ncle, Shimabuku sought out the famous Chotoku Kyan, another Shorin-ryu master. After some time and developing an excellent kicking ability, his next sensei would be Chojun Miyagi, known for his vigorous training habits, Miyagi would teach Shimabuku, Naha-te, known today as the Goju-ryu style. His fourth teacher was a man by the name of Choki Motobu, a famous brawler in Okinawa. Motobu goes on to further Shimabuku in Shorin-ryu and grants him the title of Master (Armstrong, 1993: 8). Lastly, master, Shinken Taira helped polish Shimabuku's training by teaching him the art of the Bo, Sai, and Tee-fa (Armstrong, 1993: 9). Now with a complete and fulfilled training from the teachings of some of Okinawa's legendary teachers, Tatsuo Shimabuku sets of to begin a life of his own in the martial arts.
             Late one evening at his home in Chun Village, Shimabuku would experience a life changing event that would lead to the development of what is know today Isshinryu karate. Awakened one night by his dream of the "Mizu-gami", a sea goddess, Tatsuo realizes that the Mizu-gami is a symbol of the unification of his life training. Thus it would be on that evening that Isshinryu was born (Armstrong, 1993: 27). Later, his vision was produced on a patch worn by all students of Isshinryu karate since it embodied the creation of the martial art. The symbol on the patch is also the emblem Isshinryu karate. Its oval shape was originally designed to represent the unique vertical fist in Isshinryu karate. The symbol depicts a woman whose lower half appears to take the form of a sea dragon. Her left hand is held open in the universal sign of peace while her right hand forms an Isshinryu fist. In Oriental mythology, the dragon in the sky is a sign of good luck while the gray background and churning seas is a sign of unknown dangers. Three stars are located at the top of the emblem representing three virtues. These
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