was a
Ryūkyūan master of
karate. He and
Ankō Itosu were the two main karate masters who taught
Gichin Funakoshi, the founder of
Shotokan karate. Funakoshi appears to be the source of most of the information available on Asato. Many articles contain information about Asato, but the relevant parts are clearly based on Funakoshi's descriptions of him. Funakoshi first met Asato when he was a schoolmate of Asato's son; he called Asato "one of Okinawa's greatest experts in the art of karate." According to Funakoshi, Asato's family belonged to the (殿内) class (hereditary town and village chiefs), and held authority in the village of Asato, halfway between
Shuri and
Naha, and he was not only a master of karate, but also skilled at riding horses,
Jigen-ryū kendō (swordsmanship), archery, and an exceptional scholar.