Zensekai Karate Club: The History of Goju-Ryu Karate

KANRYO HIGAONNA

(Founder)

Kanryo Higaonna was born in Naha, Okinawa on 10 March 1851. Despite being born as a descendent of a prominent family line, his family was impoverished. They earned their meager living transporting firewood from the Kerama Islands in a small junk.

As a boy, he was small for his age, but very quick and nimble, and showed a keen interest in the fighting arts from an early age. At the age of fourteen he began his formal training in Chinese Kempo from a local who had studied the Fukien style. He longed to travel to China and study there, and eventually achieved that aim in 1866, when he convinced the owner of a ship bound for China to grant him passage.

After a year in residence at the Okinawan settlement in Foochow, he was introduced to Ryu Ryuko. He was not allowed to train right away, and had to follow the age-old custom of personal service to his master by attending the garden, cleaning and doing odd chores. After he had satisfied his master’s expectations, he was accepted as a disciple.

He assisted him at his trade as a bamboo craftsman during the day and trained in the evenings. Training, as was the norm at the time, was very severe. He trained in Sanchin kata and developed his musculature through weight training with the traditional implements we see today in Okinawan styles. The training took its toll, but he was to gain a reputation among the locals as one of Ryu Ryuko’s most skilled students.

After thirteen years of training, he left Foochow and returned to Okinawa, and began private lessons to the sons of the man who had granted him passage to China. He went back to his old job as a merchant, but his reputation was growing. Sailors and travelers from China brought back stories of his prowess that they had heard there, and before long, many would seek to become his disciples. Training was severe, as he had learned, and only a few who began would continue for longer.

In 1905, he began teaching at a public high school, and was considered along Itosu to be the foremost karateka in Okinawa. He is responsible for developing the Naha-te-style, and many of his students went on to form their own systems based on his teachings.

He died on 23 December 1915 at the age of 63. His legacy lives on through his followers, most notably Chojun Miyagi, the founder of Goju-Ryu, the Kenwa Mabuni, the founder of Shito Ryu.

OKINAWAN GOJU-RYU KARATE

During the 14th century Kempo (Chaun-Fa) was introduced to Okinawa from China. It won popularity as an art of self-defense, under the name of ‘tote’ (Chinese hand). In Okinawa, the native fighting at ‘te’ was combined with ‘Kempo’ by the Okinawans and developed into the martial art known today as Karate.

Japan invaded Okinawa in 1609. They re-instituted the ban on weapons (first declared by King Sho Shin in 1477). The Japanese also banned the practice of martial arts. Consequently, the Okinawan’s continued with martial arts in secrecy.

Goju-Ryu Karate is one of the four original styles of Karate, and was founded by Chojun Miyagi Sensei (1888-1953). Grand-Master Miyagi had spent many years in China studying Chinese Martial Arts before returning to Okinawa to formulate what is known as Okinawa Goju-Ryu Karate-Do.

The literal translation of the Japanese term Goju Ryu is “Hard / Soft” - Go meaning “Hard” and Ju meaning “Soft”. Ryu means “School”, thus Goju Ryu is the Hard / Soft School of Karate.

GRANDMASTER CHOJUN MIYAGI

Grand-Master Chojun Miyagi

Chojun Miyagi was born on April 25th 1888 into a wealthy aristocratic family. He began training in karate under Kanryo Higaonna at the age of 14, in 1902. 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 even harder with an enthusiasm unmatched by any other students. Chojun Miyagi became “uchi deshi” (private disciple) of Kanryo Higaonna. He studied with his teacher for 14 years before his teacher’s death in December 1915.

Chojun Miyagi dedicated his whole life to karate. He was responsible for structuring Naha-te (which he later named “Goju-Ryu” into a systematized 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 of his teacher, Kanryo Higaonna, and his teacher before him, Ryu Ryu Ko.

Chojun Miyagi died on October 8th, 1953.

GRANDMASTER EI’ICHI MIYAZATO

Grand-Master Ei’ichi Miyazato Successor to Miyagi Sensei

Ei’ichi Miyazato was born on July 5th, 1922. Miyazato Sensei began his Karate-do training at age 13 with his father, training with Makiwara and Chi’ishi and became a student of Chojun Miyagi after an introduction by his father in early 1938 at the age of 15.

Except for a short time during WWII, Ei’ichi Miyazato remained with Chojun Miyagi until his death in 1953. Miyazato often assisted Chojun Miyagi teaching at the Garden Dojo and under his guidance Ei’ichi Miyazato also taught at local high schools. He succeeded Sensei Miyagi as instructor at the Ryukyu Police Academy where he also taught Judo.

Following Miyagi’s death in 1953, Kei Miyagi, the second son of Master Chojun Miyagi was called to testify on behalf of the family. His reply was that Master Miyagi always said that Miyazato was the only one he could count on for everything in the dojo. Miyazato accepted the responsibility and dedicated his whole life to preserving and spreading Goju-Ryu in Okinawa. He assumed the responsibility of preserving the Kata’s principles and the future of his teacher’s Karate-do system, Goju-Ryu.

Ei’ichi Miyazato died on December 11th 1999.

Koshin Iha (Hanshi, 10th Dan) was chosen as the successor to Miyazato Ei’ichi Hanshi and is now Honorary Chairman of the Okinawa Goju-Ryu Karate Kyokai.