Goju Ryu

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Goju Ryu ( 剛柔流 gōjū ryū) (Japanese for "Hard-soft style") is a style of karate, so called as it allows a combination of hard and soft techniques. It is commonly believed that the concept of combining the two extremes originated in a Chinese martial arts doctrine known as wu pei chih. Of the various styles of karate, Goju Ryu has received the greatest amount of Chinese influence. The development of Goju Ryu goes back to Kanryo Higaonna, (1850-1915), a native of Naha, Okinawa. As a teenager he trained with an Okinawan master named Aragaki Seisho. It is believed that he studied chi chi, or Chinese boxing, probably the hung style of shao lin chuan, under the kung fu master Liu Liu Ko, who is said to have been a shoemaker. He returned to Okinawa during the middle of the Meiji Era (1868-1911) and continued in the family business of selling firewood, while teaching a new school of martial arts, distinguished by its integration of go-no (hard) and ju-no (soft) kempo in one system. The word karate (empty hand) was not in common use at that time, and Higashionna's style was known as Naha-te.

Higaonna's most prominent student was Miyagi Chojun (1888-1953) who began training under Higaonna at the age of 12. After Higaonna's death Miyagi sailed to China and studied there for several years, returning to Naha in 1918. Many of Higaonna's students continued to train with him, including Higa Seiko (1898-1966.

The naming of Goju-Ryu came about more by accident than design. In 1930, numerous martial arts masters asked Chojun Miyagi’s top student, Jin’an Shinzato, while in Tokyo 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 decided on 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 Chinese text on martial arts and other subjects). This line, which appears in a poem describing the eight precepts of the martial arts, reads, “Ho Goju Donto” (the way of inhaling and exhaling is hardness and softness).

'Go' means hardness or external force, 'ju' means softness or internal force.

Goju-ryu combines hard striking attacks like kicks and punches with softer circular techniques for blocking and controlling the opponent. Goju-ryu's specialty over the other karate styles is in-fighting or close-quarter combat. Major emphasis is given to breathing correctly.

1 Fukien White Crane
2 Kata Bunkai
3 Traditional Goju Kata
4 Goju-Ryu Organizations
5 Goju Kai
6 External links

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Fukien White Crane

The history of karate itself is one of cultural and social exchanges with China going back to the Tang dynasty - hence the name "Tang Soo" or "Chinese hands". Before the development of Modern Karate under Gichin Funakoshi, Okinawan karate style generally took after the names of the town they came from, thus "Naha-te" and "Tomari-te" were karate styles that came from the towns of Naha and Tomari respectively.

The late 19th century saw the great karate masters going back to China for a "martial-arts pilgimage" of sorts. The great Chinese pugilist Liu Liu Ko ("Ryu ryu ko" in Japanese) in Southern China taught a handful of these Japanese students who went on to be karate legends.

The use of "tensho" or "soft" techniques in Goju-ryu reveals an obvious influence from the Fukien White Crane style (known as "Fujian Bai He" in Chinese). These are normally taught at the "Brown belt" to Sempai level of training.

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Kata Bunkai

One contentious aspect of karate in the martial arts world is the training of kata (pre-arranged sets). Although it is widely believed kata was developed from a real fight, detractors say that these kata are useless in a real fighting situation.

The katas taught in Goju-Ryu are rather traditional and are emphasized more than actual kumite (or free sparring). Gichin Funakoshi wrote in his "Bubishi" that karate is a cultivating art; karate begins and end in courtesy ("rei" in Japanese or "Li" in Chinese)

Kata is to be understood as a "living textbook" in which karate proper - its techniques and philosophy - is passed down. The practice of kata itself provides the practitioner a sense of structure and possibilites to use in a real fight. Techniques-within-techniques are revealed through constant practice of kata. It is not unlike how a classical cellist or violinist can go back to J.S. Bach's Cello Suites or Violin partitas and still find new insights, even after years of practising the same pieces of music.

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Traditional Goju Kata

Taikyoku kata

Taikokyu is usually first taught in jukyu to ikkyu levels (white belt to brown belt). The Taikokyu katas teach basic block and attack pattern, and how to move in four directions.

Gekisai kata

The Gekisai kata are usually first taught at hachikyu or rokukyu levels (yellow to green belt). Gekisai kata integrates kicking with blocks, strikes, and punches. It introduces the use of tensho technique, how to move in 8 directions, side-stepping, back-stepping, and the use of the cat stance. It comes close to the idea of irimi nage, or "entering" techniques, used in Aikido. It should be noted that there are two versions of this Kata, Gekisai Dai Itchi, and Gekisai Dai Ni. Gekisai Dai Ni incorporates slightly "softer" techniques, although it follows a similar pattern to that of Gekisai Dai Itchi.

Saifa kata

Saifa kata is usually first taught at gokyu to sankyu levels (green to brown belt). The first 3 moves are the signature of the kata - a wrist-grab-throw technique that is very similar to Aikido's iriminage technique. Saifa teaches, among other things, how to counter being grabbed by one or two opponents. The centrepiece of the kata is the crane kick movement. The layout of the footwork is similar to taikokyu kata.

