Original subtitles

Gojiru is one of the most recognized forms of traditional karate.

Translating to hard-soft style, it holds deep

roots in both Okinawan and Chinese martial arts.

Now, regardless of you are a traditional martial artist or prefer the more

contemporary styles of MMA, our goal for this episode is to leave you with at least

a little bit of appreciation for the art and what makes it so distinct.

This is the history of Gojiru karate.

Celebrate the art of Gojiru karate with this commemorative forefather t-shirt,

available only here at Art of Wondojo.

Pick yours up on the product shelf below the video or at the link in the description.

I would like to thank both the Gojiru philosopher and Sensei John Paul Williams

for their help and guidance on this project.

The Gojiru philosopher has a great YouTube channel that goes much more in depth on

individual aspects and I highly recommend his

videos to further elaborate on this topic.

Sensei John Paul Williams has an extensive background and experience with the art and

is a highly regarded authority on the subject and his new book Gojiru karate doe

desk reference volume one is now available and a definite recommended read.

He will also be joining us next week as we discuss the efforts to preserve the art.

Links to both of these gentlemen are listed below in the video description.

Gojiru karate translates to hard soft style and it was formally founded by

Okinawan master Miyagi Chojin Sensei in the 1930s.

The name refers to the nature of the art having both hard and soft techniques.

The word Go or hard is generally in reference to the close hand techniques in

the application of linear moves and hard strikes.

Ju or soft sometimes translated as gentle refers to the circular motions that can

ride or deviate attacks in a generally open-handed techniques.

The combination of these two attributes is a

common duality in the structure of the art.

Now while Miyagi Chojin is the founder of Gojiru officially to appreciate its roots

we have to go back a little bit further to Higa Ona Kamrio born in Nishimura,

Naha in 1853 back when Okinawa was still a part of the Ryukyu Kingdom.

We did an episode on the birth of karate and Okinawa and the Ryukyu Kingdom in our

episode what this karate that elaborates on that a

little bit more and we have linked that below as well.

During this time in history there were established trade routes between China and

Okinawa and Higa Ona Kamrio was born into a family of

merchants shipping goods between the islands of the kingdom.

He learned the value of working hard and through

labor was able to develop and build physical strength.

At the young age of about 14 Higa Ona Kamrio began training in the martial arts.

It is generally believed that he began his training under the influence and tutelage

of Arakaki Seisho in the art of monkfus boxing and specifically the Chinese arts.

However, greater doubt is being cast on this

concept as more research is being conducted.

For example, the names of the kata taught by Arakaki were uniquely Okinawan and like

most boys in Okinawa at the time Arakaki began his

training at home using local or native Okinawan utensils.

With the total time spent in China by Arakaki, we cannot logically conclude that

he would have had enough time to have mastered any form of monkfus boxing and it

is also known now that there was much more focus on philosophy, politics,

and his education during his time in China.

Wishing to improve on his martial arts training, Higa Ona traveled to Fuji China

where he was said to have studied several different Chinese arts.

Now there's often a dispute as to which arts exactly he trained in and who he

trained under but there's no question that he was able to expand on his education and

he came back to Okinawa in the 1880s and opened

up his first martial arts school in Naha in 1905.

It is also believed that Higa Ona was allowed to have access to the bubishi

which is a highly regarded Chinese text that is often considered the bible of karate.

As fighting arts became established in Okinawa, the

term 2D was often used which translates to Tang Hands.

The word te or hand was also commonly used.

Local systems developed in various cities of Okinawa and at this time it was

traditional to name the finest style after the region it developed in.

The three most prominent of these arts were Nahate, Shurite, and Tomarete named

respectively out of their cities of origin.

These names were officially agreed upon and recognized in 1926.

Higa Ona Conroyo is credited, sometimes along with his teacher Archakisetio for

establishing Nahate, implementing the combination of the Chinese arts he learned

along with the developing systems in Okinawa.

Higa Ona Sensei is a significant figure in the early development of karate and during

his years of teaching he had several prominent students including Chitoreo

founder Mabuni Kenwa, two unruu founder Juhatsu

Kyota, and eventual Gojiru founder Miyagi Chojin.

If you really think a little further or deeper into the style, kangaroo Higi Ona

was more if not equally the founder of Gojiru.

Miyagi Sensei named Gojiru.

Before Miyagi Sensei it was just called te but the person who introduced Gojiru and

brought those styles or brought those kata into a more modern use and spread it.

That was Higi Ona.

Miyagi then of course added a few kata, the rest of the kata he got for this teacher.

So both are considered the founder of Gojiru.

Miyagi a bit more so but Higi Ona a bit more important.

Miyagi Chojin was born in Naha Okinawa on April 25th

1888 while Okinawa was under the Empire of Japan.

