As its exposure increased, many became interested in Miyagi Chojun Senseis art. One of Miyagi Chojun Senses senior disciples, Shinzato Sensei, gave a performance of kata at a Japanese martial arts tournament. Afterwards, a master asked the name of his school. Shinzato Sensei had no answer for him, returned to Okinawa and told Miyagi Chojun Sensei about his encounter. In order to promote his art as well as cooperate with other schools of Japanese martial arts, Miyagi Chojun Sensei decided it was necessary to name his art. It became known as Goju Ryu Karate, meaning hard and soft taken from the precepts of traditional Chinese Kempo (see below). He was the first among different schools of karate to name his art and in 1933 his art of Goju Ryu was formally registered at the Butoku-kai, Japanese Martial Arts Association.

 

During the 1930s, Miyagi Chojun Sensei actively developed and promoted karate-do in Japan and throughout the world. For example, in 1934, a Hawaiian newspaper company invited him to Hawaii in order to introduce and populate karate in Hawaii. In 1936, Miyagi Chojun Sensei spent two months in Shanghai, China, for further study of Chinese martial arts. In 1937, he was awarded a commendation by the Butoku-kai for his kata. Miyagi Chojun Sensei developed Goju Ryu by analyzing and employing scientific methods of exercise. In 1940, he created katas Gekisai Dai ichi and Gekisai Dai ni with the purpose of popularizing karate and improving the physical education of young people. He also created Tensho kata emphasizing the softness of the art whereas Sanchin kata emphasizes the hardness.

A tragic period ensued in the 1940s as a result of World War II and Miyagi Chojun Sensei stopped teaching. During this period he lost a son and a senior student while enduring the devastations of war and poverty. After the war, Okinawan karate spread rapidly throughout mainland Japan. Miyagi Chojun Sensei taught karate in Kansai, Japan, for a short time. In 1946, however, he started teaching karate at the Okinawan Police Academy as well as in the backyard of his home in Tsuboya where his son still lives today.

From the beginning, Miyagi Chojun Sensei recognized karate as a valuable social treasure of Okinawa. He devoted his entire life to the study, development and transmission of Okinawan karate for the sake of future generations and is truly known as the founder of Goju Ryu karate-do. During his lifetime, Miyagi Chojun Sensei was known and respected by everyone not only in Okinawa but also respected throughout the world as one of karates greatest authorities.

Miyagi Chojun Sensei chose the name Goju Ryu from the Eight Precepts of traditional Chinese Kempo found in the document Bubishi and are as follows:
1.The mind is one with heaven and earth.
2.The circulatory rhythm of the body is similar to the cycle of the sun and the moon.
3.The way of inhaling and exhaling is hardness and softness.
4.Act in accordance with time and change.
5.Techniques will occur in the absence of conscious thought.
6.The feet must advance and retreat, separate and meet.
7.The eyes do not miss even the slightest change.
8.The ears listen well in all directions.

These eight precepts are the essence of the martial arts and are the elements one strives to achieve in training Goju Ryu Karate-do. Such training shall serve to lead humankind to rediscover our natural instincts and capabilities.

 

 Kata

Fukyu Kata
Jo-chu-ge
Chu-keri-ge
kouke-jo-chu-ge

Kihon Kata
Sanchin

Kaishu Kata
Gekisai ichi
Gekisai  ni
Saifa
Shisochin
Sesan
Sanseryu
Seienchin
Sepai
Kururunfa
Suparinpe

Heishu Kata
Tensho

 

Higaonna Kanryo Sensei

Higaonna Kanryo Sensei was born in the village of Naha on March 10, 1853. He belonged to the lower gentry and went by the name "Machu" as a small boy. From childhood Machu showed great interest in the fighting arts and was eager to learn as much as possible. Despite his small size for his age, Machu could move very quickly and his body was extremely limber.

At age fourteen Machu began to learn Chinese Kempo. His well developed and strong body enabled him to master Chinese Kempo rather quickly. After only a short period of time, Machu was able to achieve a level of expertise in both skill and technique comparable to that of his teacher. He became well known as a master martial artist in Naha at a young age. However, Machu was unsatisfied with his level of skill and longed to go to China and study the Chinese martial arts and culture. Unfortunately, his father had six children to look after and was unable to offer him financial assistance. But Higaonna Kanryo Sensei did not give up hope.

