A rare photo of Kei Miyagi sensei (Chojun Miyagi's oldest son) applying the arm break from Kururunfa Kata.
Unfortunately, Kei kind of got lost in the Goju-Ryu history. He was a direct and senior student of his father, and opened the Komeikan dojo in mainland Japan.
Excerpted from How to enjoy Karate-do (1965), pg. 14 – 17
Karate is an ancient form of budo developed in our country, Okinawa. Karate is a martial sport which does not use weapons, uses the mind and body, and the empty hands and fists to defend against an opponent. In other words, realistically and logically, karate provides an orderly training method as a martial art, as sport, and as physical education. Moreover, karate is organized in a scientific manner as a means of psychology cultivation, and technically as a method of attack and defense. Therefore, karate quickly makes a powerful body, teaches etiquette and promotes an attitude necessary for harmonious social life.
Karate may have originated from a combination of indigenous grappling techniques and Chinese kenpo which was transmitted by trade with China. Approximately 500 years ago, and then again, 350 years ago, there were three government edicts banning weapons in Okinawa. This laid the foundation for the development of a unique Okinawan karate.
The first ban occurred during the “Three Mountain Unification Age” under the Sho ancestor Shohashi in 1429. During this time Okinawa was divided into three rival kingdoms Chuzan, Nanzan and Hokuzan. The king of Chuzan, Shohashi, united all three kingdoms, placed them under his control and issued a severe policy banning weapons.
The second time occurred under the third Sho king, Shoshin in 1477. Shoshin wished to centralize his government and issued an edict disarming the anji (on Okinawa, anji referred to a feudal lord).
The third time was over 200 years ago in 1609 when the Shimazu entered Okinawa. Since then, the possession of arms has been prohibited completely.
When was karate transmitted from China and how did it develop? This depends on one’s thinking, but karate does not have any specific historical documentation so there is no way to know.
We can think of modern karate as the product of the two weapons ban and the entry of the Shimazu into Okinawa in conjunction with the introduction of Chinese style kenpo from Fuzhou through trade with China, and the inclusion of traditional grappling skills. This was trained and studied by the Ryukyu shizoku in secret during the age of the weapons ban.
On Okinawa, Karate is referred to as “te” (te = Okinawa te) or “toude”. In other words, “te” (Okinawa te) refers to something that is uniquely Okinawan in tradition. “Toude” includes the meaning that it is related to Chinese kenpo. For instance, the use of the fist on Amami Oshima is similar to that of the Japanese mainland. That is, the stance and use of the fist are different from the way of gripping and applying the fist in Okinawa karate.
I think this is one piece of evidence showing the peculiar development and spread of Okinawan karate technique by the Shimazu to Amami Oshima.
The word “te” was chiefly used on Okinawa and was incorporated into two main styles, “Shurite” and “Nahate”. These two names are the source of two large systems of karate. One is called “Toude" which I touched on previously and is thought to mean it is related to Chinese kenpo.
On Okinawa, things Chinese were held in high regard and anything good was referred to as “to” (i.e. Tang) . It was a trend of people during this era to think of something which had value as a “Tang object”. Therefore the character for “to” (Tang)as found in “toude” seems to have become "toude". Also at some point and unbeknownst, “tou” can also be read “kara” giving us “karate”. When I was a child, fine antiques and Chinaware, etc. were loosely referred to as “Tang objects”.
Originally on Okinawa when someone wanted to learn karate, they would request by saying, “please teach me “te”. The characters "karate" had already been used in the of the first Okinawa prefectural junior high school karate club’s since about August 1905.
At the end of 1921, Funakoshi Gichin was invited from Okinawa to the physical education exhibition sponsored by the Ministry of Education. The exhibit was held at Ochanomizu Women’s Teacher College and included demonstrations of Kobudo (classical martial ways). This was the first time that karate was demonstrated in the capital.
In the beginning of the Showa era, Keio University created the “Toude Study Group”. This was the first time that the characters for “karate” were put into general use when the group first used the term “Dai Nippon Kenpo Karate-do”. From 1921 to 1936, Funakoshi Gichin contributed to the spread of the Karate in Tokyo. Through his efforts, he opened the first karate dojo, the shotokan, in Zakagatani, Toyoshima ward. Motobu Choki followed next and came to Osaka where he introduced karate in 1924.
My father(Goju-ryu Karate-do founder Miyagi Chojun) introduced goju-ryu karate in a grand ceremony in Kyoto for the first time in 1928. In that same year he was invited to give demonstrations and lectures to Kyoto Imperial University’s Judo Club. Through the brilliance of these grand ceremonies, goju-ryu karate-do took root in the ground of old Kyoto for the first time that year. Later, shifu worked to promote and unify karate through the country. His first step was gaining recognition as part of Nihon Budo. He devoted all his energies to receive authorization from this association.