Seiyunchin kata

Seiyunchin kata is typically taught at sankyu to ikkyu levels (brown belt). Seiyunchin translates to "control, suppress, and pull," and is most appropriate, as the kata demonstrates the use of techniques to unbalance, throw and grapple. Seiyunchin contains close-quartered striking, sweeps, take-downs and throws. Though the kata itself is devoid of kicks, many practitioners make the grave mistake by missing the opportunity to apply any leg technique. Though almost invisible to the untrained eye, the subtleness of "ashi barai" and "suri ashi" can represent footsweeps, parries and traps. The centrepiece of seiyunchin kata is a stance taken directly from the White Crane style.

Shisochin kata

Shisochin ephasizes the power of goju-ryu, the hard and the soft, and integrates it in one. It is a switch between long distance combat (Shotei zuki-palm punch ) and close quarter combat (Nukite-or knife hand-and armlocks). Miyagi Chojun called shisochin his favorite kata, as he believed it to be best suited to his body type.

Sanseiru kata

Sanseiru, meaning thirty-six movements, is taught at higher black belt levels. The number thirty six is based on Buddhist mythology. The kata teaches complex punching combinations. This technique was passed down from China.

Sepai, Kururunfa, Seisan, and Suparinpei

Sepai, or "eighteen hands", is one of four (Sepai, Kururunfa, Seisan, and Suparinpei) that are more subtle and contain more hidden moves. The true meaning of a kata becomes clear only when one learns the application of it (Bunkai ). In sepai, and the three that follow, the applications are not immediately clear. Techniques were deliberately masked within these kata so that bystanders were not able fully comprehend the depth of the applications being practiced.

Sepai kata incorporates both the four directional movements and 45° angular attacks and, as in Shisochin, implements techniques for both long distance and close quarter combat.

Sanchin kata

Sanchin kata has the simplest techniques, and yet is arguably the most difficult to master of all Goju kata. Sanchin is often taught as a black belt kata, yet it is simple enough to teach at the white belt level. This is often done in order to prepare the student for this kata by the time he or she reaches black belt.

Only one stance is used - the sanchin (meaning "3 battles") stance. Sanchin dachi is a practical stance, and yet is the most difficult stance to master. The legs protect the body from sweep kicks, the thighs are to trap low kicks. According to a taichi manual ("Zhuangzi 13 postures"), the punch draws its power from the earth through the legs - the flip of the hips enables the strength of the whole body to be channeled and focused into one punch.

Properly employed, Sanchin kata follows the "hard" style of karate - all the muscles are to be flexed and tensed throughout the kata - actually making it the most strenuous kata. This type of strength training, taught for thousands of years, is only recently understood in western science and is known as "iso-metric training" in body building.

In Chinese training, Sanchin kata also introduces the student to the use of "chi" (Japanese "ki") for training and fighting applications. It can be understood to be a form of "qigong" as employed in Chinese Wushu.

Tensho kata

Tensho was created by Chojun Miyagi. It means "revolving hands". It is a combination of hard dynamic tension with deep breathing and soft flowing hand movements, and is very characteristic of the Goju Ryu style.

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Goju-Ryu Organizations

There are various Goju-Ryu karate organizations on Japan and on each country. Also there are International organizations. One of the Federations with various Goju-Ryu organizations in Japan, representing Goju-Ryu on Japan Karate Federation (JKF) is JKF Goju-Kai. This Goju-Ryu Federation of many Goju-Ryu Associations have also official branches in some countries. To see this expansion consult the World of JKF Goju-Kai.

The International Okinawan Goju-ryu Karate-do Federation (IOGKF) has made Goju-ryu widely popular, with schools in almost fifty countries. The IOGKF is run by its founder Morio Higaonna, a student of Miyagi An'ichi, a student (though no relation) of Miyagi Chojun.

However, Goju-ryu has developed an extremely complex web of diverse traditions founded by different students of Miyagi Chojun and their successors, and no one person can objectively be said to be the leader of Goju-ryu, nor any one entity the governing body of the entire style

Other leading figures have included Yagi Meitoku (1912-2003), who inherited Miyagi's school in Okinawa; Toguchi Seikichi (1917-1998); Iha Koshin (1925 - Present); Tetsunosuke Yasuda; and Miyazato Ei'ichi (1922-1999). Peter Urban (1934-2004), Anthony Mirakian, and Kimo Wall are prominent Americans who brought Goju-ryu to the United States.

Seikichi Toguchi founded the Shorei-Kan, where many American masters first learned the art, including Peter Urban as well as Chi-i-Do founder Kayo Ong. Shorei-Kan is now headed by Masters Toshio Tamano in Shorei-Kan Europe Europe and Shorei-Kan USA Scott Lenzi in the US.

The Current Grand Master of the All-American Goju-Ryu System is GM Alberto Gotay. He is currently a professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City. Another noteworthy fact about GM Gotay is that he helped design the NYPD's self defense course at the NYPD's Police Academy.

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Goju Kai

The greatly revered and charismatic master Gogen "the Cat" Yamaguchi, known for his preference of using neko-ashi-dachi or "cat stance", established the Goju Kai (meaning Goju Association).

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