HISTORY
The origins of
Karate-do go back to the ancient travels of Buddhist monks throughout the Asian
frontier.Unarmed and oppressed,it became necessary for them to develop a
weaponless form of self defence for their survival. Through time the chinese
developed it into a formidable art.
Merchants travelling
south from China to the islands,or Okinawa,brought with them this art of
'Chinese Hand' or 'To De'(Later to be called Karate-empty hand).
When Japan invaded
these islands its warriors found themselves confronted by the fierce
retaliation of skilled practitioners of this secret art.
Of the various
japanese styles of karate,Goju-ryu has received the greatest amount of Chinese
influence.Late in the 19th century,Kanryo Higaonna,the highest authority in
Naha-te,went abroad to learn Chinese boxing.Chojun Miyagi,his successor and the
founder of Goju,spent the years from 1904 to 1908 there.
It is believed that Mr
Higaonna studied the Hung style of Shaolin Chuan,one of the hard fist,or
external styles.Mr Miyagi,on the other hand,studied not only Shaolin Chuan,but
also another style known as Pa Kua Chang,or Eight-Diagram Palm.Pa Kua
Chang,along with I Chuan and Tai Chi Chuan,was among the most prevalent of the
soft fist,or internal styles.
Having mastered these
two styles in addition to the original Okinawa-te,Mr Miyagi transformed Naha-te
into a system of karate instruction which he called Gojo-ryu.It was the first
organisation to be considered a style.
The meaning of Goju is
derived from two contrasting terms: GO(Hard) and JU(Soft).it is said that the
concept of combining both was derived from the doctrine known as Wu Pei Chih.It
remained for Mr Miyagi to combine the hard fist of Shaolin Chuan with the soft
fist of Pa Kua Chang.
The student of Chojun
Miyagi; the carpenter, Murata; travelled to Japan and began to teach. One of
his students, was a young man who was agile, fast and strong and had a
reputation for being a deceptive fighter, giving no ground to any adversary. He
was known as the "Cat", because of his favourite fighting stance -
Neko ashi Kamae (Cat Stance) and his speed. His name was Gogen Yamaguchi. He
founded the Ritsumeikan University Karate Club in Kyoto and was its chief
instructor
He soon proved to be a
man of credibility and initiative and became highly respected in Karate circles
in Japan. He systemised the style into basically the system used all over the
world today, and organised the style into it's current organisation - Goju Kai
In 1930 Mr Yamaguchi
succeeded in his efforts to have karate admitted into the Butoku-Kai, the
official government headquarters for Japanese martial arts. That same year,
Goju headquarters were established in Tokyo next to the famous Giho-Kai
Institute
Mr Yamaguchi continued
his efforts to expand the art of Karate in Japan. The decision to relocate the
headquarters of the All Japan Karate-Do Goju Kai organisation in Tokyo in 1950
resulted in a great jump in popularity for the style, both in Japan and abroad
On his death bed in
1953, the old master Miyagi called for all the senior members of Goju-Kai and
announced to them his choice of a successor. It was then that Mr Yamaguchi
obliged himself to organise the students of Goju in Japan to unite as an
organisation,Goju-Kai. His leadership was unopposed and by virtue of his task
the senior hierarchy of the Martial Arts Fraternity in Japan bestowed on him
the honour of Grand Master, 10th Dan Hanshi. Being the head of this order he is
called Kaicho
Gogen Yamaguchi was
born on 20th January, 1909 in Kagoshima Province, the southernmost region of
Japan. He has contributed many distinguished services to the development of
Karate. He originated the method of jiyu kumite (free sparring) which has come
to be known as sport karate. He was the moving force behind the formation of
the All Japan Karate Federation in 1964.
MASTER KANRYO HIGASHIONNA
The history of GOJU
KAI can be traced back to a man named Master Kanryo Higashionna, approx
1840-1910, known as the "Fist Saint of Naha".
Naha city in Okinawa
was thriving with martial arts activity in the 1850's. Along with practitioners
from the towns of tomari and Shuri, the Naha karateka were laying the
groundwork for the development of modern karate-do and kobudo (weaponary).
But although
Higashionna Kanryo began his training here, the true seeds of Goju were not
planted in Okinawa but rather in China. Higashionna Kanryo went to
China and studied there under a man by the name of Master Woo (Ru in Japanese),
who was a practitioner of Chinese boxing. Kanryo Higashionna then trained under
Master Woo for approximately 15 to 20 years.
