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Gōjū-ryū

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Gōjū-ryū
The Gōjū-kai logo. The characters beneath read "Hard-Soft Style Empty-Hand Way" (剛柔流空手道, Gōjū-ryū karatedō)
The Gōjū-kai logo. The characters beneath read "Hard-Soft Style Empty-Hand Way" (剛柔流空手道, Gōjū-ryū karatedō)
Date foundedc.1930
FounderChōjun Miyagi
(宮城 長順, Miyagi Chōjun)

Gōjū-ryū (剛柔流) (Japanese for "Hard-soft style") is a style of karate, it is also known as Ronin Goju karate its name meaning "the way of the hard and the soft", which uses a combination of hard and soft techniques. It is commonly believed that the concept of combining the two extremes originated in a Chinese martial arts doctrine known as wu pei chih. Gojū-ryū (or Ronin Goju) combines hard striking attacks like kicks and punches with softer circular techniques for blocking and controlling the opponent, including locks, grappling, takedowns and throws. Gojū-ryū's specialty is in-fighting or close-quarter combat. Major emphasis is given to breathing correctly. Goju-ryu is one of very few karate styles that practice methods of which include body strengthening and conditioning, its basic approach to fighting (distance, stickiness, power generation, etc.) and its partner drills. Goju-ryu incorporates both circular and linear movements into its curriculum.

What's in the name?

"Go" means hardness or external force, "jū" means softness or internal force.

The naming of Gojū-Ryū came about more by accident than design. In 1930, numerous martial arts masters asked Chojun Miyagi’s top student, Jin’an Shinzato, while in Tokyo as to what school of martial arts he practiced. As Naha-Te had no formal name he came up with the impromptu name Hanko Ryū (Half Hard Style). On his return to Okinawa he reported this incident to Chojun Miyagi. After much consideration Chojun Miyagi decided on the name Gojū-Ryū (hard and soft school) as a name for his style. This name he took from a line in the Bubishi (a classical Chinese text on martial arts and other subjects). This line, which appears in a poem, the Hakku Kenpo (roughly, "The eight laws of the fist"), describing the eight precepts of the martial arts, reads, “Ho wa Gojū wa Donto su” (the way of inhaling and exhaling is hardness and softness, or everything in the universe inhales soft and exhales hard).

History

The development of Gojū-ryū goes back to Higashionna Kanryo, (1850–1915), a native of Naha, Okinawa. As a teenager he trained with an Okinawan master named Arakaki Seisho, before moving to Fujian Province, China, to study Wushu (Kung Fu) from Master Ryu Ryu Ko.

Higashionna returned to Okinawa during the middle of the Meiji Era (1868–1911) and continued in the family business of selling firewood, while teaching a new school of martial arts, distinguished by its integration of go-no (hard) and jū-no (soft) kempo in one system. The word karate (empty hand) was not in common use at that time, and Higashionna's style was known as Naha-te. It is accepted that Chinese Nanpa Shorin-ken was the strain of kung fu that influenced this style 1. As such, this style and that of Uechi Ryū were built upon a similar foundation.

Gōjū-ryū founder Chōjun Miyagi.

Higashionna's most prominent student was Chojun Miyagi (1888–1953) who began training under Higashionna at the age of 12. After Higashionna's death Miyagi sailed to China and studied there for several years, returning to Naha in 1918. Many of Higashionna's students continued to train with him, including Higa Seiko (1898–1966). However, Higashionna's most senior student Juhatsu Kyoda, who studied under Higaonna one month longer than Miyagi, formed his school To'on-Ryu ("Higaonna's style") preserving more of Higashionna's approach to Nahate.

Gojū-Ryū was the first officially recognized style of Karate in Japan by Dai Nippon Butoku Kai and the only style of Karate with a full historical representation in both Okinawa and Japan.

Major sources

The history of karate itself is one of cultural and social exchanges with China going back to the Tang dynasty—hence the name "Tang Soo" or "Chinese hands". Before the development of Modern Karate started by Gichin Funakoshi, Okinawan karate style generally took after the names of the town they came from, thus "Naha-te", "Shuri-te" and "Tomari-te" were karate styles that came from the towns of Naha, Shuri and Tomari respectively.

