Chojun Miyagi (25 April 1888 to 8 October 1953)
Chojun Miyagi was born on April 25,1888. He began his Karate training with Seisho Aragaki and at the age of 14 was introduced to Kanryo Higashionna with whom he began his study of Naha-te. Like his teacher before him, he progressed very rapidly because of his great natural talent and fierce determination. The training was severe beyond belief at times, but he practiced ever harder with an enthusiasm unmatched by any of the other students. Chojun Miyagi became "uchi deshi" (private discipline) of Kanryo Higashionna. He studied with his teacher for 14 years before his teacher's death in 1915.
Chojun Miyagi, pushed himself to the limits of endurance in his desire to emulate his teacher's extraordinary skill. In 1915, he journeyed to Fuzhou, China, the city where his teacher had studied martial arts to further his research. This was one of three trips he made to China during his lifetime.
On his return to Okinawa he began to teach the martial arts out of his home in Naha. Later, he also taught at the Okinawan Prefecture Police Training Centre,
at the Okinawan Master's Training College, and at the Naha Commercial High School
(where his teacher had once taught).
Chojun Miyagi worked hard to spread Karate throughout Okinawa and mainland Japan, and to earn Naha-te a status equal to that of the highly respected Japanese martial arts of Judo and Kendo. To achieve this he traveled frequently to mainland Japan where he was invited to teach at Kyoto University, Kansai University and Ritsumei Kan University.
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| (Front, from right) Gichin Funakoshi, Chojun Miyagi (Back, from right) Saito, Yasuhiro Konishi (1932) |
In 1933, Goju-Ryu Karate was the first Okinawan martial art to be registered at the
Dai Nippon Butoku-Kai, the center for all martial arts in Japan. This was a milestone for Karate as it meant it was recognized on a level with the highly respected martial arts of Japan.
Chojun Miyagi dedicated his whole life to Karate. He was responsible for structuring Naha-te (which he later named Goju-Ryu) into a systemized discipline which could be taught to society in general. This teaching system that he formulated enabled Karate to be taught in schools for the benefit of the young, and to reach vast numbers of people throughout the world. However, his private teaching at his home remained strictly in adherence to the principles and traditions of his teacher, Kanryo Higashionna, and his teacher before him, RyuRuKo.
The naming of Goju-Ryu came about more by accident than by design. In 1930, Chojun Miyagi's student, Jin'an Shinzato, while in Tokyo demonstrating the Karate of his teacher, was asked 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 chose the name Goju-Ryu (hard and soft school) as the name for his style. He took this name from a line in the "Bubishi" (a classical 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 breathing is hardness and softness). Jin'an Shinazato later died in World War II.
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Training in the garden of the Wakasa Dojo of Karate Kenkyu Club (Naha City), 1924:
Chojun Miyagi (4th from right); Hiroshi Madanbashi (2nd from left); Jinan Shinzato (4th from left) |
Chojun Miyagi’sdeath came as a shock to his students and the Karate community; it left the Goju-ryu students with no leadership or direction. His sudden death came as a total surprise to everyone, as Sensei Miyagi had left no written documents designating a successor. This has led to many students of Sensei Miyagi claiming to be the ONE true successor. In our dojo we do not promote the need to sell ones lineage or style in this way. One of the virtues we encourage students to learn is that all styles have benefits, and to state that yours is better than another is simply searching for fame. Styles are different because their Masters have different interpretations, so students need to search for what style best suits their needs. With the students of Miyagi, We believe as long as they are passing on the true teachings of their master they are true successors of Goju Ryu. This is reciprocated by the writings of Miyamoto Musashi in "The Book of Five Rings" :
“Men use equipment to sell their own selves. As if with the nut and the flower, the nut has become less than the flower. In this kind of Way of strategy, both those teaching and those learning the way are concerned with colouring and showing off their technique, trying to hasten the bloom of the flower. They speak of "This Dojo" and "That Dojo". They are looking for profit. Someone once said "Immature strategy is the cause of grief". That was a true saying.”
There were seven main Students of Miyagi:
For more information on Goju lineage click here