On his return to
Okinawa he combined his native fighting system with the Chinese system and
became the father of Naha-te (Fist of Naha). It didn't take long before his
fame spread throughout the island and students started to come to him for
tuition. Among them was a student by the name of Chojun Miyagi.
CHOJUN MIYAGI (1888-1953)
Chojun
Miyagi was born in Naha as the son of a wealthy businessman on April 25, 1888.
Miyagi Chojun then began his study in karate between the ages of nine and
eleven years . In his early teens he became the student of Master Kanryo Higashionna.
Under the tutelage of his Master, Miyagi underwent a very long and ardous
period of training.
After
the death of Master Kanryo Higashionna, Miyagi Chojun then travelled to the
Fukien Province in China as his teacher had done before him. In China he studied
the shaolin and pa kua forms of Chinese Boxing. From the blending of these
systems, -one the hard/external form of shaolin, the other the soft
circular/internal form of pa kua and his native Naha-te a new system emerged.
However,
it was not until 1929 that Chojun Miyagi named the system GOJU KAI, meaning
hard soft style. The name was inspired by the `eight precepts' of traditional
Chinese Boxing, quote: Everything in the universe breathes out (hard) and in
(soft) ... etc. After some years in China, Chojun Miyagi returned to Naha where
he opened a dojo (training hall). He taught for many years, and even though
Miyagi Sensei's reputation as a man of Karate do was enormous, his greatest
achievements lie in the organization of Karate-do teaching methods.
He
introduced karate-do into schools and other fields of society. He developed
Kata Sanchin - the hard aspect of GOJU KAI, and created Kata Tensho - the soft
aspect. These kata are considered to be the essence of the Goju style.
Chojun Miyagi was a
man of extremely mild temperament and it is said that he was a very humble man.
He lived according to the principles of Martial Art's, that of none violence.
Master Miyagi died on Okinawa on October 8, 1953.
GRAND
MASTER GOGEN YAMAGUCHI ( THE CAT )
Grandmaster
Yamaguchi Gogen was born on January 20, 1909, in
Kagoshima city on the Island of Kyushu . As a child he showed great interest in
the martial arts. During his early school days he trained in kendo, (Japanese fencing) and it was
during this time that he started his karate training under the tutelage of Mr.
Maruta, a carpenter from Okinawa. Mr. Maruta who was a Goju practitioner, was drawn to the youngsters serious attitude and
his willingness to train hard. Mr. Maruta taught Gogen Yamaguchi all he knew
about the Goju system.
During his college days as a Law student, Yamaguchi Sensei
established his first Karate club at the Ritsumeikan
University in Kyoto. Soon the dojo
became famous in the city, known for its hard training and fierce breathing
exercise. In those days karate students practised only kata (formal movements) and yakusoku
kumite (prearranged sparring) and were unable to have matches between each
other since they always fought with full contact and did not hold back their
techniques. It was during this period that Gogen Yamaguchi Sensei created the
first stages towards what is known as jiyu
kumite (free fighting) and established rules to decide the winner of a
match. Some of the rules are still in use today in what is known as sport or
competition karate.
In 1931, at the age of 22, Gogen Yamaguchi Sensei was
introduced to the founder of the Goju
style, - Master Chojun Miyagi. This
meeting proved to have a profound affect upon Sensei Yamaguchi's outlook on
karate. Previously he had only considered the hard aspect of Goju but after his meeting with Master
Miyagi he was determined to train himself spiritually as well as physically.
Master Miyagi thought highly of his new student who seemed to have
mastered the hard aspect of Goju so
well and gave him the nickname Gogen, meaning "Rough". He then
appointed Gogen Yamaguchi as his successor of the Goju school in Japan.
During the years to follow, Gogen Yamaguchi Sensie often
spent long stays at Mount Kurama where he subjected himself to ascetic
exercises and hard training with Sanchin,
meditation, and fasting. Between 1938-1945 he was sent to Manchuria on
government and military assignments. On several occasions during his stay
there, he could thank his skills in karate and his mental training that he
stayed alive. During the Japanese-Russian war, Gogen Yamaguchi was taken
prisoner of war and sent to a prison camp in Mongolia. He was kept there under
harsh conditions for two years. Once again his strength and skill were severely
put to the test. During all these years he still continued to train and develop
Goju karate.