He was raised in an upper-class family and took an interest in the martial arts

beginning his training at age 11 in the Okinawan arts under instructor Aragaki Ryuko.

In 1902 at age 14, Miyagi began to train under Higi Ona

Kanrio and became one of his most prominent students.

There are some accounts to say Miyagi dedicated his time to Higi Ona,

cleaning the school, and possibly becoming an Ujideshi or living student.

Miyagi trained under Higi Ona in the style of Naha te from 1902 to Higi Ona's death

in 1915 with his training only interrupted by a

tour of duty in the military from 1910 to 1912.

Becoming an authoritative figure in the martial arts in his own right,

Miyagi followed a similar path as a teacher, traveling to China to expand on

his training and bringing back Chinese combat influences.

He traveled to Fujian Province in China with Go Genki, his

friend and interpreter and they continued his research.

Much like Higi Ona Kanrio, Miyagi returned to Okinawa and blended his new education

with what he had learned in Naha te, which was the beginning foundation to his

own art that would later be referred to as Gojuru.

An example of this is a kata known as Rokishu, also known as Six Hands.

Miyagi did not retain his form in its native format, but he said used it as the

basis to create the Gojuru kata of 10-show.

In fact, Miyagi developed several kata for his system

that to this day formed the basic core of the curriculum.

Now this is important because if you are one of those people who hate kata and feel

that the service no purpose, I believe that even you

will be able to appreciate some of the thought behind it.

So stick with us because we're going to elaborate on this in a few minutes.

Upon his return from China, Miyagi Chojin also opened up his

own dojo, and in 1918 he founded the Karate Research Society.

In this new society, he brought in some of the most prominent martial artists at the

time in an attempt to combine the education of other prominent karate masters.

Miyagi also became friends with other notable Japanese martial artists,

such as Funakoshi Gincin and Kano Jiguro,

founders of Shudhikan and Judo, respectively.

How did the art of Gojuru become named as such?

While it seems anecdotal and details of the account differ slightly, there is a

generally accepted story of how the art gained its name.

In 1929, there was a large martial arts exhibition being held in Kyoto,

Japan, called the All-Japan Martial Arts Demonstration.

Many founders and prominent masters were invited to showcase their arts.

It is said that Miyagi Chojin was unable to attend the event and instead set one of

his students, Shinzato Jinan, to go in his place.

Also during this time, in Japan, was an attempt to categorize and organize

martial art styles, and many were registered with the Dainipon-Butokukai,

or Greater Japan Martial Virtual Society.

After the demonstration, Shinzato was approached

and asked what style of karate he was practicing.

At this juncture in the arts history, an official name had not yet been given,

and it was said that Shinzato didn't have an answer.

Some accounts report that being put on the spot and not wanting to be humiliated,

he called it Honko Ryu, or half-heart style.

Upon returning back to Okinawa, he recounted his experience to Miyagi who

molded over and decided to refer to a poem written in the Babishi ancient text.

He drew from the 13th article, a poem called

Hakukempo, or The Eight Laws of the Fist.

In that poem is the line, the law of inhaling and exhaling is hard and soft.

Miyagi liked this reference as it reflected one of the core focuses of his

art, the importance of breathing, and the

principles of using both hard and soft techniques.

It was from here that he derived the name Goju Ryu for hard, soft style,

and it was said that he was the first to register

the name of his art with the Dainipon Butoku Kai.

Goju Ryu began to proliferate from here, with Miyagi taking on notable students,

many of whom would become influential figures in the evolution and spread of the art.

Miyagi also began teaching in schools, as well as the Okinawan police department,

and in 1934, he wrote, The Outline of Kratidou.

This is said to be one of his only surviving written works.

He spent his time growing the art and traveling and was

awarded several teaching titles from the Dainipon Butoku Kai.

Miyagi had firmly established a strong foundation and was on a path for success.

Unfortunately, as with many things, life got in the way.

From 1939 until 1945, World War II rattled the globe, spanning across both the

European and Pacific theaters, the war left behind a trail of death and

destruction ravaging many nations in the process.

Okinawa was no exception.

From March through July 1945, the Battle of Okinawa

pummeled the island nation in a 98-day campaign.

Okinawa was the unfortunate recipient of a head-on conflict

between the Empire of Japan and the advancing American forces.

The United States armed forces were capturing islands and were iron and

landing on the small nation to prepare for

a ground invasion of the Japanese mainland.

Now, Japan mounted a massive counter at Okinawa found itself bombed and destroyed

in an attempt to prevent the United States from getting the foothold.

These campaigns were conducted with little to no consideration of civilian

casualties, and as a result, the Battle of Okinawa was one of the most devastating

and bloodiest battles of the Pacific theater.

According to Britannica.com, the battle claimed 12,000 American lives,

100,000 Japanese, and at least 100,000 Okinawan citizens.

