Chinto Kata reportedly originated in the early 19th century and named after Chinto, a Chinese sailor shipwrecked on Okinawa during a typhoon. To survive, he was forced to steal food from the local Okinawans at night. Shortly thereafter, a famous Samurai swordsman, Matsumura, was sent to capture the thief . When Matsumura finally located Chinto, an intense fight ensued, but every time Matsumura attacked, Chinto would cleverly side-step the attack and quickly counter-attack. Matsumura failed to ever hit Chinto, and this effective evasion left him bewildered. Chinto escaped and hid in a graveyard. After falsely reporting to his lord that he had disposed of the thief, Matsumura, thoroughly impressed with the skill of Chinto, sought, found, and befriended him. He promised to keep Chinto's activities secret in exchange for instructions in Chinto's style of Chinese Boxing. Master Chinto is believed to have trained in Chuan Fa (Kempo) which was popular on China's southeastern coast. From those techniques, Matsumura formulated Chinto Kata which he taught to Chotoku Kyan, who in turn conveyed it to Tatsuo Shimabuku. Other sources state that Chinto was simply a Chinese military attache who taught Chuan Fa to select Okinawans.

Chinto translates as "Fighting to the East" or "Eastward Fighter." The purpose of the kata is commonly interpreted as leaming to fight on uneven terrain, pivoting and sidestepping to defend against an opponent, then following with rapid counter-attacks. This kata appears in Isshinryu, Shorin-Ryu, and Shotokan Karate in which it is called Gankaku, meaning "Crane on a Rock." It involves continuous adjustments through many stances, consists of about 56 moves, and uses about 55 seconds to complete.

Chinto is advanced and deceptive. The kata includes clever stance shifting with unpredictable counter-attacks. It moves quickly with commensurate wave and utilizes several spinning maneuvers. The footwork follows a straight line at a 45 degree angle from the starting position. Chinto features a double flying front kick (nidan geri), several spinning blocks, an elbow smash, and a kneeling punch. It incorporates most types of blocks known in Karate, including low blocks, middle-level blocks, head blocks, and double groin blocks with the knuckles. Included are numerous front snap kicks, shuto, and other techniques. Chinto spotlights the meaning of wave in kata performance. The major stances in Chinto are Seisan, Seiuchin, Nekoashi, "Chinto pivot," and Crane. Because the karateka does not remain in one stance for extended periods, the student is taught to think more of rhythm and timing than a rigid position. Continuous movement requires the karateka to embody each technique with clear intention and to retain balance continuously.

Many outstanding fighters have adapted the evasionary side-stepping principles of Chinto to their personal fighting styles. They use deceptive and evasive maneuvers, along with unexpected counter-attacks. This natural fluidity involves dropping the notion of set stances or unresponsive positions. Chinto teaches illusive fighting which is challenging to master, but also difficult to defend against. With more resilient footwork, pliable twisting of the torso, and rapid-fire execution of counters, the karateka's resources deepen. Chinto's lessons prepare the karateka for broadening awareness. Especially after Chinto, Isshinryu kata shift focus more apparently from merely physical manifestation.