Yasutsune (Ankoh) Itosu (1830-1915) was born in the Yamagawa Village, Shuri, and became a student of Sokon "Bushi" Matsumura at a very early age. As an educated man well-versed in Chinese classics, Japanese classics and calligraphy, he held the position of Secretary for the Administrative Office of the Ryukyu kingdom under the last Ryukyuan king, Sho Tai, until the monarchy was dissolved in 1879. 

In April 1901, Itosu introduced karate to the physical training curriculum at the Shuri Jingo Elementary School.  Four years later he became the karate teacher at the Prefectural Dai Ichi College and the Prefectural Teacher's Training College.  In 1908 he wrote a letter (now referred to as the "Ten Articles of Karate") to the Prefectural Education Department which led to the introduction of karate to all Okinawan schools.

Yasutsune (Ankoh) Itosu is credited for simplifying Matsumura's katas.  Itosu split the Pinan kata (Heian) into Pinan Shodan, Pinan Nidan and Pinan Sandan.  He is also credited with creating Pinan Yondan and Pinan Godan.  He also took the Naihanchi (Tekki) kata and broke it into three katas:  Naihanchi Shodan,  Naihanchi Nidan and  Naihanchi Sandan.  He also based the Pinans on the advanced katas: Kushanku, Passai, Chinto and Jion.

Gichin Funakoshi refers to his physical strength, his incredible ability to withstand blows and his incredible grip.

Master Funakoshi recounts that neither Master Itosu nor Azato ever bragged of their "heroic" attainments in karate, they would say that those "crazy things" were to be blamed on their youth.

What is clear is that he was a master who had innumerable and very important students, many of them created a series of different styles of Karate, even though it was never his intention to have this happen.  One of his most famous students was Gichin Funakoshi, someone that always remembered him throughout his life as a great example of what a great master should be and tried to transmit the teachings he received from him.

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