Teruo Chinen was born June 8th 1941, in Kobe, Japan, and moved to Naha when he was five years old. His father, who was in the Imperial Navy, died during the war. Chinen Sensei's grandfather was a Shorin Ryu Karate instructor and his father practiced with weapons such as the Bo, Sai, and Nunchaku. When Chinen Sensei converted to Goju Ryu Karate as a youth, he was treated as a revolutionary by his Shorin Ryu family. He was greatly influenced at an early age by a Karate school next to his home. The dojo was that of Chojun Miyagi, the founder of Goju Ryu.
Chinen Sensei began training in 1954 under Ei'ichi Miyazato Sensei at the Jundokan dojo. After 5 years of intensive training, Chinen Sensei left for Tokyo, Japan. In 1959 he joined with his close friend Morio Higaonna who had opened a Dojo in Tokyo. They trained together at the Jundokan for five years. As an assistant to Higaonna Sensei, Chinen Sensei enjoyed ten years of teaching Okinawan Gojo Ryu Karate in Tokyo. The two instructors ate and slept little, devoting all their time to hard training and the teaching of students. Higaonna Sensei and Chinen Sensei developed Randori during these years to improve fighting technique without the injuries that accompany full speed and power kumite. Randori has become a major training technique that is unique to Gojo Ryu. Chinen Sensei credits Higaonna Sensei as the man who taught him technical Gojo Ryu. By the year 1969, the two instructors taught classes for approximately 10,000 students.
Sensei Chinen felt fortunate and proud to have been able to study with Sensei Ei'ichi Miyazato and to be able to train with Master Miyagi as a youth. He contends that Miyazato Sensei taught him about people and how Goju Ryu means gentleness in dealing with human relations. Higaonna Sensei taught him the importance of endless training. Never give up.
In 1984 Chinen Sensei formed Jundokan International in honor of his teacher, Ei'ichi Miyazato Sensei. Jundokan dojos now operate throughout the United States, Africa, Canada and Europe.