MY INFO AND THE HISTORY OF GOJU

I Started at karate at the age of 13 from varieties of school. Some old Japanese styles to kickboxing from various teachers like Jim Parsons, From Mr. Kan who taught some White Crane and some of David Carridene Styles. THe One who person who influenced me the most in my years was Sensi JOhn Looney. The various styles he taught in my three years etc were great. I still study under him every Monday. Karate will be your teacher till the day u die and u will never learn to master it. It will master u ,even when u reach the Black Blelt Level u will learn more as I did. Studying and practicing the key no praticing u become less as the frog was when he decided to croak as the bunny began to jump. In 1999 I enterd my first tournament and got knocked out lol ... It was funny at first casue really I didnt know what hit me I knew a fist did when i saw the blood coming from my nose thats all i could remember (laughing). That was my first full contact fight, I couldnt get it out of my head , I was a yellow belt that time and I had went up against a black belt which we didnt know till we showed up so u tell me. What u think of someone putting u in the rank of a black belt against a white belt? Well now i know how the kids in our classes feel today when they are sparred up against people not their belts, the way i see should be like this white against white etc; Write your comment tell me what u think at my email. I love to hear your comments. Commentary will change if u have a comment summit it to my addy i will add it here. THanks Yours Truly "Little Dragon" THE TRUE FOUNDERS OF GOJU-RYU Okinawan Goju-Ryu Karate is unique in the world of martial arts. Okinawan Goju-Ryu Karate is very well defined in its history and lineage from the Chinese Kempo master Ryu Ryu Ko to Kanryo Higashionna. KANYRO HIGASHIONA Kanryo Higashionna. (1853-1915) The founder of Naha-te, to his successor and most devoted student. Chojun Miyai,The founder of Goju-Ryu Karate and to the accepted head of Goju-Ryu in the world today, Ei'ichi Miyazato (1928-present). In the 1998, the Butokukai, the martial society in Japan, recognized Okinawa Goju-Ryu as the ONLY form of Karate, Japanese or Okinawan, as an ancient martial art. Putting Goju-Ryu alongside other Japanese arts like jujutsu and kenjutsu, which have lineages of over 900 years, is a huge accomplishment. Secondly, since Karate is Okinawan by birth and the Japanese hierarchy has always looked down on Okinawa, makes such an honor that much more impressive. Goju-Ryu's history is a culmination of the native "te" arts of Okinawa which date back over 1000 years, the introduction of Chinese kempo into the Okinawan te arts in around 1372 and the direct study by Higaonna Sensei and Miyagi Sensei in China. Since Okinawa was an annexed tributary state of China until the last part of the 19th century, hundreds of envoys and delegations were sent to Okinawa. This rapidly increased the spread of Chinese arts into the Okinawan culture. In 1477, King Sho Shin proclaimed a ban on all weapons by peasants and nobility alike. This ban was an attempt to put down any rebellious activities and secure his rule of Ryukyu. In addition, he ordered all members of nobility to live within the confines of Shuri Castle where he could keep an eye on any potential throne seekers. Except by the palace nobility, this began the secret practice of the martial arts, both empty handed and weapons, by the common people in Okinawa. The Satsuma Samurai Clan, after being exiled from Japan, invaded Okinawa and stormed Shuri Castle. Okinawa became a puppet state of the Satsuma Clan but kept a false loyalty with the Chinese Emperor. It is a misconception that the Okinawans and the Japanese Samurai battled each other. The Samurai depended on the Okinawans for food, labor and other goods. Therefore, they protected the Okinawans from bandits, piracy, looting, etc. and in return the Okinawans gave a form of devotion and loyalty. The abolishment of the Samurai class wearing the sword and top-knot, marked by the downfall of the Tokugawa Shogunate and the beginning of the Mejii Restoration Era in 1868, brought Japan and Okinawa out of the age of fuedalism and in to "democracy". The Mejii Era focused on promoting education and etiquette to increase morality, nationalism and Japaneseness. The new society eagerly endorsed sports and recreation to advance these new virtues and modern martial arts were born. The secret practices of Ryukyu Kempo (toudi-jutsu) was no longer necessary and began to emerge openy as a part of the Okinawan culture. Demonstrations for the Royalty of Okinawa and Japan helped bring about an acceptance by the Japanese people. After the turn of this century, Okinawan Karate began to mold in accordance with Japanese society. This helped ensure its acceptance by the influential Japanese martial society and secure Karate's continued practice and growth. Karate was introduced into the school systems in Okinawa and underwent some radical innovations with the emphasis shifting from self-defense to physical fitness. The more dangerous moves and their applications were taken out and thus began a new tradition. This radical change represented the end of what was once a complex and lethal form of self-defense. Originally, the idoegrams for Karate meant "China Hand", with the first character pronounced "tou" or "kara" representing China's Tang dynasty(618-907). This serves to show the strong ties that Okinawa had with China. 