Ryoshi (founder)
Ryoshi is the pseudonymous founder of the Shiba Inu memecoin, and is also associated with the RYOSHI token. Similar to Satoshi Nakamoto, the creator of Bitcoin, Ryoshi’s real-world identity is unknown, and it is unclear whether the name refers to a single individual or a group.[2][1] The name “Ryoshi” means “fisherman” (Japanese: 漁師) in Japanese.[1]
In now-deleted blog posts, Ryoshi claimed to hold 0 SHIB, arguing that owning the token would compromise their neutrality and make them concerned with price movements.[1][2] Some blockchain analytics, such as an investigation by Bubblemaps reported by Decrypt, have suggested based on on-chain clustering that the founder may control a substantial SHIB stash, potentially around 10% of the supply, although these assessments remain analytic interpretations rather than confirmed facts.[6] Members of the Shiba Inu team have publicly pushed back against such narratives, arguing that anonymous on-chain data can be misinterpreted and used to spread inaccurate information.[6]
History
SHIBA was first launched in August 2020 as a decentralized cryptocurrency inspired by Dogecoin.[2] Afterwards, LEASH and BONE tokens were introduced, as a part of Shiba Inu’s DEX project. In addition to these, other proposals such as the Shiba Inu Metaverse and the Shiba Inu games were presented.[2]
In August 2020, Ryoshi created the RYOSHI token to address what they viewed as high fees and a lack of transparency affecting Shiba Inu and Dogecoin. Like these other tokens, RYOSHI is a community-driven cryptocurrency. It was developed to improve upon the existing problems faced by these other digital assets and provide a more efficient and transparent alternative.[3]
On May 29, 2021, Ryoshi published a now-removed blog post called 'I AM RYOSHI' in which the creator talked about their own identity.[2]
"I've said from the start, I'm nobody, I'm not important. Attempts to dismantle my "identity", even if successful, will be disappointing. I'm just a non-consequential guy typing on a keyboard and I'm replaceable. I'm Ryoshi."
Around late May 2022, approximately one year after their last blog post, Ryoshi deleted their Medium posts and removed their tweets, effectively disappearing from public view and leaving their social media accounts blank or deactivated.[4][5] Before disappearing, they had previously hinted at the possibility of such an exit. In a blog post, they said:[3]
I am not important, and one day I will be gone without notice. Take the SHIBA and journey upwards frens.
After disappearing, Ryoshi sent another message titled 'We are all Ryoshi' along with a picture of Buddhist Jetsun Milarepa and stated, 'Every Shibarmy is Ryoshi. It does not represent someone, but the glory of Shibarmy.' In addition, all four SHIB blogs written by Ryoshi on Medium have been deleted.[4] Since Ryoshi’s exit from public communication, project leadership and development of the broader Shiba Inu ecosystem, including initiatives such as Shibarium and the Shiba Inu Metaverse, have been driven by Shytoshi Kusama and other members of the Shiba Inu core team.[2][7]
A Twitter user called "cionny.eth" created an NFT of Ryoshi's now-deleted 'I AM RYOSHI' Medium article, which outlined his vision for SHIB and included the earliest concepts for Shibarium. This article was Ryoshi's final statement on SHIB. The NFT, which is stored on the Ethereum blockchain, is a 3-minute video of the entire blog post.[5]
