Chojun Miyagi |
Chojun
Miyagi was born in Naha, Okinawa, April 25th 1888. At the age of eleven
he started training under Ryuko Aragaki, a teacher of Tomarite. Because
he proved a good student, Aragaki introduced Miyagi to a renowned
martial artist (whose karate was said to be second to none) Kanryo
Higaonna.
Miyagi became Higaonna’s student in 1902. The training was very severe, but Miyagi excelled in it.
After
Higaonna’s death in 1916, Miyagi travelled to China in an attempt to
find Higaonna’s teacher Ryu Ryu Ko, to further his knowledge.
Unfortunately, Ryu Ryu Ko was by that time deceased, but Miyagi never
the less took the opportunity to study the Chinese martial arts.
On
his return to Okinawa he opened a dojo to teach his style of karate.
His reputation as a great karate man soon grew and he was asked to
instruct the police force and begin teaching at various Okinawan
schools. He revised and further developed the kata, and created the
Gekisai kata along with the kata Tensho.
He
travelled to the Japanese mainland in the 1930’s meeting and teaching
while he was there Gogen Yamaguchi, whom he left in charge of the Goju
Ryu in Japan after his return to Okinawa. He named his system of karate
Goju Ryu after a line in a poem from a classic book on martial arts, the
Bubishi, which read “the way of inhaling and exhaling is hardness and
softness” ( Ho wa Goju wa Donto su ).
Miyagi sensei died of a heart attack aged 65 on October 8th 1953
BACK TO TOP |
NEXT PAGE |