

Facts from Wikidata Q705617 (CC0); quoted introduction from English Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Data retrieved 2026-10-22.

Data: Wikidata (CC0 1.0); Wikipedia (English) (CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.