A branch of Shōrin-ryū
Shōbayashi Shōrin-ryū (少林流) is one of the branches of Shōrin-ryū, the Shuri-te lineage of Okinawan karate. The name distinguishes it from the sister branches Kobayashi and Matsubayashi; all three write "Shōrin" with characters meaning "small forest", read in Chinese as Shaolin, marking the tradition's claimed descent from Chinese boxing.
Shimabukuro Eizō
The branch was shaped by Shimabukuro Eizō (島袋榮三, 1925–2017), younger brother of Shimabuku Tatsuo, the founder of Isshin-ryū. Eizō studied chiefly in the line of Kyan Chōtoku, one of the most influential Shuri-te teachers, and preserved Kyan's kata together with their characteristic light, mobile footwork.
To keep Kyan's karate light on its feet.
Transmission today
Shōbayashi Shōrin-ryū is carried on today by the students Eizō trained on Okinawa and abroad. Its history is documented from the well-recorded careers of Kyan and of Eizō himself, placing it among the clearly attested modern Shuri-te lineages.