Anko Shishu (his original Okinawan name), or as he is more commonly known, Yasutsune (anko) Itosu, was born in the Gibo district of Shuri (Okinawa's capital) in 1831 and was one of the most influential karate pioneers of the early 20th century.

Although Gichin Funakoshi has been accredited with spreading karate to Japan and the rest of the world, it was Yasutsune Itosu, who brought karate to the public attention of the people of Okinawa.

Itosu began instructing karate at the Shuri Jinjo Primary school in 1901. He also developed the Pinan kata series of five Okinawan Karate forms. Itosu developed the Pinan katas because he believed the other Karate forms were too difficult for high school children to learn. The five pinan forms were created by drawing from two older forms: kusanku (Korean: kong sang koon) and chiang nan (Korean: jae nam). Itosu taught Gichin Funakoshi the five Pinan kata and Funakoshi further adapted them to create the Heian kata.

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