The late 19th century saw the great karate masters going back to China for a "martial-arts pilgrimage" of sorts. The great Chinese pugilist Liu Liu Ko ("Ryū ryū ko" in Japanese) in Southern China taught a handful of these Okinawan students who went on to be karate legends.

The use of "tensho" or "soft" techniques in Goju-ryu reveals an obvious influence from the Fukien White Crane style (known as "Fujian Bai He" in Chinese). From White Crane, Goju takes the circular movements and fast strikes. From Tiger Style, Goju takes the strong linear attacks and the tiger claw pinching (specially in kyusho jutsu). Also, one of the main components and sources of Okinawan karate is the native tradition called tuite: grappling, joint locks and breaks, throws, sweeps, which often led to ground fighting. These techniques were widely practiced in Ryūkyū's small villages and were blended with Chinese martial arts to give birth to karate. In kata, usually low stances and/or hands in chambers are the signs of a technique of this kind.

Kata / bunkai

Main article: Karate_kata

A kata is a set of pre-arranged movements that simulate a fight. Each movement can be interpreted (hence bunkai) as a different technique and its application. They serve as the basis upon which Goju Ryu is taught. It is to be understood as a "living textbook" in which karate proper—its techniques and philosophy—is passed down. The practice of kata itself provides the practitioner a sense of structure and possibilities to use in a real fight. Bunkai, on the other hand, is the analysis—or interpretation (oyo-bunkai)—of kata movements. Techniques-within-techniques are revealed through constant practice of kata and bunkai.

The kata taught in Gojū-Ryū are rather traditional and are emphasized more than actual kumite (or free sparring). This emphasis in kata is also an emphasis in bunkai, the actual self-defense application of the kata movements. The self-defense approach explains why Gojū Ryū does not emphasize free sparring and its limiting rules.

Kata detractors say that these kata are useless in a real fighting situation, while proponents say they are failing to realize what the purpose of kata and bunkai is.

Kihongata

Kihongata means a "kata of basics". It is intended to teach basic movements and technique so that the karate-ka is ready for the Heishugata learning stage.

Sanchin kata

Sanchin kata is the foundation to all other Gojū kata, it is also the foundation of body conditioning. First variation of Sanchin-kata (sanchingata dai-ichi) serves as Kihongata. See more on Sanchin kata below.

Heishugata

Heishugata means "kata with closed hands" or "fundamental kata". This kata teaches fundamentals (i.e. not only basics of movement but also principles) of the style while basics are learned during Kihongata. Traditionally, Kaishugata was taught as a second kata, or a "specialty kata" of a student, after Heishugata (e.g. Sanchin-kata and/or Tensho-kata for Nahate or Naifanchi-kata for Shurite and Tomarite) is learned (sometimes it could take up to three years). Ranking (dan/kyu) and current kata curriculum with grading was established only after 1953, i.e. after Miyagi-sensei's death.

Sanchin kata

Sanchin kata (三戦, サンチン) has the simplest techniques, and yet is arguably the most difficult to master of all Goju kata. Sanchin is often taught as a black belt kata, yet it is simple enough to teach at the white belt level. This is often done in order to prepare the student for this kata by the time he or she reaches black belt.

Only one stance is used—the sanchin (meaning "three battles") stance, from which a name of the kata is derivative now (initially it was named as Peppuren 1. Sanchin-dachi is a practical stance, and yet is the most difficult stance to master. The legs protect the body from sweep kicks, the thighs are to trap low kicks. According to a tai chi manual ("Zhuangzi 13 postures"), the punch draws its power from the earth through the legs—the flip of the hips enables the strength of the whole body to be channeled and focused into one punch.

Properly employed, Sanchin kata follows the "hard" style of karate—all the muscles are to be flexed and tensed throughout the kata—actually making it the most strenuous kata. This type of strength training, taught for thousands of years, is only recently understood in Western science and is known as "isometric training" in bodybuilding.

In Chinese training, Sanchin kata also introduces the student to the use of "qi" (Japanese "ki") for training and fighting applications. It can be understood to be a form of "qigong" as employed in Chinese Wushu. Many western interpretations of qi/ki explain it as an enhanced understanding of internal body dynamics and muscle control through repeated and strenuous training.