Other sources reported up to a possible 150,000 dead or missing Okinawans,

which was half of the standing population before the war.

In the end, the United States was able to secure

the island and was preparing for the invasion.

However, due to the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August of 1945,

Japan surrendered and the war was over, negating the efforts

of taking Okinawa and the casualties that it incurred.

Miyagi children survived the destruction, but his home was left in ruins and he lost

a number of relatives, including some of his children,

as well as his close friend and student Shinzato Jinan.

When the war ended and Okinawa was under U .S.

occupation, Miyagi children was permitted to reopen his garden dojo.

For the remainder of his life, Miyagi continued to teach at his dojo and

at the police academy, but it was said that he was

never the same again, having lost so much in the war.

There was a heavy heart and there's pictures of Miyagi again that you could

see a happy smiling Miyagi at one time in his life.

And after the war, it's almost a forced smile.

And that is in very few photos where you can

actually see a man who's been through war.

It's obvious there was a lot of hearting and suffering that he went through.

Previous to that, he's a lot of pictures.

He's a lot of pictures.

Had to wait on his face there.

There's a clear difference.

We have to face that and give him credit for what he was.

He was still passed down.

On October 8th, 1953, Miyagi children passed away at the age of 65, leaving

behind a solid legacy that would become a pillar and kratte and a roster of master

students and allies that would help the art spread throughout the world.

As with what happens in many martial arts, when the founder passes away unexpectedly,

Miyagi children did not name an official successor.

Now, while there were claims and conjecture without the official

declaration of a successor, it goes rude to divide it into

different branches as it began to propagate throughout the world.

Now, each one of these masters surely deserve an episode on their own as their

contributions to the art cannot truly be summarized in just a few minutes.

However, I do want to give them an honorable

mention as they had a pivotal place in history.

The first is Shinzato Jinan.

We can recall his experience at the all Japan martial arts demonstration and his

consultation with Miyagi children to designate a registered name for the art.

Shinzato was said to be one of Miyagi's most trusted students.

He was born in Naha in 1901, and he was a sick and weekly child.

But, through the training in the martial arts,

he was able to build up his health and strength.

He trained with Miyagi for several years, often accompanied him on trips,

and he was one of only three people to get Miyagi's approval to open up his own dojo.

He also trained in judo, was a member of the Okinawan police force, as remaining

Okinawan masters, and even received the title of Renshi, or Polish teacher,

from the Dainipon Budoku Kai.

He contributed greatly to the spread and development of Gojiru, and served in the

military and fought in World War II during the Battle of Okinawa,

where he was killed at the age of 44 in a bombing campaign.

It is a common narrative that Shinzato was to be named

Miyagi's successor if not for his untimely death.

However, there has been no official confirmation

of that, and it remains conjecture to this day.

I do believe Shinzato was a successor.

I believe this almost exclusively, because he told his own son Takeshi

Miyagi, if anything were to happen to him, to contact Shinzato.

Now, of course, Shinzato died also, and Takeshi, which most people call Kai,

but that's not how you read his name.

You read his... there's the kanji for his name, a lot

of... there's a big misconception his name is Kai Miyagi.

It's Takeshi.

If you look at his own documentations, he puts in here a gun in parentheses.

Takeshi, so that everybody makes sure they have the correct

wording or pronunciation for his kanji for his name.

Kai couldn't get home to Okinawa in time for the funeral.

It's just impossible in 1953 to go from Okinawa, from mainland Japan to Okinawa.

By boats, you're just not going to show up in four days for a funeral.

So, Takeshi Miyagi could not go to his own father's funeral,

which is where this big hoopla of who the rightful leader is.

So, today, we just have to deal with the point of we have multiple organizations,

and none of the organizations, I think, should make claim over one or the other.

They became the leaders of their organizations equally, and everybody

really should just accept that, because the

old question of who the successor was is dead.

And if they really want to make an argument of anything, the true successor

should be Takeshi Miyagi, the oldest living son of Miyagi when he died.

Just because he was couldn't make the funeral, doesn't mean you count him out.

Yamaguchi Jutsuumi is a pinnacle figure in the history

of Gojiru, if not a bit of a colorful character.

He was born in 1909 in Kyushu, Japan, and

began studying the martial arts at a young age.

He was also experienced in swordsmanship, and while studying law at Ritsumi Khan

University, he started the Ritsumi Khan Karate Research

Society with friend and fellow martial artists, Yogi Jutsui.

Miyagi Children was invited to visit the school, and he accepted the invitation in

1931, and Miyagi made the first of a few known trips to university where it is

believed Yamaguchi trained with him directly.

There is actually some controversy over Yamaguchi's given name.

The name, Jutsuumi, has been the widely believed name for many, many years.

