Goju Ryu Karate was founded in the late 1920’s by Chojun Miyagi. He was born on April 25, 1888 in Naha, Okinawa, and died on October 8, 1953, at the age of 65. His teacher was Kanryo Higaonna, the founder of Naha-te.
“Go” means hard, and “Ju” means soft, hence Goju Ryu is translated as “Hard and Soft Way”. It is a blend of Okinawan Te (hard) and Shoalin Kung Fu (soft) with emphasis on the White Crane style. Other Chinese influences include Pakua Chang, I Chuan and Tai Chi Chuan, which Sensei Miyagi studied on several trips to the Chinese mainland.
Goju Ryu is a close-range self-defence system, characterized by circular blocks, joint manipulations and kicking techniques to lower body targets. Dynamic tension and breathing are major elements in its training, incorporated in many of the kata.
When Sensei Miyagi died, four of his senior students opened their own schools. Seiko Higa carried on as Sensei Miyagi’s immediate successor. Meitoku Yagi formed the Meibukan, Seikichi Toguchi the Shorei-kan and Ei’ichi Miyazato the Jundokan.
Gogen Yamaguchi studied with Chojun Miyagi and Meitoki Yagi, and promoted the style in Japan, forming the Japan Karate-Do Federation Goju-Kai. One of his students, Peter Urban, introduced Japanese Goju Ryu to the United States in 1959, later forming the U.S.A. Goju Association. Gosei Yamaguchi, the son of Gogen, followed in 1964. He moved to San Fransisco and established the Goju-Kai Karate-Do U.S.A.
Chojun Miyagi
Chojun Miyagi was born in Naha City, Okinawa on April 25th, 1888 to an aristocratic family. They were in the import/export business, and owned 2 ships which made regular trips to mainland China, placing them among the wealthiest families in the area.
He began his formal training at age 11, in the dojo of Ryuko Aragaki. At the age of 14, he was first introduced to Kanryo Higaonna, and after a period of doing chores for Sensei Higaonna to earn his place, was accepted as a student.
Training was very severe, with a lot of running and strength exercises. It is said that he sometimes passed out performing Sanchin kata, so demanding was Sensei Higaonna on his student’s performance. He trained for 13 years in this manner until the death of Kanryo Higaonna, developing into a powerful karateka.
Sensei Miyagi then travelled to China, no doubt an opportunity afforded him by the nature of the family business, not to mention the luxury that wealth gave him in being able to pursue his art full-time. His quest was to locate Master Ryu Ryuko, whom Higaonna had studied with. He was unable to locate him, though, but did pick up some of the local arts of the Fukien area of China, notable the kata Rokkishu, which was instrumental in his creation of Tensho kata.
One of his travelling companions during his time in China was the white crane stylist Gokenki, who moved to Okinawa in 1913. He became a close friend and training partner to Chojun Miyagi, and they would continue their association upon returning to Okinawa.
He continued to train in the methods he learned from Sensei Higaonna at several institutions, always under severe and demanding conditions. He did not confine his training to the dojo, either. Every waking moment (and while asleep, perhaps!) was spent in pursuit of the art, always remaining vigilante to his surroundings, always planning and ready for whatever might occur.
In 1921, he was chosen to represent Naha-te in a presentation to the visiting crown prince Hirohito (who would eventually become Emperor), and gave an impressive performance. He repeated this in 1925 for prince Chichibu. He began to visualize the future of the Okinawan fighting arts, and in 1926, at the age of 38, set up the Karate Research Club, along with Chomo Hanashiro (Shuri-te), Kenwa Mabuni (Shito Ryu) and Motobu Choyo, spending the next 3 years training in basics, kata, fitness and philosophy. Others who frequented the club included Johatsu Kyoda, Seikichi Uehara, Shimpan Gusukuma, and Gokenki. In 1929, he was invited to Japan by Gogen Yamaguchi, who would promote the Goju style in Japan.