In Gojū, there are two sanchin kata: the first one, Miyagi's sanchin (or "sanchin dai ichi"), the most widely taught as initial and Kihongata, was created for such purpose by Chojun Miyagi, and has no turns so the karateka goes forward and then backwards. The second sanchin, Higaonna's sanchin (or "sanchin dai ni") is a full-version Sanchingata and is older and was taught by Higaonna Kanryo. In this kata the karateka always goes forward, but turns 180 degrees twice. Initially it was taught with open hands, as sanchin-kata still is in Uechi-ryu, but later it was also revised to closed fists by Miyagi's co-student Juhatsu Kyoda, founder of To'on-ryu, and adopted by Chojun Miyagi as well.

Tensho kata

Tensho (転掌, テンショウ) was created on 1921 as "softer sanchin" by Chojun Miyagi to balance Go aspect of Heishugata (Sanchin-kata) with Ju variation for Heishugata. Tensho means "revolving hands". It is a combination of hard dynamic tension with deep breathing and soft flowing hand movements, and is very characteristic of the Goju-ryu style. Some styles calls it as Rokkishu and it was created from some movements taken from Hakutsuru, although more careful analysis suggest that it might be Miyagi's personal interpretation of Kakufa-kata that was in Higaonna's syllabus but is omitted in Goju-ryu now.

Kaishugata

Kaishugata means a "kata with open hands". This is a more advanced from Heishugata type. Kaishugata serves as a "combat application reference" kata and is open to vast interpretation (Bunkai) of its movements purpose (hence, "open hands").

Saifa

Sai-fa (砕破, サイファー) means "to destroy and defeat." This kata is the first traditional Gojū-Ryū's Kayshugata. It is usually first taught at gokyu to sankyu levels (green to brown belt). The first three moves are the signature of the kata—a wrist-grab-throw technique that is very similar to Aikido's iriminage technique. Saifa teaches, among other things, how to counter being grabbed by one or two opponents. The centrepiece of the kata is the crane kick movement. The layout of the footwork is similar to Taikokyū kata.

Seiyunchin

Sei-yun-chin (制引戦, セイユンチン) means "Attack, Conquer, supress (also referred to as "to control and pull into battle")". This kata is typically taught at sankyu to ikkyu levels (brown belt). Seiyunchin kata demonstrates the use of techniques to unbalance, throw and grapple, contains close-quartered striking, sweeps, take-downs and throws. Though the kata itself is devoid of kicks, many practitioners make the grave mistake by missing the opportunity to apply any leg technique not discovering a "hiden bunkai" in it. Though almost invisible to the untrained eye, the subtleness of "ashi barai" and "suri ashi" can represent footsweeps, parries and traps. The centrepiece of seiyunchin kata is a stance taken directly from the White Crane style.

Shisochin

Shi-so-chin (四向戦, シソーチン) means "to destroy in four directions" or "fight in four directions" and emphasizes the power of Goju-ryu, the hard and the soft, and integrates it in one. It is a switch between long distance combat (Shotei zuki-palm punch ) and close quarter combat (Nukite-or knife hand-and armlocks).

Miyagi Chojun called Shisochin his favorite kata when he was getting old, as he believed it to be best suited to his body type at that time.

Sanseru

San-se-ru (三十六手, サンセイルー) means "36 Hands" and is taught at higher black belt levels. The number 36, as are numbers 13, 18, 54 (e.g. kata Gojushiho in other styles), and 108 that provided names to other kata, is based on Buddhist mythology. Thirty-six representing 6×6, the first six being eye, ear, nose, tongue, body and spirit and the second six, colour, voice, smell, taste, touch and justice. The kata teaches complex punching combinations, employs many entry, joint attacks and defences against kicking attacks.

Sepai

Se-pai (十八手, セイパイ) means "18 Hands". Eighteen being 6×3 (colour, voice, smell, taste, touch and justice as in sanseru) and three representing good, bad and peace. This kata is one of four (Sepai, Kururunfa, Seisan, and Suparinpei) that are more subtle and contain more hidden moves. The true meaning of a kata becomes clear only when one learns the application of it (Bunkai). In Sepai, and the three that follow, the applications are not immediately clear. Techniques were deliberately masked within these kata so that bystanders were not able to fully comprehend the depth of the applications being practiced. Sepai kata incorporates both the four directional movements and 45° angular attacks and, as in Shisochin, implements techniques for both long distance and close quarter combat. This was a Seikichi Toguchi's specialty kata.

