Teruo Chinen

was a prominent Japanese master of Gōjū-ryū Karate. He founded the Jundokan International karate organization and held the title of Shihan. Chinen held the rank of 7th dan in karate.

Early life Chinen was born on June 8, 1941, in Kobe, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, of Okinawan and Japanese ancestry. His father, Seisho Chinen, was an Okinawan martial artist who served in the Imperial Japanese Navy; he had trained in various Okinawan weapons.

Although Okinawan, Chinen's father adopted Japanese ways, and this included the naming conventions applied to his children. After about six years of training, Chinen received promotion to black belt status. Chinen left Okinawa to teach karate in Tokyo, where he joined his friend Morio Higaonna, who had opened a dojo there, Chinen has credited Higaonna with teaching him the technical aspects of Gōjū-ryū karate.

From 1973 to 1979, Chinen traveled through Europe and South Africa, teaching karate. and was no longer associated with the IOGKF. He assisted in the preparation of the book Classical Kata of Okinawan Karate (1987) as a translator. In 1987, he taught kata in Vancouver. Around 1988, Miyazato promoted Chinen to the rank of 7th dan. Speaking in 1997 about the future of karate in the USA, he said: "I hope that the next generations will not only improve technically but also know how to share their knowledge. People must pass on the traditions and not lose them. In the old days in China and Okinawa, the teaching was done behind closed doors. Now, thanks to the media, Karatedo is no longer a secret. There's more sharing now."

Chinen developed and taught many unique and highly-effective training methods during his karate career. During these lifelong teachings, Chinen continually stressed the importance of maintaining the Zen concept of "Beginner's Mind", relentless training, maintaining strong physical conditioning, and remembering the Chinese roots of Okinawan Goju-ryu Karate. One of the prominent points of emphasis to his students was to live life with a "firm fist, but a compassionate heart".