However, with deeper research within the family and

translations, the name of Yoshimi may be more accurate.

I'd like to credit John Paul Williams for this research, and this is just a sample

of the level of detail you'll be able to find in his book.

Being a small stature and sporting long dark flowing

hair, he was sometimes called the Cat by American GIs.

However, he was most notably known by his nickname of Gogun, meaning rough.

He was also a strong nationalist, very spiritual, and was captured by the

USSR during World War II and spent two years as a POW from 1945 to 1947.

There is a lot of controversy with much of Yamaguchi's claims throughout his life.

It was said he often got into trouble, and he had a habit of getting into

altercations, and he would recount stories

of his victories against multiple attackers.

One of his most debated claims, and the one he's most famous for,

was declaring that Miyagi appointed him the true successor of Gojiru, and tasked

him with spreading the art throughout mainland Japan.

Now, there are many who dispute this, mainly citing that Miyagi showed and never

publicly appointed anyone as successor, and there is skepticism that he would have

appointed Gogun Yamaguchi over any of his

long standing Okinawan friends and students.

Now, regardless of which of his claims may or may not be true, we can't overlook his

contribution and impact on what was to become the future of Gojiru Karate.

In 1950, he established the Gojuku Kai, which has become one of the most

well-known Gojiru organizations in the world, represented by the Golden Fist Emblem.

Through his teaching and networking, Yamaguchi was able to propagate Gojiru

across not only all of Japan, but open the door for its journey to America as well.

He is credited with his emphasis on freestyle sparring karate, which may have

helped shape the landscape for many of the competitions we see today.

He helped establish the all-Japan karate deliberation, also known as the JKF.

Yamaguchi carries a heavy legacy within the art of Gojiru, and while smarter minds

can debate which of his claims were true, he was able

to elevate the art to a much broader global base.

Upon his passing in 1989, Yamaguchi left the direction and administration of the

Gojuku Kai to his sons, Gosei, Gosei, and Goshi.

Gosei, his eldest son, established and currently presides over the Gojuku Kai

karate-do USA as Hanchi and Chief Instructor.

There are several more influential figures in the art, and we'll revisit them later

in this episode when we talk about the different organizations.

Right now, let's explore the art of Gojiru itself and

the distinct characteristics of this karate system.

Many karate systems have overlapping concepts, techniques, and principles,

so to the uninitiated, it can be hard to tell them apart.

I personally love learning the smaller distinct features of each system because

that's where all the hard and flavor of the arts come out.

With Gojiru, let's start with directly with the name, Hard Soft.

This system imparts equal emphasis on being able to deliver hard linear

techniques as well as softer circular moves.

The idea here is to balance and be able to use one concept to counter the other.

I'd like to refer to an excerpt from John Paul Williams' book that says,

The system is based on the concept of hard and rigid is not good.

However, completely soft and gentle can be equally harmful.

The two should complement each other.

This combination gives Gojiru its beauty, refined movements, grace, and flowing form.

So it's really about this perfect tandem between

the two methods that gives Gojiru its foundation.

Another main core focus on the art is the importance

of body conditioning and proper breathing technique.

You can see a very conscious effort in deliberate breathing and Gojiru practice,

specifically in the kata of Sanchin as well as Tensho.

Proper breathing in these forms is intended to be isotonic and isometric and

used to promote stronger lung capacity, better

heart health, and improved body posture.

Conditioning is another distinct characteristic of Gojiru.

Now much of what Miyagi Chojin taught and implemented came directly from his teacher

before him, Higa Ona Conrio, so much of the foundation was already laid down.

As Miyagi Chojin propagated the teaching, he was essentially teaching an updated and

next generation version of the art that he learned from Higa Ona.

The difference between Higa Ona and Miyagi was mostly with the strength conditioning,

implementation of Hojo Andu via all the tools.

So Miyagi also put together a scientifically organized basic exercises

and warm-ups, Jumbaya Andu, which didn't exist.

There was basic warm-ups and stretching with

Higa Ona, but not scientifically organized.

It changed with Miyagi.

It became more of systematic.

There are several notable differences between Okinawan and Japanese karate.

Pop of the Japanese style, such as Shotokan, are strong with driving linear

power, generally have deeper stances, higher kicks, and

explosive techniques that are implemented in competition.

Okinawan karate tends to exhibit narrower

stances, lower kicks, and closer range combat.

We can see this in Gojiru through the emphasis

of close proximity fighting over range attacks.

There's a lot of pulling, grabbing, tearing in this close contact,

and it's often referred to as standing jiu-jitsu or standing grappling.

There are some accounts that suggest that Shinzatsu Jinan

helped Miyagi define some of the grappling aspects of the art.