Sesan

Se-san (十三手, セイサン) means "13 Hands". Thirteen is also a number representing good luck and prosperity in Chinese numerology. This kata contains many unusual techniques and demonstrates the difference between Go (Hard) and Ju (Soft). Sesan is thought to be one of the oldest kata quite spread among other Nahate schools. Shito-ryu has its own version and different versions are now practised even in Shurite derivatives like Shotokan (called Hangetsu) and in Wado-ryu (called Seishan). Sesan was a favourite kata of Jin'an Shinzato and his specialty kata initially.

Kururumfa

Ku-ru-rum-fa (久留頓破, クルルンファー) means "holding on long and striking suddenly" and its techniques are based on Chinese Praying Mantis style. Initial idea was to have a "counter-style" against other "traditional Shaolin-type styles" where each kata could be considered as a representative of such particular "style" (or expression of certain strategy in fighting). It was Ei'ichi Miyazato's specialty kata.

Suparimpei

Su-pa-rim-pei (壱百零八, スーパーリンペイ) means "108 Hands"—6×6×3, combining the elements represented in the meanings of Sanseru and Sepai. One hundred eight also has special significance in Buddhist beliefs from where the kata originated. The most advanced and intricate kata of the Goju Ryu system now. While initially it was known as Pitchurrin and had three levels to master (Go, Chu, and Jo), later Miyagi left only one, the highest, "Jo" level. This was a Meitoku Yagi's specialty kata.

Fukyugata

This type of kata is not traditional Gojū-ryū kata and means "promotional kata" or "common kata for the all styles of karate". The purpose of Fukyugata was to unify all karate styles in one so to make Karate as a general and more standardized Japanese-like art for the sake of popularization as was done with Kendo and Judo.

Gekisai

Ge-ki-sai (撃砕, げきさい) means "to destroy" or "attack and destroy". The first Gekisai was developed as a Fūkyū Kata to be practiced by Gojū-ryu and other Ryu (notably, Shorin-Ryū). This Fūkyū Kata (Gekisai-dai-ichi, the first) was created by Miyagi Chojun after 1936 as Fukyugata Ni, while another Fūkyū Kata, not practiced by Gojū-Ryū nowadays, was developed by Nagamine Shoshin (Matsubayashi Shorin-Ryū) as Fukyugata Ichi. Miyagi created also Gekisai-dai-ni, richer in Gojū-Ryū stances and techniques that was intended by him to become common kata Fukyugata San. However, WWII put all revisions on hold and works were not resumed after the war was over.

The Gekisai kata [Gekisai Ichi and Gekisai Ni] are usually first taught at hachikyū or rokukyū levels (yellow to green belt). Gekisai kata integrates kicking with blocks, strikes, and punches. It introduces the use of tensho technique, how to move in eight directions, side-stepping, back-stepping, and the use of the cat stance (Gekisai-dai-ni, the second). It comes close to the idea of irimi, or "entering" techniques, used in Aikido. It should be noted that there are now in some schools three versions of this Kata, Gekisai Dai Ichi, Gekisai Dai Ni and Gekisai Dai San. Gekisai Dai Ni incorporates slightly "softer" techniques, although it follows a similar pattern to that of Gekisai Dai Ichi. Gekisai Dai Ni involves the use of techniques of higher difficulty (especially open-handed techniques), thus making it applicable to only blue, brown and black belts in some schools.

Other non-traditional Goju-ryu Kata

Taikyoku kata

Taikyoku katas were created by Yamaguchi Gogen who founded Goju Kai and is credited with popularising Goju in Japan. Therefore, it is not accurate to consider these kata as traditional Goju-ryu kata (passed or created by Miyagi). Taikyoku are usually first taught in jukyu to ikkyu levels (white belt to brown belt). The Taikyoku katas teach basic block and attack pattern, and how to move in four directions.

Taikyoku Kata list

  • Taikyoku Jodan
  • Taikyoku Chudan
  • Taikyoku Gedan
  • Taikyoku Kake Uke
  • Taikyoku Mawashi Uke

Some other Goju-ryu schools, like Meibukan, could also have their additional, style-based kata, that are not in other Goju-ryu kata curriculum.

References


International organizations and association


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