With some persistence and determination, Higaonna Sensei reached his goal. Through his instructor, he was introduced to and was able to convince the owner of a ship, in the port city of Naha, to grant him a passage to China. His dream to study in China, restricted to the well to do at that time, was finally fulfilled. At age sixteen he left Naha for the Chinese port of Foochow where he stayed at the Okinawan settlement called the Ryukyu-kan. It took almost a year for Higaonna Kanryu Sensei to be introduced to the master of Chinese kempo, Master Ryu Ryuko.

Even after Higaonna Sensei was introduced, he was not immediately accepted as a disciple. The Chinese masters would take the time to study the personality and character of candidates before accepting any disciples. Thus, Higaonna Sensei was given tasks of tending the garden and cleaning the rooms of the master and did these tasks earnestly and enthusiastically over a long period of time. Impressed by his attitude, Master Ryu Ryuko finally accepted Higaonna Sensei as his personal disciple.

As a disciple, Higaonna Sensei would help his master at his trade as a bamboo craftsman by day and then train after dark. Training began with the practice of Sanchin, then lifting the Nigiri-game (heavy ceramic jars) by their rims to strengthen the student's grip while practicing Unsoku-ho (a pattern of stepping movements) to develop proper footing. Exercises continued using the Muchi-ishi (natural stone) and Makiwara (striking post) as well as an Uki (bamboo basket) where two persons would practice close fighting and choking techniques inside. These new tools and training techniques fascinated Higaonna Sensei and increased his interest in karate even more. The harsh training took its toll, however, and his legs, hands and shoulders were always swollen from over exertion. Nevertheless, it was this harsh training that enabled him to develop his muscles like forged steel. After several years of harsh training, he became his master's most skillful disciple.

Throughout the city of Foochow, the fame of Higaonna Kanryo Sensei as a great martial artist gradually spread. An episode involving a discussion between students of two dojos (training place) lead to a competition in order to demonstrate who was superior in skill. In order to choose a superior martial artist without anyone getting hurt, each master chose their best student to perform kata instead of free style fighting. Higaonna Sensei was chosen to represent his dojo. The students from the other dojo were struck with admiration as they watched Higaonna Sensei perform the Sanchin kata. Afterwards, the master of the other dojo admitted Master Ryu Ryuko's art was superior to his own and Higaonna Sensei's fame spread even further. Many martial artists tried to engage him in a fight to prove their bravery but Higaonna Sensei kept his promise to his master not to fight to show off his skill and declined these challenges.

Master Ryu Ryuko watched over Higaonna Sensei as if her were his own son. Higaonna Sensei stayed as a disciple for about thirteen years, living at his master's home and practicing daily in his yard. After this period of time, he left his master and the city of Foochow to return to Okinawa. Upon his return, Higaonna Sensei visited the owner of the ship, Udon Yoshimura, who had made his passage to China possible. Udon Yoshimura was very impressed by the modest yet dignified person Higaonna Sensei had grown up to be and asked him to teach his sons some of the skills he had learned in China. The second son, Yoshimura Chogi, took great interest in the martial arts and practiced eagerly.

Higaonna Sensei's fame spread rapidly throughout Naha, attracting the attention of the King of the Ryukyu Dynasty. Thus for many years, he taught the martial arts to the members of the royal family as well. However, many people in the town came to Higaonna Sensei and asked to be taken on as personal disciples. But due to the harshness of the training, only a few remained with him for long. Among his disciples, young Miyagi Chojun was one of the few that remained. Higaonna Sensei had opened his house in Nishimachi as a dojo and was teaching his art to his disciples without charging any tuition. In addition to his private instruction, Higaona Sensei began teaching at a public high school in Naha at the request of the principal in 1905. He inculcated the students with both the physical and spiritual value of his art.

