The History Of Goju-Ryu

Goju Ryu Karate was founded in the late 1920's by Chojun Miyagi. He was born on 25 April 1888 in Naha, Okinawa. His teacher was Kanryo Higashionna, 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 Thai 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 the lower body targets. Dynamic tension and breathing are major elements in its training, incorporated in many if the Kata.

On 8 October 1953, Sensei Miyagi died of either a heart attack (the most popular explanation) or a cerebral hemorrhage at the age of 65. Following this , 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 Eiichi Miyazato the Jundokan. Later, in 1963, Meitoku Yagi would receive his gi and belt from the  Miyagi family along with the Menkyu Kaiden and officially become the head of the Goju Ryu system.

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