After his release and return to Japan, Gogen Yamaguchi
became one of the most exciting figures in karate history. Known throughout the
world as "The Cat" because of his grace and speed in movement and
because of his favourite fighting stance, Neko
Ashi Dachi (cat leg stance). Many also believe that he was called "The
Cat" because during his time as a P.O.W. in the Japanese-Russian war he
was locked up with a tiger and he killed it. (This position has been discussed
further by various karate ka and will be linked to this page shortly).
Master Yamaguchi's contributions to GOJU KAI karate do and to karate do in general have been enormous.
Under his leadership the International Karate-do Goju-Kai Association
(I.K.G.A) has emerged. The organization has increased in popularity both in
Japan and other Asian and Western countries around the world. Today there are
about 35 countries teaching Goju-Kai
karate. Master Yamaguchi succeeded in uniting all the karate schools in Japan
into a single union which resulted in the formation of The Federation of All Japan
Karate-do Organization (F.A.J.K.O.) in 1964. The Kokusai Budo Renmei - (The International Martial Arts Federation)
in Japan, whose chairman is Prince Higashikuni of the Japanese Imperial Family
appointed Master Yamaguchi as Shihan
(Master) of the organizations karate division. He added to the Goju system the Taikyoku Kata forms, - training methods for the beginner students
to prepare them for the more advanced kata.
In combining his religious practices with karate do
training, he incorporated both Yoga
and Shinto into Goju-Kai karate do and founded in recent years Goju-Shinto. He stated that both body and mind are interrelated and
through proper breathing and concentration the Karate ka will be able to
understand the essence of the martial arts. This is the reason why the Goju school uses the unique breathing
exercise called ibuki. Concentrating
all the muscular strength at one point, bringing mind and body into a coherent
whole.
Some have argued that 'Never before has a single man had
such profound effect on the development and propagation of karate-do.' Master Gogen Yamaguchi, 10th Dan (level), was a man of intense dedication and determination can
truly be called a karate legend. A master of Yoga and a Shinto priest,
a man that truly has united both aspects of go
and ju into a concerted union. 1.
Grandmaster Gogen Yamaguchi Hanshi travelled to Australia on
two occasions, 1970 & 1972. The Goju Kai students of Sydney Goju Kan, and
the Victorian Goju Kai members hold precious memories of training in the
presence of Yamaguchi Kaiso, and many hundreds of Australian members have since
taken taken the opportunity to train in his Hombu Dojo in Suginami Ku. Paul
Starling Shihan was the first graduate as Shihan of Gogen Sensei's prestigious
Nihon Karate do Senmon Gakko, Japan Karate do College, whereby Grandmasters
Inoue Motokatsu- Ryukyu Kobujitsu, Ohtsuka Hironori - Wado Ryu , and
Tamae Sensei-Rembukan, as well as Iwata Manzao-Shito Ryu , all taught regularly
along side Yamaguchi Gogen Hanshi and his son Yamaguchi Goshi Shihan.
Goju Kai practitioners throughout the world mourned the
passing of Gogen Yamaguchi Kaiso in 1989. He had been married twice and had
five children, Gosei Norimi Yamaguchi, Gosen Kishio Yamaguchi, Makiko Yamaguchi,
Goshi Hiroufumi Yamaguchi, Makiko Yamaguchi and Gokyoko Wakako Yamaguchi. All
of his children practiced Karate do. Gosei Shihan has his own organisation in
the United states of America and Goshi Shihan is the President of the
International Karate do Goju Kai with branches in 60 countries. Gosen Shihan
passed away recently and was fully involved in the running of the IKGA. Wakako
Shihan was an All Japan Kata Champion and like her brothers a dedicated and
inspirational instructor. Makiko Yamaguchi passed away in the 1980's
References
:
De Jong, Ingo, Goju-Kai Karate-do Hard and Soft in Harmony - Volume 1. [ Sweden,
1989] Jakobsbergs Trycgeri AB.
©1996-1999 Goju Kai Karate do Australia would like to thankT- The Laurentian
University Karate Club of Goju Kai Canadafor help with this web
page.property of I.K.G.A. Canada
