Kodawari Hombu Dojo
My Goju-ryu Story
(Closer To My Target)
If you have not read my earlier post My Shotokan Story – What Got Me Started On My Path, then I recommend you do so. It will help to make this post make a little more sense. Just click on the link below.
While Shotokan Karate-do1松濤 – Shoto – translates to “pine waves” and kan – 館 – which translates to “house” or “hall”. is a Japanese based art with Okinawan roots, Goju-ryu Karate-do2Goju-ryu – 剛柔流 – is translated as hard/soft style or school or half hard, half soft. More information on how the name of the art came to be can be found in the body of this post. is an Okinawan art that has, at least to a small degree origins or connections to Southern Chinese martial arts3 .
Goju-ryu Karate-do History
Higaonna Kanryo
東恩納 寛量
1853-1915
Here’s an example of the kind of information out there on Higaonna Kanryo floating around out there on the interwebs:
The Mysterious Ryu Ryu Ko
[browser-shot url=”https://historyandstoriesofgojuryu.blogspot.com/2020/10/ryu-ryu-ko-mysterious-teacher-of-kanryo.html” width=”775″ height=”345″]
If this is the mysterious Ryu Ryu Ko, I do have an interesting connection to him through both my Yangshi Taijiquan4Yangshi – 揚式 – translates as Yang Family and Taijiquan – 太极拳 – translates to Grand Ultimate Fist or Boxing. The Yang family system of Taijiquan is the second oldest version of Taijiquan and it is the most widely practiced Taijiquan system in the world. lineage as well as my Ryusei-ha Hakutsuru-ken5Translated, Ryusei – 龍精 – is Dragon Spirit and ha – 派 is school, faction or sect. Hakutsuru – 白鶴 – is White Crane and ken – 拳 is first. lineage. Please do take the time to review the following if you have not:
Miyagi Chojun
Founder of Goju-ryu Karate-do
With regards to Goju-ryu (including the information above and below this section) and much of martial arts in general (regardless of the country of origin) is that sometimes you just have to say “I don’t know”. Written records are few, far between and sometimes just non-existent. And, for those of us from an Okinawan based lineage, there was World War II and the utter destruction of so much of Okinawa6The Battle of Okinawa in April of 1945 last approximately 82 days and was the bloodiest battle in the Pacific theater of operations. Approximately 149,611 Okinawans and 77,485 Imperial Japanese soldiers lost their lives. It is approximated that 90% of the buildings on the island were destroyed, along with countless historical documents, artifacts, and cultural treasures..
Bubishi Kenpo Hakku – Click to enlarge
Goju-ryu Karate-do Kata
When it comes to the kata7 型 – the pre-arranged one person forms or sets of Goju-ryu Karate-do, there is some very interesting research information that indicates that Higaonna Kanryo
Shoreikan Goju-ryu
I do have to admit that for quite some time as a young man, I really did “ignore” the entire Toguchi line of Goju-ryu Karate-do. And, honestly, I cannot tell you why. As a very young man, I did have Toguchi Sensei’s original book. But I just cannot tell you specifically why he and his line of Goju never really struck a cord with me. My personal loss really as I believe that there is a great deal of interesting information there.
Japanese Goju-ryu
Yamaguchi Gogen – The Cat
Japanese Goju-Kai
Yamaguchi Gogen Sensei’s nickname of “The Cat” is a bit of an interesting story. And, like much of Goju-ryu, it is shrouded in differing explanations.
Sensei Luis Morales
10th dan (Judan), Hanshi
Goju-ryu Karate-do
Michael Davis with Sensei Luis Morales (center) circa 1992 in New Jersey
Click to enlarge
My Goju-ryu Experience
Shotokan Karate-do vs. Goju-ryu Karate-do
In case you missed it at the beginning of this article, I am making the comparison of Goju-ryu Karate-do to Shotokan Karate-do due to this earlier article. If you have not read it, it may help you to understand my journey and point of view related to most topics on this website.
Goju-ryu Succession
The Hakutsuru Connection
In the end?
I hope no one is triggered by the tobacco reference
- 1松濤 – Shoto – translates to “pine waves” and kan – 館 – which translates to “house” or “hall”.
- 2Goju-ryu – 剛柔流 – is translated as hard/soft style or school or half hard, half soft. More information on how the name of the art came to be can be found in the body of this post.
- 3
- 4Yangshi – 揚式 – translates as Yang Family and Taijiquan – 太极拳 – translates to Grand Ultimate Fist or Boxing. The Yang family system of Taijiquan is the second oldest version of Taijiquan and it is the most widely practiced Taijiquan system in the world.
- 5Translated, Ryusei – 龍精 – is Dragon Spirit and ha – 派 is school, faction or sect. Hakutsuru – 白鶴 – is White Crane and ken – 拳 is first.
- 6The Battle of Okinawa in April of 1945 last approximately 82 days and was the bloodiest battle in the Pacific theater of operations. Approximately 149,611 Okinawans and 77,485 Imperial Japanese soldiers lost their lives. It is approximated that 90% of the buildings on the island were destroyed, along with countless historical documents, artifacts, and cultural treasures.
- 7型 – the pre-arranged one person forms or sets
(Just scroll to the bottom of the page!)
- 1松濤 – Shoto – translates to “pine waves” and kan – 館 – which translates to “house” or “hall”.
- 2Goju-ryu – 剛柔流 – is translated as hard/soft style or school or half hard, half soft. More information on how the name of the art came to be can be found in the body of this post.
- 3
- 4Yangshi – 揚式 – translates as Yang Family and Taijiquan – 太极拳 – translates to Grand Ultimate Fist or Boxing. The Yang family system of Taijiquan is the second oldest version of Taijiquan and it is the most widely practiced Taijiquan system in the world.
- 5Translated, Ryusei – 龍精 – is Dragon Spirit and ha – 派 is school, faction or sect. Hakutsuru – 白鶴 – is White Crane and ken – 拳 is first.
- 6The Battle of Okinawa in April of 1945 last approximately 82 days and was the bloodiest battle in the Pacific theater of operations. Approximately 149,611 Okinawans and 77,485 Imperial Japanese soldiers lost their lives. It is approximated that 90% of the buildings on the island were destroyed, along with countless historical documents, artifacts, and cultural treasures.
- 7型 – the pre-arranged one person forms or sets