Has anyone heard of a style called gichin ryu? or is it another name for shotokan?

Question

i know funakoshis first name is gichin.

Answer 1

The only reference I found to Gichin Ryu was a place in Australia... Either they're teaching Shotokan and calling it something else, or the whole thing is bogus. They had a Gichin Funakoshi quote as some sort of attempt at legitimizing their site. I don't know... Seems suspect to me. Call them on it. See how they react. That'll tell you more than a piece of paper ever will.

Answer 2

Never heard of it in 18 years of training. If there is a school near you teaching it chances are it's a style made up by the instructor. Can't say whether it's bad or good, just make sure you check his credentials out.