Goju-Ryu Karate-do

What is Goju-Ryu?

GO = Hard or Resilient
JU = Soft or Yielding

Kanryo Higaonna (1853-1915)

The man responsible for bringing Goju-Ryu to Okinawa is Kanryo Higaonna. Kanryo decided during his teenage years that he wanted to study the Martial Arts, and travelled to Fuzhou, China to study with (and eventually become Uchi Deshi of) Master Ryu Ryu Ko. Higaonna Sensei stayed in China for approximately 13 years, where he became proficient in Chinese hand-to-hand and weapon arts, as well as Chinese herbal medicine. Ryu Ryu Ko was extremely proud of his disciple and sanctioned his mastery of the arts - an honor seldom awarded. Kanryo soon became famous for his skill in Fuzhou and the immediate area.

In 1881, Kanryo returned to Naha (his hometown in Okinawa) and named his arts "Naha-Te" and began to teach them to the people of Okinawa, while continuing to further his own knowledge and research. Kanryo developed a method of training specifically designed to take the body, mind, and spirit to new levels. Naha-Te became open to all members of society when Kanryo began teaching at the Naha Commercial High School in 1905. While teaching, Kanryo was an extremely hard task master, but in his everyday life he was a very quiet and humble man and was widely known for his virtuous character, and for having devoted his entire life to the study and advancement of Naha-Te.

Kanryo Higaonna Sensei passed away in 1915 at the age of 63.

Chojun Miyagi (1888-1953)

Chojun Miyagi Sensei began training under Kanryo Higaonna Sensei at the age of 14. Like his teacher, Chojun possessed a natural talent for Karate and an unwavering determination, and as a result progressed very quickly. The harder the training became, the harder he tried - Chojun's dedication far surpassed any of the other students. He became Uchi Deshi of Kanryo Higaonna Sensei and trained with him for 14 years before his teacher's death in 1915.

In 1915, Miyagi Sensei followed in the footsteps of his teacher to Fuzhou, China to continue his research. This was to be one of three trips he would make to China over the course of his life. Like his teacher, he returned to Naha to teach Karate at his home to the people of Okinawa. He also taught at the Okinawan Prefecture Police Training Centre, at the Okinawan Master's Training College, and (again, like his Sensei) at the Naha Commercial High School.

Miyagi Sensei worked very hard to spread Naha-Te throughout Okinawa and Japan, and to earn it an equal status to the highly esteemed Japanese arts of Judo and Kendo. He travelled to Japan often, and was invited to teach at Kyoto University and Ritsumei Kan University, by 1933 Karate was registered at the Butokukai, the centre of all Martial Arts in Japan.

The renaming of Naha-Te to "Goju-Ryu" came about in 1930 when Chojun's top student, Jin'an Shinzato travelled to Tokyo and was repeatedly asked about what school of Martial Arts he practiced. Because Naha-Te had no formal name, he could not answer this question. He returned to Okinawa and reported this to Miyagi Sensei. After much consideration, Miyagi Sensei decided on the name "Goju-Ryu" from a line in "Bubishi", a Chinese text on Martial Arts.

Chojun Miyagi Sensei passed away in 1953, leaving behind a great legacy in the form of Goju-Ryu Karate-do. His goal of spreading Karate to all the people of the world was realized, and Karate is now practiced by millions of people from all the countries of the world.

An'ichi Miyagi (1931-present)

An'ichi Miyagi Sensei was born in 1931 in Naha, the capital of Okinawa and birthplace of Goju-Ryu. He and three friends began training under Chojun Miyagi Sensei in 1948 at the age of 17. During this time, he worked at Kadena Air Base (one of the many US installations in Okinawa). His parents had long since passed away and he had to work extremely hard to support his family in the harsh economic conditions of post-war Okinawa. When Chojun Miyagi Sensei wasn't teaching at the Police Academy in Naha, he would teach Goju-Ryu at his home, and An'ichi took full advantage of this, and would go to Chojun Miyagi's home to train, clean the house, work in the garden, make tea and any other tasks which needed to be done.

After one year had elapsed, the three friends that had started training with An'ichi had stopped training. An'ichi continued to train however, and such was his dedication that his teacher came to trust him totally. His Sensei's teachings became more detailed and were on a more profound level. Chojun Miyagi Sensei spent hours each day talking with An'ichi, and soon a strong personal bond was developed and An'ichi became Uchi Deshi.

In 1951, new students again began to come for training at Chojun Miyagi's home. After the regular classes had ended, An'ichi stayed behind and was instructed in the profound meanings and techniques of Goju-Ryu. These teachings were not strictly physical, and many hours were spent discussing history, society, culture, human relations and other subjects. An'ichi learned kata and bunkai in great detail. An'ichi Miyagi is the only student of Chojun Miyagi Sensei to have been taught by him (in great detail) all the kata of Goju-Ryu Karate.

Morio Higaonna (1939-present)

Morio Higaonna Sensei (9th Dan) is the current head of the International Okinawan Goju-Ryu Karate-do Federation (IOGKF) and has been acknowledged as one of the leading Karate senseis and formost exponent of Goju-Ryu. Higaonna Sensei's whole life has been devoted to Karate. He has never sought to be in the spotlight in the Martial Arts world, and his globe-spanning reputation is solely the result of his mastery of Goju-Ryu, a mastery exceeded only by his genuine humility and modesty.

Higaonna Sensei has been studying Karate since the age of 14, with a fierce dedication in the tradition of the great Goju-Ryu masters of the past. He travelled to Tokyo in 1961 and was invited to teach at Yoyogi Dojo in central Tokyo. His classes became very popular and soon he was employed as a full-time instructor there. During this time, many foreigners were coming to Japan to study the Martial Arts, and most would end up at world-renowned dojos such as the Kyokushinkai and the JKA. Once they reached Tokyo however, the curious would end up at Yoyogi Dojo and were amazed by the small, yet dynamic sensei and abandoned the arts they were currently studying to train under this charismatic and awe-inspiring teacher.

Higaonna Sensei also developed a large international following which led to the founding of the IOGKF in 1979. The IOGKF is now established in 45 countries with more than 65000 members worldwide. In 1987, Higaonna Sensei moved to the United States and opened the Institute of Traditional Karate (IOGKF World HQ) in San Marcos, California. He hopes that through his presence in North America, he can expose an even greater number of people to the profound and beautiful art that is Goju-Ryu Karate-do.

Information condensed from the IOGKF Canada Student Handbook, and the Peterborough Budokan promotional pamphlet.

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