Chotoku Kyan (his name can be also read as Kiyatake-in a Japanese way) was born on December, 1870 (3d year of Meiji era) in the Okinawan village of Shuri. Chotoku was the third son of Chofu Kyan, the Chamberlain of King Sho Tai - the last king of Ryukyu Islands (Okinawa).
After the King Sho Tai was dethrowned by Japanese authorities and exiled from Okinawa to Tokyo Chofu Kyan and his family followed the King. Young Chotoku Kyan lived in Tokyo for three years and after graduating from high school he returned to Okinawa.
Having the recommendations from his father (who as many members of the King family took much time in practicing martial arts and had good connections with many Okinawan karate masters) Chotoku Kyan took lessons from the most prominent Masters of that time: Sokon Matsumura, Anko Itosu, Yara Chatan, Kosaku Matsumura, and also Maeda and Tokumine.
During the period of study in the Sokon Matsumura class the famous Gichin Funakoshi was among the pupils too. Gichin Funakoshi later exported karate from Okinawa to Japan and opened the famous dojo "Shotokan".
Chotoku Kyan did not follow the Funakoshi's way of broad popularization of karate and its steady transformation into the kind of sports. He remained to stay in Okinawa. Being rather small and lean Kyan proved to be one of the best fighters of that time and never lost thanks to his tactics of taisabaki (deviation from attacks).
On the basis of karate knowledge Kyan has got from the best Okinawan Masters he created a harmonious system of teaching Okinawan "Shorinryu" martial arts. Later he taught his pupils the original versions of the following kata:
Seisan, Naifanchi, Gojushiho - (taught by Sokon Matsumura, "Shuri-te style")
Bassai - (taught by Kokan Oyadomari, "Tomati-te"style)
Wanshu - (taught by Maeda, "Tomari-te"style)
Chinto - (taught by Kosaku Matsumura,"Tomari-te" style)
Kushanku - (taught by Yara Chatan, "Shuri-te" style)
Ananku - (taught by his father, who learned this kata during his visit to Taiwan)
Tokumine-no kon - (kata with bo (182 cm stick) taught by Tokumine)
Later Chotoku Kyan created "Tode Research center"("tode" means "Chinese hand" and later was transformed into the term "karate") and taught martial arts in agricultural college and the police station of Kadena town.
There is only one book still remained that was written by Chotoku Kyan.
In 1930 Kyan published "Kempo kaisetsu"("Treatise about Fighting"). It was published by the Tokyo State University Publishing House and the circulation was very small. The book includes three chapters: "The history and the purpose of tode",
"The training process features" and "The fighting features".
There were famous masters of karate who gave life to their own styles among the pupils and the followers of Chotoku Kyan. Their names are well known all over the world: Joen Nakazato, the founder and the President of All-Okinawan Shorinryu Assosiation; Shoshin Nagamine, the founder of Matsubayashi-ryu karate;
Zenryo Shimabukuro and many others.
At the age of 73 Chotoku Kyan was still practicing karate and even took part in embu (demonstration of karate techniques).
In the end of the Second World War Kyan moved to the North of Okinawa, the Ishikawa city.
Chotoku Kyan passed away on December, 20, 1945 at the age of 75.