Hayashi-Ha Shitoryu-Kai is a prominant style of Shito-ryu karate developed and founded by Teruo Hayashi in Osaka, Japan in 1970. Soke ("grandmaster") Hayashi led the organization until his death in late 2004. Soke Hayashi studied on the Japanese mainland under Kosei Kuniba, a chief disciple of Shito-ryu's founder Kenwa Mabuni, and briefly under Kenwa Mabuni himself. Eventually Soke Hayashi sought out the roots of Karate in Okinawa. While on Okinawa, Soke Hayashi honed his Karate skills by his practice of Dojo Yaburi (dojo challenge), in which he would enter a dojo and challenge the sensei to a match. The man that issues the challenge must first fight the senior students in the dojo to win the right to fight the sensei. Soke Hayashi became renowned for defeating the sensei of many dojo. If Soke Hayashi was beaten at one of these schools he would stay and ask for training. His primary teachers while in Okinawa were Shoshin Nagamine and Nakaima Kenko. From Shoshin Nagamine he learned both the Shuri-te and Tomari-te lineages of kata. These kata tend to emphasize long linear stances and quick motion between stances. It was from this man that Soke Hayashi learned the Fujian White Crane form, Hakkaku. From Nakaima Kenko, Soke Hayashi learned an obscure family art called Ryuei-ryu. This style is a southern tiger style imported from China four generations prior to Soke Hayashi's arrival on Okinawa. Hayashi-ha incorporates much of Ryuei-ryu's theory in its practice. At the request of Kosei Kuniba upon his death in 1959, Soke Hayashi assumed the role of technical advisor and president of the Seishin-Kai at just 29 years of age. Soke Hayashi fulfilled this role until 1970 at which time he transferred leadership over to Shogo Kuniba, and founded his own organization. Soke Hayashi was technical chairman of the World Union of Karate Organizations (WUKO, later reorganized as the World Karate Federation, WKF), the emeritus chairman of the referee council of WKF, and in 1995 received his 9th degree black belt from the Japan Karate Federation (JKF). He was doubtless one of the foremost karate masters in the world.