He had an extensive judo background, he was personal friends with judo founder

Konojigoro, and he was a close and trusted student of Miyagi, so it is reasonable to

believe that he contributed to the development of the art.

The Okinawan term of Muchimi translates to heavy sticky and is

in reference to and closely related to kaki or pushing hands.

The concept is that you want to be able to stick to your opponent.

Once you make contact, you want to keep that contact

in order to manipulate and control their body.

It is the concept of eliminating gaps and

seizing control and leveraging your opponent.

We see this concept in a lot of grappling arts, BJJ, judo, kempo, wrestling.

Once you touch, you should be able to close your

eyes and feel your way through the struggle.

While there are many practices and attributes that make Gojiru as distinct as

it is, we wouldn't be doing the art any justice if

we didn't talk about Kata and the emphasis on Bunkai.

Kata is often the point of contention in the martial arts.

Most traditional disciplines have Kata of some form, but a lot of contemporary

schools and practitioners tend to disregard it as impractical or unnecessary.

Now, even though Kata is not an exclusive concept to Gojiru, I think the way that it

is processed and approached has a lot of value to it, and can at the very least

establish an appreciation of how Kata came to be and the purpose it serves.

To appreciate Kata, we need to understand why

and how they were developed to begin with.

In the early days of Kratte, students worked many partner drills with each other.

These were often sparring sequences taught in attack and counter formations,

very similar to a BJJ class in which you would learn a counter

to a takedown or a reversal from an attempted submission.

Attack and defense sequences.

These were working class as a partner, but part of the training is to be able to

review and practice the material on your own time.

But imagine an era in which students did not have access to handbooks, or

printouts, or reference videos, or imagine the horror, the internet.

So it was common to string a lot of these attack and defense sequences together into

longer sequences, typically organized thematically.

These sequences were an easy way for the students to memorize a particular set of

drills so that they could study and practice on their own.

In essence, these sequences were simply

textbooks or reference manuals written in motion.

So as a modern example, imagine your MMA coach showed you five different takedown

counters, but put them together in a string in an ordered sequence as an easy

way to remember them and practice on them on your own.

It wouldn't be just a dance, but rather actual academic

information that you could use as a reference and study tool.

So over time, these sequences would be adjusted, altered, and passed down to more

students, establishing the essence of kata.

The problem is, kata doesn't mean anything if you

don't understand what the movements represent.

To make the deciphering process even more difficult, since those sequences were to

help the students memorize their own defensive movements, the attacking

portions of the drills were not included, so these

sequences essentially only contain half the information.

One of Miyagi's closer students, Toguchi Sakichi, dedicated a lot of focus

on exactly this, understanding and preserving the concepts taught.

The challenge, however, is that it was believed that over time, these sequences

were altered and abbreviated, and the meaning wasn't always passed down

correctly or withheld to exclusive students or mistranslated over time.

Long kata sequences often required a lot of space to work, so it is believed that

many of them were pared down to make them easier to memorize, but students got used

to memorizing the motions and forgot, or never

learned, what the original movements were teaching.

Couple in the possibility that teachers may have withheld some translations or

altered forms to denote lineage, and you wind up with

a sequence that has lost a lot of its original value.

The practice of boomkai, which means separating or pulling apart, is a method

of studying kata and breaking the motions down in an attempt to reconstruct what the

original sequences might have been teaching, and

extract the practical combat information within it.

Toguchi approached this challenge in a very methodical way.

He heavily endorsed an analytical process Miyagi taught him called Kasai no Genri.

This was a general set of rules and guidelines used in an effort to unlock

some of those secrets when applying boomkai to a kata.

By using this list of guidelines, Toguchi felt that the extracted moves

needed to be pressure tested so those sections of the kata were then put back

into partner drills called boomkai kumite, and

tested over and over to see if the analysis held up.

Basically, reverse engineering kata back to its original attack defense steps.

There are three main principles and several

supplemental rules to follow when analyzing the kata.

The three main principles are, one, don't be deceived

by a boson or the directional path used in the kata.

Many kata were redesigned at some point to be practiced in smaller spaces,

so often footwork was abbreviated or directional changes were added.

Two, techniques executed while advancing imply attack moves, while techniques

perform while retreating imply defensive maneuvers.

Three, there is only one enemy and he is in front of you.

If the kata has you turn to face a different

direction, it does not imply a second opponent.

Toguchi added the following advanced rules to break down the analysis even further.

One, every movement in kata has a fighting application.

Two, a hand returning to a closed position usually has something in it.

Three, utilize the shortest distance to your opponent.

Four, if you control your opponent's head, you control your opponent.

Five, there are no blocks.

This implies that techniques that appear to be

blocks are likely throwing or grabbing techniques.

Six, angles and kata are important.

Seven, touching your own body indicated that you are touching part of your opponent.

