Sensei Anko Itosu lived from 1832 to 1916 and was one of the founders of the modern Karate. He was of the initiators who opened up the fighting art Okinawa from its strict secrecy at the end of the 19th century. With others he systematized the technical repertoire and made several simple Kata which made Karate possible for everybody now specially for kids and teens. From his work Karate became established in Okinawan schoolsystem to make the student fitter physically, like the way of Kendo and Judo in Japan.
One of the students of Sensei Anko Itosu, Sensei Kenwa Mabuni created through synthesis of different Karate systems his own personal style. He named his style - in honor of his most important teachers - SHITO-RYU. In this name the initial of these two people joines together: SHI = for Ito of Ito-su and TO = Higa of Higa-onna =. This is made more clear to understand if you know the japanese art of writing, were there is a different meaning or spelling for the same symbol.

Sensei Kenwa Mabuni was one of the first who presented Karate in Japan and he started to teach his large style in 1920. In the same time as two of his friends. This two friends were Sensei Chojun Miyagi, the founder of the Goju-Ryu and Sensei Gichin Funakoshi, who trained with him under Sensei Itosu.