Goju-ryu
-
Let’s Talk About Karate Styles
Japan has culturally and historically been an ordered and hierarchical society. Therefore it comes as no surprise that its martial traditions (武道-budo) mirror this same structure. Until the conclusion of WWII, Japanese martial traditions were designated as different styles (流-ryu) or off-shoots (派-ha) and were centrally administered by the Great Japan Martial Virtues Association (大日本武徳会-Dai… Continue reading
-
Stances Aren’t Natural
I think that some Okinawa Karatedo teachers look at foreign student and inwardly mumble to themselves, “what the he!@ is that?” It is a sad fact that some of these students’ Karate is weak or at times downright terrible. Their backs are rounded, knees knocked inwards, elbows flaring away from the body, shoulders rolling forward, just… Continue reading
-
Who Does the Heavy Lifting for You?
Strength and conditioning have always been a part of Okinawa Karate-do, especially those styles classified as “Nahate” such as Goju-ryu, Uechi-ryu, and Tou’on-ryu. I’m sure you have seen many old photos of younger Karateka doing their “strongman” pose showing off their level of muscular development and low body fat. Many of these early Karateka had… Continue reading
-
Nakasone Seyu’s Tomarite
I just published a short biography of Tomarite master Nakasone Seyu on Youtube, and hope readers will find it interesting. Nakasone had a very interesting and diverse training history which included the following teachers: Tomari-te Matsumora Kosaku Iha Kodatsu Maeda Ginin (Yoshitō) Nakazato Bokuhitsu (Mutsuo) Goju-ryu Miyagi Chojun (unconfirmed) Higa Seko Kobudo Kamiya Jinsei Karate Shimabukuro… Continue reading
-
Yamaguchi Gogen & Goju-ryu
There have been numerous articles about Goju Kai founder Yamaguchi Gogen over the decades, but very little about his relationship with Miyagi Chojun. Like most Karate-do history, what was written about Yamaguchi’s life and his Goju Kai was self-serving, but in recent years more information has come out to draw a better picture of the… Continue reading
-
Biography of Fukuchi Seko (1919 – 1975)
Below is a short YouTube video that I put together outlining the life of Fukuchi Seko. I hope you enjoy it. Continue reading
-
Bechurin
In the frontis of ‘An Overview of Karatedo‘ (Nakasone, 1938) there is a photo of Kyoda Juhatsu leading a group of middle school students in Karate practice where he is on a platform positioned in shiko-dachi, with his right fist by his midsection and his left fist extended to the front. This photo has always… Continue reading
-
Junbi Undo: It’s not what you think it is
There are times when Karateka add other activities to their practice due to injury (usually chronic) in the hopes of rehab themselves to continue training. In the worst situations, the injury is so severe, that they abandon their practice altogether. Sadly, this runs counter to the tradition of Okinawa Karatedo with its focus on life-long… Continue reading
-
Tou’on-ryu Sanseru: A comparison
Although I have been practising Sanseru kata for a long time and I am still not very good at it. However, I enjoy the challenge of trying to perform it. Ironically, it was one of my least favourite kata when I learnt Goju-ryu, but my feelings changed when I learnt the Tou’on-ryu version. The other… Continue reading
-
“Ryukyu Fubutsu” & Karate
Most Karateka are familiar with the short 1940 short film showing Goju-ryu Karate. If you haven’t seen it, I’ve posted it below as it is as shown on Youtube. What readers may not be aware of is the actual history behind the film. So, in this blog post I would like to present a translation… Continue reading
Support
If you enjoy this blog, please consider supporting it by purchasing a book translation.