In November, 1933, karatedo was promoted by the Dai Nippon Butokukai Okinawa Branch. In addition karatedo was authorized as a martial art of Japan and listed as a Japanese budo by the Dai Nippon Butokukai and began to be promoted and developed throughout the country both nominally and realistically for the first time. This was a special recognition in history as the local martial art of Okinawa karate was now recognized for its value the field of Japanese budo and physical education.
With the dissolution of the Dai Nippon Butokukai and the defeat of our country, it is extremely regrettable loss for budo and karatedo that after coming to Kyoto, shifu could not achieve his great ambition of spreading karatedo throughout Japan and the world.
In 1929 Shitoryu founder Mabuni Kenwa was able to come to Osaka, where he resided and contributed to the spread and development of karatedo.
In May 1937 shifu, Shindojizen-ryu founder Konishi Yosuke and Kushin-ryu founder Ueshima Sanosuke, received the first karate-jutsu titles of Kyoushi from the president of the Dai Nippon Butokukai, his highness Prince Nashimoto Moriwasa. Until the dissolution of the Dai Nippon Butokukai, it contributed to the spread and development of karate-jutsu through the licensing of instructors. Konishi is presently active in Tokyo and Ueshima in Kansai.
As touched on previously, karatedo is divided into two main systems, Shurite and Nahate since olden times. Why is the unique Okinawan martial art of karate not divided into different styles or groups like kenjutsu, jujutsu and other kobujutsu? Perhaps it is because of the custom of instruction and training being conducted secretly due to a deep-rooted reserve has remained resulting from the influence of the weapons ban edicts and the entry of the Shimazu clan.
At the end at the Meiji era the karate masters of that time, Nahate’s Higashionna Kanryo and Shurite’s Itosu Anko, who introduced karate to the public, did not name their style or system. However, karatedo came to be taught at Shuri elementary school as part of it’s curriculum in April, 1901. Moreover, Funakoshi traveled to Tokyo to advance karate and shifu worked towards receiving recognition of karate as a martial art by the Dai Nippon Butokukai allowing karate to receive more attention than other kobujutsu.
Furthermore, shifu studied the kata and kumite of the Nahate group in a scientific manner, which had been taught to him by Nahate’s Higashionna Kanryo.
In traditional karate it was said that “one fist must kill without fail”. This is because karate was developed entirely as a technique to injure or kill someone in actual combat. However, from today's educational viewpoint this kind of technique, training and practice method is improper.
Besides the basic kata sanchin, there is the soft kata tensho created from researching rokkishu. However, before beginning the basic kata and advanced kata (kaishugata) of karate, preliminary empty hand exercises related to karate technique are performed along with supplementary exercises to train a flexible, but strong physical strength improving karate technique.
The old methods of karate instruction provided both realistically and theoretically the order and method of training. These were organized scientifically as a method of sport, physical training and mental training, and introduced for the first time in karate as goju-ryu. The name goju-ryu was taken from two characters from the phrase “Ho wa goju wo dontosu” from the “Kenpo Haku ”.
Later on in the karate world, shifu’s young apprentice Mabuni Kenwa corresponded with him and took the first characters of both Higashionna and Itosu to name his shito-ryu. Funakoshi Gichin’s students took the name of his dojo, Shotokan, to name his style Shotokan-ryu. Each karate style began to be respectively named such as Konishi Yosuke’s Shindojizen-ryu, Ueshima Sannosuke’s Kushin-ryu and Otsuka Hironori’s Wado-ryu, contributing more and more to the development of karate-do and it’s prosperity today.
Finally, anyone at first glance can see there is a remarkable difference between both styles. In the basic kata, goju-ryu uses sanchin and tensho which uses breathing method the “tonto ”(regulation of vital energy and breath). The most noticeable technical difference is the position of the fist while punching. In shurite the fist is positioned by the waist or belt line, whereas gojuryu always places the fist by the breast.
In Japanese, “Sangoku Touichi Jidan”
A reference to the Tang Dynasty in China.
Miyagi refers to his father, Miyagi Chojun, as “shifu” which literally means “teaching father”.
Miyagi uses the name Yosuke which I believe is a mistake. Konishi’s first name was Yasuhiro.
“Ikken hissatsu” in Japanese.
“The eight teachings of the fist”
Literally “swallow and spit”.
Translated by Mario McKenna ©2002.
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