Hayashi-ha Karate was established in 1970 by Grandmaster Teruo Hayashi who has been described as one of the last great Japanese Budo masters. Teruo Hayashi was Born in Nara, Japan October 1924. He began martial arts at the age of 14 and was considered a karate prodigy.

He started practicing Shito Ryu-Karate in 1942 under Kosai Kuniba, a direct student of Kenwa Mabuni, the founder of the main style of Japanese Karate, Shito Ryu. From 1949-1959 Hayashi traveled to Okinawa learning Goju Ryu under Kanryo Higaonna and was one of the few to learn Ryuei-Ryu from Kenko Nakaima, a family style that was not open to outsiders. In 1970 he established the Japan Karatedo Hayashi-Ha Shitoryu-Kai, which became a major style of Shito-Ryu. 

Through the 1970’s the style had developed into a strong Karate organization Hayashi also became a prominent member of the Japan Karate Federation (JKF), and was awarded 9th Dan in 1995. Grandmaster Teruo Hayashi passed away September 2004 in Osaka Japan. His pursuit of martial arts consisted of teaching students to preserve the various styles he had learned.