Shuri-Te is one of the three most notable Okinawan Karate that existed during the 18th century, the other two being Naha-Te and Tomari-Te. At that time, all Okinawan martial arts were referred to as "te" or hand because of the hand-to-hand techniques that are commonly found in each style. Since each place had a different style unique to them, they were called as where they came from. In this case, Shuri-Te came from the village of Shuri. Shuri-te continuously developed and branched out, becoming the backbone for other notable styles such as:

• Shōtōkan-ryū
• Shōtōkai
• Wadō-ryū
• Shitō-ryū
• Motobu-ryū
• Shuri-ryū
• Shōrin-ryū
• Shudokan
• Keishinkan
• Shōrinji-ryū