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On June 1st 1921, at his 29th birthday, he received the title Menkyo Kaiden from the hands of Nakayama sensei. Menkyo Kaiden is something like head of the style, someone who is responsible of passing the style on to futuregenerations.
His interest for all kinds of martial arts and different styles was big. He became good friends with Ueshiba Morihei, the founder of Aikido. His interest for the martial arts from Okinawa was already present before Funankoshi came to Japan. Ohtsuka heard about Funankoshi and went to talk with him. He started the training with Funankoshi and after 11/2 year he became already Funankoshi best student. Some say because natural talent and abilities and/or because his earlier experiences with jiu jitsu. Ohtsuka not only trained with Funankoshi. With Choki Motobu he studied and refined kata Naihanchi and KenwaMabuni also refined and improved to his knowledge several kata.
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Ohtsuka stayed with Funankoshi until about 1931. The experiments of Ohtsuka with randori and free fighting, from his jiu jitsu past , couldn't be approved by the Okinawaian master, who held the perspective of the old principle that only training of kihon (basic techniques) and kata would be enough to deal in a real fight. Going their own way they remained in good contact and were photographed together as late as 1935. Ohtsuka started his own club; the Dai Nippon Karate do Shinko club in 1934 and was registered. In 1939 the Butokan demanded that all the karate styles should be registered. Ohtsuka called his style Wado ryu.
During the occupation of Japan by America all martial arts were forbidden. Still they kept on training but called it "Japanese boxing" and if possible training was done in secret. In 1951 finally the ban on martial arts was lifted. In 1966 Ohtsuka sensei was awarded "Kun Goto Kyokujitsu Shou" by emperor Hirohito for his dedication to the introduction and teaching of Karate. In 1972 he was awarded "Meijin"; the highest title possible, the first man in history to be so honoured. Hironori Ohtsuka 10th dan, Saiko Shihan, Meijin, died at the age of ninety years on 29th january 1982 after training martial arts for eighty five years.
