Meibukan Goju-ryu USA, 617-923-2338: Chojun Miyagi

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History - Tradition - Heritage

Grandmaster Chojun Miyagi
( 1888 - 1953 )

Grandmaster Chojun Miyagi studied Naha-te with Grandmaster Higaonna for 13 years. In 1915, after Higaonna's death, Miyagi left Okinawa and, like Higaonna had done before, journeyed to China to conduct further research into the martial arts. He went to Fujian Province with a friend, the Chinese White Crane master, Go-Ken Kin. They traveled together for 2 years, visiting and training with a number of great Quan-fa masters.

Upon his return to Okinawa, Miyagi made the decision to refine the Naha-te method by subjecting it to critical scientific scrutiny. His analysis was very detailed and he discarded any techniques that did not adhere to strict scientific principles. Miyagi incorporated many of the Quan-fa methods he had learned in China into the Naha-te practice. He modified existing kata and created a number of new kata, such as Gekisai I, Gekisai II, and Tensho. He developed a system of auxiliary exercises and kata bunkai kumite, as well as a number of other forms of kumite. And, he also converted Higaonna's open-hand Sanchin method to the closed-hand Sanchin method that is practiced today.

Miyagi combined the hard, the "Go" of Sanchin, with the soft, the "Ju" of Tensho, to establish the central principle of his new method, and chose "Goju" as the name for his new style. He took his inspiration from a passage that appears in the early Chinese text, "Wu Pei Chih" ("Army Account of Military Arts and Science") written in 1636 by Yuan-I Mao, which states that

"The successful method requires both give and take."

In short, Miyagi modernized the training structure and practices of Okinawan Naha-te and established a comprehensive program that is still followed to this day in Goju-ryu.

Grandmaster Miyagi spent his entire life working for the improvement and proliferation of Okinawan karate-do. Prior to his efforts, karate was viewed by many as a mysterious, esoteric practice that was beyond normal understanding. With his establishment of Goju-ryu karate-do around 1932, Miyagi transformed Okinawan Naha-te into a physical and spiritual self-defense discipline that was clearly-defined, systematic, and based on scientific principles. By doing so, he created a solid basis for widespread recognition, understanding, and acceptance.

Because of these efforts, Grandmaster Miyagi received many invitations, titles, and honors:

In 1928, he traveled to Japan to teach Okinawan karate at the Kyoto Imperial

University, the Kansai University, and the Ritsumeikan Univesity.

In 1930, he was made the Chairman of the Okinawan-ken Taiiku Kyokai Karate-do

(the Karate Division of the Okinawa Prefecture Athletic Association).

In 1934, he became permanent officer of the Okinawan Branch of the Dai Nippon

                   Butokukai (the Great Japan Martial Virtues Association) which was
                      established in 1933 to formally recognize karate as one of the official
                      martial arts of Japan.

In 1934 May, he traveled to Hawaii to teach at the invitation of Chinei Kinjo, editor

of the Okinawan newspaper "Yoen Fiho Sha", and returned to Okinawa
in February, 1935.

In 1936, he was awarded a medal for "Excellence in the Martial Arts" by the

Ministry of Education of Japan.

In 1937 May, he was appointed by Prince Moriwasa Nashimoto, Commissioner of

                               the Dai Nippon Butokakai, along with two others, to form and run the
                            Dai Nippon Butokukai Karate Jukkyoshi (the Great Japan Martial Arts
                            Karate Teachers' Association) to regulate karate throughout Japan.

In 1937, he was awarded the Kyoshi Degree from the Dai Nippon Butokukai.

In 1946, he was made an official of the Okinawan Minsei Taiiku Kan (the Okinawan

Democratic Athletic Association).

In 1953, he received a teaching appointment to the Ryukyu Police Academy in Naha

City, Okinawa.

Miyagi was given the nickname "Samurai Miyagi" and was said to have possessed superhuman strength by those who knew him. He had exceptionally powerful open-hand techniques, especially nukite (finger-tip strikes). His punching and kicking techniques were very strong and explosive. He was also renowned for having a vice-like grip. It was said that he could squeeze a four or five pound piece of meat into hamburger. There was an incident in China where he dropped his wallet in a rickshaw. When he went back to recover it, the rickshaw driver refused to give it back and tried to strike him. Miyagi instantly grabbed the driver's forearm and squeezed it so hard that the arm became paralyzed. As you might expect, the wallet was returned.

Like his teacher Higaonna, Miyagi was a very strict and demanding instructor. He sought only those students who adhered to the highest ethical and moral standards, and showed that they could withstand the rigors of the training - that they could "endure." If a student dropped out, Miyagi made no effort to draw him back. Those who remained became the elite of the Okinawan karate-do community.

Miyagi taught and promoted Goju-ryu karate-do his entire life - up to the time of his death on October 8, 1953 at the age of 65. In recognition of his legendary skill and strength, and his lifetime commitment to the martial arts, Grandmaster Miyagi came to be called the

"Last Great Samurai of Okinawa"

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