Eight, don't attack hard targets on your opponent with hard parts of your body.

Nine, there are no pauses in application.

Now these are of course just general guidelines, and

there's no guarantee that interpretations are 100% correct.

But it is an ongoing effort, and a very important part of kata study to not only

preserve history, but to make kata a more powerful training tool in karate.

While different gojuru schools may vary in the kata they teach, there's a general set

of core kata taught, and each one covers a very specific theme or purpose.

For example, we've already mentioned Sanchin, and the emphasis it has on breathing.

Translating to three battles, the goal of Sanchin's focus and

breathing patterns is to unite the body, mind, and spirit.

Sanchin is also considered the harder focus, so its

softer counterpart is 10-show, meaning revolving hands.

Concentrating on tension and soft flowing hand movements.

Seyunjin is a kata that incorporates tactics to grapple

by grabbing and pulling your opponent off balance.

It was the featured kata in the karate kid part 3, although

it is widely considered an inaccurate depiction of the form.

She's so chin, meaning fighting four directions,

which incorporates linear attacks and circular blocks.

We catch a very quick glimpse of this form again in the karate kid films,

this time Miyagi himself performing it in part 2.

There are also promotional kata that were developed

for demonstration and promotional purposes.

These were not standardized kata to be implemented into the curriculum,

but rather used to introduce children to some of the

basic concepts in physical education taught in Gojiro.

We could spend an entire episode breaking down more kata, but this is just a sample

of how much focus and education goes into the bunkai of the Gojiro kata and has

become one of the signatures of the system.

Gojiro also features the Okinawan weapons arts arkoburo, which typically sees the

inclusions of weapons such as the bow, sci, nonjuku, three-sectional staff,

tomfah, and several others.

Freestyle fighting also became integrated with the art with a heavy effort from

Goganyamoguchi and the Japanese influence of competitive fighting.

And speaking of Japanese influences, while Gojiro is Okinawan in origin,

as it spread throughout the world and experienced a degree of deviation and

variation, and John Paul Williams gives us a little bit of insight on some of the

differences seen in Japanese and Okinawan Gojiro.

Okinawa Gojiro and Japanese Gojiro follow the same styles of kata and pattern,

but not necessarily the same types of kumite.

Japanese Gojiro has a lot more focus on competition

kumite, on speed versus all the power, on literally buddho.

Whereas Okinawa Gojiro usually has more focus on bujitsu, so protection of one's

body and building the body, whereas in Japanese gojiro

is more building the mind and building the individual.

They're supposed to meet at one, at one location, but if you went to two

different dojo, one Japanese and one from Okinawa, the Japanese dojo you'll note

clearly they probably have a lot more kumite going.

The Okinawa Gojiro, note that it clearly has more kata work going on.

The kata in the Okinawa Gojiro dojo will see heavier and more rooted and deep and

solid, whereas the Japanese Gojiro will see more shito groove, a lot more,

a bit more flair, a bit more flavor.

As of right now, the two are marrying back together again.

And that's mostly through the JKF Gojiro kai.

And the JKF Gojiro kai is heavily influenced by the Okinawa Gojiro kiaokai,

Gojiro kiaokai, and the Japanese dojo in Japan are now taking that heavy influence

of OJKK and Gojiro from Okinawa and recognizing that all karate is from Okinawa.

So they're getting the depth of that Okinawa knowledge and they're using the

sports that they've already built up on their own and combining the two.

So it's Gojiro now is becoming better, the difference, and but it's also coming

back together to where it's supposed to be.

As Gojiro spread across the world, many organizations were established to

represent, preserve, and sometimes grow the art.

As is the case with most martial arts, each organization

has their own flavor and philosophy behind it.

Let's take a look at some of the more notable and larger

organizations and see how Gojiro exists in today's landscape.

The International Gojiro Kiai Association, or the IKGA, is an organization founded by

Goving Yamaguchi in order to represent and spread his version of the art.

It is sometimes called Yamaguchi Gojiro Kiai and its region

has spanned over 60 countries since its establishment in 1965.

Gojiro Kiai strives to teach a traditional and balanced version of the art,

keep it intact to breathing, conditioning, and spiritual aspects.

The insignia of the Gojiro Kiai is perhaps one of the most

striking and recognizable symbols in traditional karate.

A gold fist clenched tightly, instead to be modeled after

Miyagi Chojin's right hand, is worn on the left lapel.

This emblem is also widely present in other iterations

of Gojiro Kiai organizations around the world.

Today, the Gojiro Kiai is governed by Goving Yamaguchi's third son, Goshi Yamaguchi.

The International Okinao and Gojiro Karateo Federation, or IOGKF, claims the

title of the largest traditional Okinao and Karate Association in the world.

