Dr. Tsuyoshi Chitose (1898-1984), M.D., 10th Degree Black Belt and founder of Chito-ryu, was born in the Kumochi area of Naha City on the 
island of Okinawa on October 18, 1898.
His original birth name was Chinen (Gochoku) Masuo. His father Chinen (Masuo) Chiyoyu, married into his wife's last name -- a common practice in Japan at the time because inheritence laws discriminated against households without sons -- and was not a practitioner of karate. Chitose Sensei changed his name to Tsuyoshi Chitose after he moved to Tokyo in 1922 to attend medical college. This name change was probably driven in part by the discrimination that Okinawans faced in Japanese society. It is a testimony to Dr. Chitose's drive and intellect that he, as an Okinawan, was accepted to Japan's premier University for his medical studies early in the 20th century. 
Chitose Sensei's mother's grandfather was a very famous karate master. His name was Sokon (Bushi) Matsumura (1797-1889). Matsumura Sensei was considered one of the great karate (Tode) figures of the nineteenth century. Matsumura Sensei started his karate training when he was thirteen years old. His father, Sofuku Matsumura, took him to see a seventy eight year old karate teacher named Tode (Karate) Sakugawa. Sakugawa Sensei (1733-1815) was born in Akata Cho, a small section of the city of Shuri, Okinawa. When Sakugawa was a young man he had been a student of Takahara Peichin (1683 - 1760). He had also studied for six years (1756 to 1762) with a Chinese military envoy (Kusanku). It is from this part of our history that we get the kata - Seisan, Niseishi, Sochin, Sakugawa No Kon Sho, and Kusanku. Years later Bushi Matsumura had an opportunity to train with a Chinese trader named Chinto. When Chinto returned to China, Matsumura Sensei developed a kata from the many movements he had learned and named it Chinto in his teacher's honor.