Kyoda Juhatsu, an influential Okinawan martial artist, was born on 5 December 1887. He embarked on his martial arts journey at an early age, becoming a dedicated student of Higaonna Kanryō in 1901. Kyoda was one year older than Chōjun Miyagi and commenced his training with Higaonna a year earlier, a fact that made him Miyagi’s sempai, or senior student, in both age and time spent under Higaonna’s tutelage. He continued to train diligently with Higaonna until his esteemed teacher’s passing in 1916.
Kyoda pursued a career in education, attending the Okinawa Prefecture Teachers’ College, eventually becoming a teacher and later a school principal. His role as an educator extended into his martial arts philosophy, as he believed that qualities like a strong character and an indomitable spirit could and should be imparted to school-age children through karate-dō. He actively promoted this aspect of kokutai (national essence) by establishing several karate-dō clubs in the elementary and junior high schools where he worked before World War II.
Kyoda was deeply involved in the program aimed at systemising and standardising karate-dō across Okinawa and Japan. His style, To’on-ryū karate-dō, received official recognition from the Dai Nippon Butokukai in 1933. The following year, in 1934, he was awarded his kyoshi certification by the same organisation. He was a strong advocate for the renshi-kyoshi-hanshi system of licensing, promoting it throughout Okinawa and mainland Japan. Furthermore, he served as the chief director and head instructor for the Naha branch of the Butokukai.
During his training with Higaonna, Kyoda learned a comprehensive set of empty-hand kata, which he later incorporated into his own style, To’on-ryū. Notably, he learned the Sanseiryu kata directly from Higaonna sensei when Miyagi was serving in the Japanese military. This acquisition of knowledge was a point of considerable pride for Kyoda, as Miyagi had not learned Sanseiryu directly from their master. Over time, Sanseiryu became his favourite kata. However, he chose to include none of the weapons kata he might have learned in his To’on-ryū curriculum.
Kyoda Juhatsu maintained significant connections within the Okinawan karate community. He was part of several karate study groups in the 1920s that included other prominent masters such as Chōjun Miyagi, Kenwa Mabuni, and Shinko Matayoshi. These groups were influenced by the teachings of Wu Xiangui’s Fujian White Crane boxing, which also impacted the development of To’on-ryū.
His profound knowledge of Gōjū-ryū was acknowledged by Chōjun Miyagi and his senior students. Towards the end of Miyagi’s life, when he was gravely ill and unable to teach effectively, he would direct his students with questions about Gōjū-ryū kata to Kyoda Juhatsu for his expert input. Following Miyagi’s death in 1953, several senior Gōjū-ryū students approached Kyoda, asking him to become Miyagi’s successor and take on the stewardship of Gōjū-ryū. They saw him as the most logical choice due to his direct discipleship under Higaonna and his seniority to Miyagi. Kyoda reluctantly agreed, but on one condition: he insisted that the style be renamed To’on Gōjū-ryū to honour Higaonna Kanryō. This condition was not accepted by the Okinawan Gōjū-ryū officials, leading Kyoda to decline the succession.
After retiring as a school principal, Kyoda moved to the island of Kyushu in southern Japan. During this period, he did not maintain a permanent dojo, instead teaching out of his home in Oita Prefecture. His training methods were known to be “extremely demanding,” to the extent that “modern karate-ka could scarcely imagine learning in such a manner”.
Kyoda named his style To’on-ryū, using the Chinese pronunciation of the kanji characters (東恩流) that make up his teacher Higaonna’s name. Although some inaccurately simplify To’on-ryū as merely another branch of Gōjū-ryū, it is a distinct system. Despite Kyoda’s immense knowledge and influence among his peers, To’on-ryū remained relatively obscure compared to Gōjū-ryū. This obscurity is often attributed to his lack of a permanent dojo, the absence of a stable student body, and his severe training methods during his later years in Kyushu.
Nevertheless, Kyoda Juhatsu is recognised as one of karate-dō’s great masters, largely due to his instrumental role in introducing karate-dō to public schools and his significant contributions to the standardisation and systematisation of karate-dō in both Okinawa and Japan. His direct student, Kanzaki, continued to advocate for studying traditional karate while also researching other styles.
Karate Kata Step By Step 