The organization touts a roster of more than 75,000 members and strives to

preserve the integrity of traditional Okinao

and Gojiro as a cultural treasure of Okinao.

It was founded in 1979 by master Higa Ona Morio, nor relation to Higa Ona Conrio.

Higa Ona Morio, a tenth-thon in the art, and one of the most respected Gojiro

Karataka today has a direct lineage to the roots of the art.

And within the organization, he is recognized as the successor of Gojiro.

The IOGKF is currently headed by Sensei Nakamura Tetsuji.

However, Sensei Higa Ona Morio still offers advisory support to the Federation.

The emblem of the IOGKF is called the Kinkon, and was designed

to represent the symbolism embedded in the heart of Gojiro.

Consisting of both square and circular designs, the Kinkon

represents the duality of hard, soft nature of the art.

The circle stands for the soft aspects, and the block stands for the hard.

The name Kinkon means heaven and earth, again demonstrating the dual nature.

The flowing circle is the heaven that surrounds the hard earth.

The block design itself is Miyagi Chojin's family crest.

The International Mabukon Gojiro Krakato Association, or IMGKA, was established by

Grandmaster Yagi Matoku, a direct student of Grandmaster Miyagi Chojin.

Matoku trained with his master from 1926 to Miyagi's death in 1953.

According to the IMGKA website, Miyagi was impressed at his aptitude for

the material and dedication to learning the art, and Matoku became the only

student to learn all of the systems Kata directly from the founder.

Upon the passing of Miyagi Chojin, Matoku opened up his school and named it

Mabukon, which translates to house of the pure-minded warrior.

Matoku continued to teach his Mabukon Gojiro

Krakato globally until his death in 2003.

Leadership of the IMGKA was picked up by his eldest son, Yagi Matatsu, who had

trained under his father for more than 50 years.

He continued his teaching of Mabukon Gojiro and

recently passed down the reigns to his own sons.

Since the Yagi Matoku was a well-known figure in the art during his training,

he was known for a hand strength and was also known as the Makyoar Breaker.

He created five of his own Kata unique to his Mabukon

style, and in 1986 was named a national treasure.

The crest also sports the same message of duality that is common throughout the art.

The logo represents the sun and the moon.

The sun is thick and constant.

The moon is slender and flexible.

This expresses the hardness and the softness of Gojiro.

Additionally, an excerpt from their site explains part of the name.

It reads that May of Mabukon correlates to the Krataka's overall character and

personality, pure, clear-minded, having a good heart.

The Kanji May also appears in all of the men's names of the Yagi family.

A young Miyazato Aichi began training in the martial arts under his father,

who was a direct student of Higa Ona Kanrio.

This opened the door for him to really start his

training early in Gojiro directly under Miyagi Chojin.

Miyazato became a dedicated student, and with the exception of World War II and

the disruption it brought to Okinawa, he remained

under the master's tutelage until Miyagi passed away.

At this time of his passing, Miyagi's family had chosen Miyazato to take up the

reins and continue to teach in Miyagi's home garden dojo.

It has even said that he inherited Miyagi's doge and belt.

He was also an experienced judoka, and he heavily

encouraged cross-training in the martial arts.

In 1957, Miyazato opened his own dojo called the Jun-Do-Kon in Naha City,

Okinawa, and it was later rebuilt in concrete where it still stands today.

The dojo consists of three floors with the

top four serving as the Miyazoto residence.

The website Jun-Do-Kon New Zealand gives an explanation of the name.

The name Jun-Do-Kon is sometimes translated as place to follow and footsteps.

However, that is not exactly correct.

It is, in fact, a unique play on two concepts important to Miyazato.

Firstly, the first character of Jun is the same character in the name Cho-Joon as in

Miyagi Cho-Joon Sensei, the founder of Gojiro but Jun can also mean obedience,

order, and justice.

Thus, the name Jun-Do-Kon can mean either the house of the path of Cho-Joon or the

house of the path of obedience, a sign of Miyazato's dedication to his teacher.

Higaseiko was a great contributor and practitioner of Gojiro.

He originally started training alongside Miyagi Cho-Joon under Higa Ona-Konrio.

However, he was only under Higa Ona's tutelage

for a few years before the master's passing.

Afterwards, he continued his karate education under Miyagi himself.

Higaseiko served as a police officer for many years

before retiring in 1931 and decided to teach karate.

He opened a dojo in his own home and he was one of the few students permitted to

open their own dojo during Miyagi's lifetime.

The dojo itself became known as the Cho-Joon and has since developed into its

own organization, Cho-Dokon Gojiro Karate Association.

The name very roughly translates to Respect the Way School.

And they strive to continue teaching and preserving traditional gojiro and

instilling respect, discipline, and life skills among all students.

Shori Kan is a school and organization founded by Master Toguchi Sakichi.