1905 was the first time the present character for "kara" was used. It means "empty" or "void", but not in the sense of a weaponless art as most intend. Here in, kara comes to represent a deeper, spiritual embodiment of more than just the physical aspect of martial arts training. Through diligent physical, mental and moral development, the Karate practitioner is unlimited or "void of limits" in their abilities to accomplish the most difficult of tasks. The same suffix "-do", as used in judo, kendo, aikido and other arts means "way" or "path". The new suffix replaced the old one, "-jutsu" meaning science or art, making Karate-Do another avenue by which the Japanese could teach and spread harmony. An attempt to organize all Okinawan Karate styles into a single colaboration under Japanese auspices was interrupted by WWII. Most of the Shuri-te and Tomari-te schools(Shoryn-Ryu) had begun the transition, but Goju-Ryu had not been affected by the disintergration and re-organization process. There are many schools of Karate in the world today, all of which can trace their roots back to Okinawa. However, originally there existed only three styles, each of which was named after the city or region in which it evolved. These are Tomari-te, Shuri-te and Naha-te. The Tomari-te and Shuri-te styles unified to become known as Shorin-Ryu, which has splintered into scores of other styles including Shotokan, Wado-Ryu, Isshin-Ryu, Kiyoshinkai, TaeKwonDo and TangSooDo. Naha-te has remained in its purest form and became known as Goju-Ryu. The Kata of are the backbone of Okinawan Karate. Through the Kata of a style breathes its life and history. The naming of Goju-Ryu came more by accident than by intention. Shinzato Jin'an, who was Miyagi's senior student in 1930, gave a public demonstration while in Japan. When asked what this unique style of self-defense was called, he could not answer as there was no need to define self-defense into styles as the Japanese had done for centuries. Upon his return to Okinawa, he discussed with Miyagi what had transpired and Miyagi decided it was necessary to have a name for his art in order to cooperate with other Japanese martial arts and to identify his unique style. He was the first of the Okinawan masters to name his art. Although he named his art Goju-Ryu, he seldom used the name nor did he raise any signs using it. "Go" means hard and "Ju" means soft. Though there are much deeper meanings, Goju-Ryu literally means the "Hard and Soft School". CHOJUN MIYAGI Chojun Miyagi (1888-1953) KATAS "It should be known that the secret principles of Goju-Ryu exist within the kata." Grandmaster Chojun Miyagi - Founder of Okinawan Goju-Ryu Karate-do "Kata" are not simply an exhibition of form. They are a concrete manifestation of techniques which can be transformed at any time to any form. It is in the kata that the essence of karate has assumed a definite form. We should always remember that the kata are a crystallization of the essence of karate and that we should always begin afresh and train hard. It is only through the training of kata that you will reach "gokui", the essential teachings. Kata is an Okinawan term used to describe a set pattern of movements containing the self-protection techniques of a particular master or style.The Chinese also practice such forms, called quans, and are the birthplace of the original Kata of Okinawan Karate. 8 of the 12 Kata practiced in Okinawan Goju-Ryu are the unaltered forms as handed down to Master Kanryo Higaonna by the Chinese Master RyuRyuKo, who Master Higaonna studied under for 13 years in Fozhou, China. Tensho Kata was formulated by Master Miyagi from the Chinese form Rokkishu. The two Gekisai Kata were created to teach to children and the general public as a means of physical exercise. It is suggested that Master Miyagi intended to create five Gekisai Kata (to mirror the Five Pinan Kata of Shorin-Ryu) but this was interrupted by World War II. Classical or traditional Kata were developed by ancient masters who understood the laws and sciences of Traditional Chinese Medicine(TCM). Without this understanding, Kata would simply be a mass of lifeless and meaningless physical movements. Kata contain such principles as body manuvering, evasion techniques, leverage, pressure point manipulation, and energetic transference. For these reasons, if we simplify or change Kata to either accommodate an instructor's preference or to enhance a tournament competitor's chances, then we lose the true meaning and spirit of Karate. The "traditional" Kata of Okinawan Karate contain the applications of these sciences within their movements. The true meaning and spirit of Karate are embedded in the Kata and only by the practice of Kata can we come to understand them. The original or classical Kata of Okinawan Karate are the physical vessels of the "secret fighting techniques" of the old masters. Though the performance of a Kata must remain the same, the bunkai, interpretation of technique, and the oyo, application, is ever changing, according to the expertise of the practitioner. This is why a practitioner could study only one Kata for a lifetime and have all the self-protection techniques necessary to defend oneself. There are many reasons why such a large population of the martial arts world are unaware of the importance of Kata. Language barriers and cultural differences are contributing factors, but are insequential in comparison once the understanding of Okinawan culture and the inclusion of Okinawan Karate into Japanese society is understood. The self-protection techniques of Okinawa were handed down from generation to generation from father to the first born son to ensure secrecy and security for the family or village. If for some reason one or the other died before passing on their "te", it would die with them. Many times, a son (other than their oldest) of a family member would be adopted and all family traditions, including their "te" would survive. It was a great duty and responsibility to receive such an honor and it was not taking lightly. When karate was introduced into the school systems of Okinawa and was taught openly for the first time at the end of the 19th century, it had to go under certain changes to make it safe and acceptable for public practice. Master Miyagi taught karate to children and adults in public schools and recreation centers. However, there was great differences in what he taught his private students at his home dojo. The students who were accepted at his home were exposed to the more rigorous and true nature of Naha-te, not the "new karate". This "new karate" was intended to be more a form of exercise designed to improve a person metally, physically and morally. Unfortunately, over the decades, 1000's of black belts have opened their own dojos or "founded' their own systems, all without any of the real knowledge or understanding of what Karate truly is. KARATE PICS AND LINKS

Email: littledragon53@hotmail.com