Jigoro Kano (founder of Judo) began visiting Okinawa in 1927, and was so impressed with Sensei Miyagi, he invited him to Japan in 1930 and 1932 to demonstrate at several tournaments. It was at one of these tournaments that one of his senior students, Jin’an Shinzato was asked which school of karate he belonged to. Unable to answer (styles were only known by their geographical reference at that time), he approached Sensei Miyagi, who agreed that a name should be chosen for their unique style.
There is a Chinese text called the Bubishi, a very popular historical reference among karateka of the day, and in it are the Eight Poems of the Fists. The 3rd precept reads “The way of inhaling and exhaling is hardness and softness.” Go means hard and Ju means soft. Since his style was a combination of these ideals, he began referring to his art as Goju Ryu, and in 1933 it was officially registered as such at the Butoku-Kai, the Japanese Martial Arts Association. In the same year, he presented his article “An Outline of Karate-Do”.
The following year, Sensei Miyagi was appointed as head of the Okinawan branch of the Butoku-Kai Association, and travelled to Hawaii later the same year to introduce karate there. Upon his return to Naha, he was awarded a commendation from the Ministry of Education for outstanding service in the field of physical culture.
In 1936, he returned to China for more study, this time in Shanghai. After his return in 1937, he was awarded the Japanese equivalent to the commendation he had received at home. In 1940, he created the beginner’s kata Gekisai Dai Ichi and Gekisai Dai Ni.
The Allied occupation of Okinawa was a very turbulent time in the history of Okinawa and the art of karate. Many lives were lost, including one of Sensei Miyagi’s sons, two of his daughters, and his senior student, Jin’an Shinzato. He was forced to forgo much of his training while his homeland was restructured after the war. In 1946, he was appointed director of the Okinawan Civil Association of Physical Education, and resumed his training, teaching the Police Academy and opening a backyard dojo, known as the Garden Dojo. It is here where An’ichi Miyagi, Seiko Higa, Meitoku Yagi, Ei’ichi Miyazato and Seikichi Toguchi and, for a short time, Teruo Chinen trained, along with many other notable karateka
Chojun Miyagi died on October 8th, 1953, of either a heart attack (the most popular explanation) or a cerebral haemorrhage at the age of 65. His legacy lives on through his senior students and the untold karateka whose lives he continues to influence.
Ei’ichi Miyazato
Ei’ichi Miyazato was born on July 5th, 1922 in Naha, Okinawa. He became a student of Chojun Miyagi in 1938 and remained with him until his death in 1953. He succeeded Sensei Miyagi as instructor at the police school.
He built the Jundokan (House for the Following in the Footsteps of the Father) in 1957, which he still maintains, carrying on the traditional way he had learned from Sensei Miyagi. He is also the founder of the All Okinawan Goju-Ryu Karate-Do Association.
He also trained in judo, and was the Okinawan judo champion and All Japan police judo champion. He is currently president of the Okinawan Judo Federation.
Morio Higaonna and Teruo Chinen are among his most successful students. Sensei Higaonna went on to form the IOGKF (International Okinawan Goju-Ryu Karate-Do Federation). Sensei Chinen operates Jundokan International out of Spokane, Washington
Teruo Chinen
Sensei Chinen began his training in Goju Ryu karate in 1951 directly under the tutelage of Chojun Miyagi Sensei.
In 1953, upon the death of Chojun Miyagi, Sensei Chinen continued his training under Ei’ichi Miyazato.
In 1969 Sensei Chinen moved to the United States and began teaching Okinawan Goju Ryu in Spokane, Washington. At that time Sensei Chinen was Chairman of the Okinawan Goju Ryu Karate-Do Federation.
Sensei Chinen then formed Jundokan International in honour of his teacher, Sensei Miyazato. Jundokan is the name of Sensei Miyazato’s dojo. Jundokan dojos now operate throughout the United States, Canada and Europe.
Sensei Chinen now spends much of his time travelling around North America and Europe lecturing and teaching traditional Okinawan style karate. He has become one of the most sought after speakers, lecturing to groups from all styles of karate.
He teaches traditional style karate, in the traditional way, as he learned from his first sensei, founder of Goju Ryu Karate-Do, Miyagi Chojun Sensei.