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Japanese Goju-Ryu Karate-Do |
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The history of Yamaguchi Goju-ryu can be traced back to a man named Master Kanryo Higashionna, aprox 1840 - 1910, known as the "Fist 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 karatekas were laying the groundwork for the development of modern karate-do and kobudo (weaponry). Although Higashionna began his training there, the true seeds of Goju-ryu were not planted in Okinawa but in China. Higashionna went to China and studied under a man named Master Woo (Ru in Japanese) who was a practitioner of Chinese boxing. Higashionna trained under Master Woo for aproximately 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 did not take long before his fame spread throughout the island and students started to come to him for tuition. Among them was a student named Chogun Miyagi. |
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Goju-ryu karatedo shares its roots with other styles of karate developed over
the centuries from the unarmed fighting arts of China. These arts came to
Okinawa, where they underwent development and fusion with Okinawan unarmed
fighting styles. Several different approaches to self-defence came to the fore
at this time, with one centred in the city of Naha.