Naihanji Cho-Dan is actually one of a series of forms. Naihanji is an Okinawan name meaning “Prancing Horse.” The predominance of riding stances and the straight line side to side of the form represent a horse prancing sideways. The forms were originally part of the Shori-te (Shorei-ryu) style of Okinawan karate. The originator of the first of the series (Cho-Dan) is not known, but Anko Itosu is believed to have developed the second and third.
The Naihanji forms were added to the Shotokan Karate system by Gichin Funakoshi under the name Tekki. This new name means “Iron Horse.” The forms went on to be introduced to Korea, where they are taught as part of the Tang Soo Do system under the Korean name Chul-Gi.