Chotoku Kyan  (1870-1945) was born into a wealthy family of Shuri, Okinawa. His father  first introduced him to Tode at the young age of five. He would study Tode each day. Both his father and his grandfather provided the instruction.

Chotoku Kyan's father was an official of the King who had gain excess for his son to study under the Kings greatest Tode warrior and instructor, Soken Bushi Matsumura.  Kyan also gained Tode knowledge through the teachings of Pechin Maeda, Pechin Oyademari Kokan, and Chatan Yara. He learned such kata as Seisan & Chinto from Bushi, Washu from Maede, Passai from Kokan, Kusanku from Yara. He learned Bo from Tokumine who was at the time considered to be the best at the art of Bo.

From his home Kyan started to teach Tode. He would travel to mainland Japan to promote Tode in the 1920's under its new name, Karate. He also visited Taiwan during this time. Due to difficulties Chotoku Kyan moved from Shuri to Kadena. There he continued to teach a small group and perfect his own kata, Ananku. Before his death in 1945 of hunger he had taught several men who would pass on the knowledge of Tode; Zenryo Shimabukuro, Nagamini Shoshin, and the Father of Modern Karate, Ginchin Funakoshi.