Now, we spoke about Toguchi earlier and his efforts in Kasai Nogeneri,

a systematic approach to breaking down and reverse

engineering the Bunkai of traditional gojiro kata.

Now, according to their website, the Shori Kan School was established to

provide a system in which the student could make systematic progress in learning

how to perform the very sophisticated art of gojiro.

In his effort to teach kata at basic level, Toguchi formulated several

entry-level kata unique to a system to help students

transition into the process of Bunkai and practicing gojiro.

After Miyagi's passing, Toguchi set up his own school near the Kadina Air Force Base

in Okinawa, teaching American airman karate.

Now, I personally believe that Toguchi was the inspiration

of the character of Sato in the Karate Kid Part II.

In the film, Sato, having been a student of Mr. Miyagi's father, opened up a dojo

in Kadina Air Force Base and taught karate to the airman station there.

This link is even more evident when you consider that Sato's last name is Toguchi.

Shori Kan has had its own growth and evolution as well.

After Toguchi, the organization was overseen by Master Toshio Tamano and as

another excerpt from the website says, Shori Kan Karate is for the people who

wish to learn self-defense techniques and to improve physical and mental conditions.

As Master Tamano wished to distinguish it from ordinary karate, he changed the name

Shori Kan Karate to Shori Kan Okinao and Budokasai.

USA Goju Karate is an offshoot of the Goju Kai organization established by Goju It

was founded by Peter Urban, who, according to their website and kick

illustrated magazine, is sometimes referred to

as the George Washington of American Karate.

In 1953, Peter Urban became a student and apprentice of American martial artist

Richard Kim and transitioned into an Uchideshi or living student.

Urban was working for the Intelligence Division of the Navy

and a year later was transferred from Yokohama to Tokyo.

Unable to continue his training with Kim, Kim introduced

him to Kyokushin founder Masoyama and Gogon Yamaguchi.

This was an extremely rare turn of events as non-Japanese were not usually accepted

to students making Urban one of the first American practitioners of Goju Roo.

After training with Yamaguchi under Goju Kai for a few years and earning his black

belt, Urban returned back home to the United States.

Now, the origin of USA Goju Karate is controversial and a hot topic,

but to summarize, Urban wished to continue teaching his art in America and he wished

to establish an American branch of Goju Roo.

In 1963, he had traveled back to Japan to seek this blessing of

Yamaguchi as well as to seek promotion to 6-degree black belt.

Well, to Urban's surprise, Yamaguchi refused and did not give his consent.

After falling out between the two men, Urban sought out his previous teacher

Richard Kim, obtained his rank, and went out to

establish his American brand of the art anyway.

Despite the controversy or bad blood involved, Urban succeeded in getting a

foothold and through the USA Goju Karate, he helped

propagate the art of Goju Roo throughout America.

Sae Wokai is an international organization that has formed a huge network of Goju Roo

schools, hundreds of them around the world.

This network spawned from the original Sae Wokai school

established in 1972 in Tokyo by Hanchi Tasaki Suji.

This organization has grown to many international branches, including Sae

Wokai Karate of Silicon Valley, which is a non-profit

organization formed in 2018 by John Paul Williams.

SKSV not only works to preserve the art of Goju Roo as taught by Miyagi Chojin,

but it also serves as a pillar of support for a network of Goju Roo schools that

often face hardships and challenges of staying open.

There are more organizations than associations, but this brief list should

at least give an idea of just how popular, influential,

and how widespread the art of Goju Roo really is.

With roots going back to original karate systems in Okinawa, Goju Roo has

persevered throughout time and remains a pillar in the martial arts community.

It is a living art, and it continues to carry the torch of

the light that Miyagi Chojin and Higo Ona Kanrio once carried.

Its influence has also found its way as a component

in other arts, such as Kiyokushin and Ishin Roo.

It has even found its way into media, such as the karate kid franchise,

serving as the base art for the fictional Mr. Miyagi.

There is so much more information on the history of Goju

Roo, especially the numerous masters who carried it.

Our goal for today was to lift the veil and provide an introduction to those who

are not familiar with the art, as well as a nod of

appreciation to those who practice it and keep it alive today.

I highly encourage everyone to visit the Goju Roo philosopher on YouTube for more

detailed accounts on the masters and also be sure to pick up John Paul Williams'

book, Goju Roo Karate Do, Desk Reference Volume 1.

In this book you will find arguably the most

historically accurate chronology of the art to date.

I offer my extreme thanks to both gentlemen for their help with this project.

Now come back and visit us next week as we talk with John Paul Williams in a new

episode about the efforts of preserving Goju Roo Karate.

Thank you so much for watching and don't forget to grab

your own Art of One Dojo exclusive Goju Roo t-shirt.

You'll find a link for everything below in the video description.