Early life and training Chitose was born on October 18, 1898, in the town of Kumochi,
Naha City,
Okinawa Prefecture. He would first begin his training under the tutelage of
Seishō Arakaki in 1905 at the age of seven. During this his first seven years he was taught the basics and just one single
kata Sanchin. He would continue training under Arakaki further learning the kata
Unsū,
Niseishi,
Seisan, and possibly Shihōhai; until around 1913 or 1914 when they split seemly over a personal dispute. Following this he would train under several other masters most notably
Higaonna Kanryō (learning
Saifa,
Sepai,
Kururunfa,
Tensho),
Chōtoku Kyan (learning
Ananku,
Chintō,
Kūsankū, and
Passai),
Choyu Motobu (learning
Wansu),
Hanashiro Chomo (learning
Jion), and
Sanda Chinen (learning
Bōjutsu, and Kobudō). While under these masters tutelage he was a co-student to many future greats of the karate world including
Kenwa Mabuni (Founder of
Shitō-ryū),
Chōjun Miyagi (founder of
Gōjū-ryū),
Juhatsu Kyoda (founder of
Tōon-ryū),
Ankichi Arakaki, and
Masami Chinen (Founder of
Yamanni ryu). During his formative years another karate great
Gichin Funakoshi (Founder of
Shotokan) was his elementary school teacher and also in this class were schoolmates
Gigō Funakoshi and
Shōshin Nagamine (founder of
Matsubayashi-ryū).
Time in Tokyo In March 1921 the Crown Prince of Japan
Hirohito made a visit to Okinawa. During this visit Chitose was asked to be a part of a karate demonstration along with several other respected masters of the day. After this Chitose would move to Tokyo to study medicine at
University of Tokyo. He would remain in Tokyo until 1932 when he join
Imperial Japanese Army Medical Corps.
In China From 1932 until the end of
WWII Chitose would serve in the Imperial Japanese Army
Medical Corps where he would retire as a Major. Most notably during this time he was stationed in a small village in China. While there he would treat and befriend many of the local people. When they discovered that he was a martial artist they introduced him to an old
kung fu teacher from the neighboring area. He would later host a karate and kobudo tournament at the Kumamoto Kubukiza to raise money for the impoverished people of his homeland in Okinawa. In 1948 Chitose would help to found the ; along with Gichin Funakoshi, Kenwa Mabuni, and
Sekō Higa, and
Kanken Tōyama; serving as the President of the
Kyushu region. It was around this time that he would finally settle on a name for his style
Chitō-ryū, the name of the style translates as:
chi (千) - 1,000;
tō (唐) - China;
ryū (流) - style, school, "1,000 year old Chinese style." The character
tō (唐) refers to the
Tang dynasty of China. former International Commissioner of Karate in the United States), Wallace Reumann (founder American Karate Federation), Robert Wightman, Warren Pochinski, Arby Edwards, and Roger Warren among several others. With the servicemen returning home as well as a few of his other senior students such as Masami Tsuruoka (father of Karate in Canada) and Thomas Morita, the teachings of Chitose quickly began to spread in North America. Tsuruoka headed up things in Canada while initially Morita would lead Chito-Ryu in the U.S.A. before Chitose decided to hand the reins to Dometrich. After this Chitose and Yamamoto toured the US and Canada meeting and training many Chito-ryu students.
Latter years and death In 1975 Chitose would move his Sohobu dojo to its current location in Tsuboi,
Chūō-ku, Kumamoto,
Japan. He would continue to travel and dedicate himself to the training of Chito-Ryu practitioners around the world. By the early 1980s it was clear that his health was in decline, but he remained steadfast in his training and teaching, though he would need somewhat frequent rests. Dr. Tsuyoshi Chitose would pass away on the 6th June 1984 at the age of 86. He would leave behind his wife, seven children, and many grandchildren. ==Successor==