During his thirteen years in China, Higoanna Sensei mastered many traditional martial arts, such as, the art of the straight sword. His technique in these various martial arts was truly art in motion. His hands and legs possessed extraordinary spring making his movements fast as lightening. People were surprised that one so small, five foot one inch, could have so much power and strength and referred to him as Kensei, meaning "sacred fists." Gradually, the art of Higaonna Sensei became known as "Naha-dee (te)" meaning "Naha hand (technique)." He devoted his life along with his disciple Miyagi Chojun Sensei to the improvement and advancement of the art of Naha-te. Early in 1916, Higaonna Sensei fell ill. Miyagi Chojun Sensei looked after his master, nursing him devotedly. But Higaonna passed away in October 1916. Thus, the art of Naha-te was handed over from Higaonna Kanryu Sensei to his disciple Miyagi Chojun Sensei. Higaonna Kanryo Sensei is honored today as the founder of Okinawan karate.

 

Miyagi Chojun Sensei
Chojun Miyagi was born on April 25,1888.  He began his Karate training in Shuri-te and at the age of 14 was introduced to Kanryo Higaonna with whom he began his study of Naha-te.  Like his teacher before him, because of his great natural talent and fierce determination, he progressed very rapidly.  The training was severe beyond belief at times but he practiced ever harder with an enthusiasm unmatched by any of the other students.  Chojun Miyagi became "uchi deshi" (private discipline) of Kanryo Higaonna.  He studied with his teacher for 14 years before his teacher's death in 1915.
Chojun Miyagi, as successor to his teacher's "te", pushed himself to the limits of endurance in his desire to emulate his teacher's extraordinary skill.  In 1915 he journeyed to Fuzhou, China, the city where his teacher had studied martial arts to further his research. This was one of three trips he made to China during his lifetime.

On his return to Okinawa he began to teach the martial arts out of his home in Naha.   Later, he also taught at the Okinawan Prefecture Police Training Center, at the Okinawan Master's Training College, and at the Naha Commercial High School (where his teacher had once taught).
Chojun Miyagi worked hard to spread Karate throughout Okinawa and mainland Japan, and to earn his toudi a status equal to that of the highly respected Japanese martial arts of Judo and Kendo.  To achieve this he traveled frequently to mainland Japan where he was invited to teach at Kyoto University, Kansai University and Ritsumei Kan University.   In 1933, Goju-Ryu Karate was the first Okinawan martial art to be registered with the Dai Nippon Butoku-Kai, the center for all martial arts in Japan.  This was a milestone for Karate as it meant it would aligned with the highly respected martial arts of Japan.

Chojun Miyagi dedicated his whole life to Karate.  He was responsible for structuring his toudi (which he later named Goju-Ryu) into a systemized discipline which could be taught to society in general.  This teaching system that he formulated enabled Karate to be taught in schools for the benefit of the young, and to reach vast numbers of people throughout the world.  However, his private teaching at his home remained strictly in adherence to the principles and traditions of his teacher, Kanryo Higaonna, and his teacher before him, RuRuKo.

The naming of Goju-Ryu came about more by accident than by design.  In 1930, Chojun Miyagi's top student, Jin'an Shinzato, while in Tokyo demostrating the Karate of his teacher, was asked as to what school of martial arts he practiced. As Naha-te had no formal name he could not answer this question. On his return to Okinawa he reported this incident to Chojun Miyagi. After much consideration, Chojun Miyagi chose the name Goju-Ryu (hard and soft school) as a name for his style. This name he took from a line in the "Bubishi" (a classical text on martial arts and other subjects) is shown below. This line reads, "Ho Goju Donto". It is necessary to point out that these precepts have a much greater importance than simply as the source for the naming on Goju-ryu.  They present great insight into the indispensable knowledge and application of the sciences practiced by the martial arts masters of this time.  Without proper and complete research and study of these paradiagms, the true essence of Goju-ryu can never be truely understood. 

#1. The mind is one with heaven and Earth
#2. The circulatory system of the body is similar to that of the sun and moon
#3. The way of inhaling and exhaling is hardness and softness
#4. Act in accordance with time and change
#5. Techniques will occur in the absence of conscious thought.
#6. The feet must advance and retreat, separate and meet.
#7. The eyes do not miss the slightest change.
#8. The ears listen well in all directions
The Last Teachings by Chojun Miyagi