Born in Osaka, Japan, in 1948, Masayuki Shimabukuro began his martial arts career with childhood lessons in judo, karate-do and Okinawan kobudo.
Upon meeting 20th-generation grandmaster Miura Takeyuki Hidefusa, Masayuki Shimabukuro began a lifelong pursuit of emulating his template for technical mastery and human compassion, grace and humility. In 1976, he moved to Southern California and began teaching shito-ryu karate-do, iaido, jodo and Okinawan kobudo---just in time for the 1980s fascination with samurai weapons and philosophy, which had become one of Masayuki Shimabukuro's specialties.
In the early 1990s, Masayuki Shimabukuro became a founding member of the North American Japanese Karate-do Masters Association and now serves on its board of directors. In 1995, Miura Takeyuki Hidefusa appointed Masayuki Shimabukuro international chairman of the Nippoin Kobudo Jikishin-Kai and entrusted him with the dissemination of authentic eishin-ryu swordsmanship.
In 2002, Miura Takeyuki Hidefusa awarded Masayuki Shimabukuro the title of hanshi and named him the 21st-generation inheritor designate of muso jikiden eishin-ryu iaijutsu. Masayuki Shimabukuro became a member of the prestigious Dai Nippon Butoku Kai, the oldest martial arts governing body in Japan. In 2003 he wrote the United States Amateur Athletic Union’s competition guidelines for iaido/battodo and served as the chairman for the organization’s iaido/battodo division. In 2006, he was inducted into the Black Belt Hall of Fame as Weapons Instructor of the Year.