Karate styles – Gōjū-ryū

Gōjū-ryū (剛柔流), meaning “hard-soft style,” is one of the main traditional Okinawan styles of karate, featuring a combination of hard and soft techniques. It is considered the youngest of the major karate schools and is said by some to be the most widely practised style in the world, known for being the most challenging in its training regime.

Founding and Early Influences

Gōjū-ryū’s foundations were laid by Higaonna Kanryō (東恩納寛量) (1853–1916), who is regarded as the first exponent of a distinct Naha-te style. Higaonna learned martial arts in Fuzhou, China, studying under Ryū Ryū Ko. He trained with Ryū Ryū Ko for about fourteen years, learning nine empty-hand kata and various weapon kata (bo, long sword, short sword) before returning to Okinawa to establish his lineage.

The official naming of the Gōjū-ryū style occurred around 1929 or 1930, or was officially recognised in 1933 by its formulator, Chōjun Miyagi (宮城長順) (1888–1953). Miyagi selected the name “Gōjū” from a passage in the Bubishi martial arts text, which reads: “Ho go ju donto” (The way of inhaling and exhaling is hardness and softness). This name perfectly reflected Miyagi’s style, which emphasised both hard and soft techniques and focused heavily on breathing.

Chōjun Miyagi was born in Naha, Okinawa, into a wealthy merchant family in 1888. He began his martial arts training at the age of eleven under Ryuko Aragaki and then at the age of fourteen (in 1902), he was introduced to and began studying Naha-te with Higaonna Kanryō. Miyagi trained under Higaonna for 15 years until Higaonna’s death in 1916. He was an exceptionally diligent student, often forgetting to eat or sleep due to his research and practice, leading Higaonna to treat him like his own child.

In May 1915, Miyagi traveled to Fujian Province in China before Higaonna’s death, visiting his teacher’s grave and studying local Chinese martial arts, including observing the Rokkishu (a set of hand exercises emphasizing forearm and wrist rotation), which he later adapted into the Tensho Kata. He returned to China a second time in 1936 with Wu Xiangui (Go Kenki), who acted as his interpreter. During this trip, Miyagi demonstrated karate-dō and met Miao Xing, a Monk Fist Boxing expert. Some researchers believe this exchange inspired him to develop the Gekisai kata.

Upon his return to Naha, Miyagi opened his own dojo and gained an enormous reputation as a karateka. His significant contributions included popularising and organizing karate teaching methods. He introduced karate into Okinawa police work, high schools, and other fields of society. Miyagi revised and further developed Sanchin, the ‘hard’ aspect of Gōjū-ryū, and created Tensho, the ‘soft’ aspect, both considered to contain the essence of the style. In 1934, he was appointed the representative of the Butokukai in Okinawa and was invited to Hawaii to teach karate to Okinawans living there for six months.

Miyagi was prophetic about the future of karate, stating in a 1936 speech in Osaka that the days of secret teaching were over and karate-dō would become international. He outlined a five-part Gōjū-ryū syllabus: junbi undo (stretching/strengthening), hojo undo (strength/power development), kihongata (fundamental kata: Sanchin, Tensho), kaishugata (eight other Gōjū-ryū kata), and kumite renshu (sparring training). Miyagi believed the ultimate aim of karate-dō was to build character, conquer human misery, and find spiritual freedom. Notably, Miyagi never awarded a black belt or any other rank to his students, fearing they would be recognised by their belt rather than their abilities.

Key Teachers and Style Growth

Gōjū-ryū’s growth was significantly shaped by Miyagi’s senior students and their subsequent efforts:

  • Gogen Yamaguchi (1909-1989): Yamaguchi was Miyagi’s personal representative in Japan. He was instrumental in promoting Gōjū-ryū on mainland Japan, leading to its rapid growth and official recognition as one of the “ancient martial arts” by the Dai Nippon Butoku Kai. Yamaguchi is often credited for the worldwide dissemination of the Gōjū system, establishing the Gōjū-Kai organisation. His charismatic public image, traditional Japanese dress, and long hair earned him the nickname “The Cat” and attracted significant media attention, promoting Gōjū globally. Yamaguchi also played a crucial role in developing and introducing jiyu-kumite (free sparring) into the karate-dō curriculum in Japan, making Gōjū-ryū comparable to judo and kendo. His jiyu-kumite featured close-quarter fighting with low kicks, throws, and circular striking techniques, appearing so realistic that a 1940 public debut was mistaken for a real fight.
  • Eiichi Miyazato (1922–1999): Accepted as Miyagi’s successor by many in the Gōjū community, including Miyagi’s family. He continued to teach in Miyagi’s garden dojo after his death and opened his own dojo, the Jundokan, in Naha City in 1957. Miyazato is well-known for his tireless efforts to develop and expand Okinawan Gōjū-ryū karate-dō worldwide.
  • Meitoku Yagi (1912–2003): Opened his own Meibukan dojo.
  • Seiko Higa (1898-1966): Went on to devise the Kokusai Karate-Kobudo Remnei.
  • Seikichi Toguchi (1917–1998): Developed the Shorei Kan.

The reputation of Oyama’s dojo, initially opened in Tokyo in 1953 and named Oyama Dojo (a form of Gōjū-ryū), attracted students globally due to its tough and practical style. This style was formally named Kyokushinkai in 1957, meaning ‘the ultimate truth’. In 1964, Oyama established the International Karate Organisation Kyokushin kaikan (IKO or IKOK) to manage the growing number of Kyokushin schools worldwide. Kyokushin is considered a descendant style of Gōjū-ryū.

The migration of Okinawan karate masters to mainland Japan, starting with Gichin Funakoshi in 1915, formalised its presence there. The Dai Nippon Butoku Kai (Great Japan Martial Arts Association), established in 1895 to promote and standardize martial disciplines, officially recognised Gōjū-ryū as a budō in 1933. Furthermore, in 1998, the semi-governmental Nippon Kobudo Kyokai recognised Gōjū-ryū Karate-dō as an ancient form of traditional martial art (koryū) and bujutsu, making it the first karate style to receive such recognition from the NKK. This spread was aided by American servicemen stationed in Okinawa after World War II, who, upon returning home, introduced karate to the West.

Distinguishing Characteristics

Gōjū-ryū is often contrasted with other styles. While styles like Shotokan primarily derive from Shuri-te, Gōjū-ryū is based on Naha-te. Gōjū-ryū places much emphasis on the perfection of its core stances, ‘sanchin’ (hourglass stance) and ‘neko-ashi-dachi’ (cat stance), taught to pupils from an early stage as they form the art’s foundation. The style promotes improvement of technique through traditional training and conditioning implements.

In terms of strategy, Gōjū-ryū focuses on closing distance, unbalancing the opponent, and using physiological damage to incapacitate them. It is fundamentally a striking art, with its core kata consisting of approximately 70 percent hand techniques, 20 percent foot techniques, 5 percent throws, and 5 percent groundwork. Miyagi’s own success against judo practitioners during his military service highlighted that his physical conditioning and the directness of karate could overcome other arts, rather than one art being inherently “better”.

Katas Associated with the Style

Gōjū-ryū has a core curriculum of twelve classical kata that form the basis of most traditional Gōjū-ryū organisations today. These kata are:

  • Sanchin (三戦): A foundational kata focusing on proper posture, breathing, and body conditioning. It is practiced with dynamic tension and deep, natural breathing.
  • Gekisai Dai Ichi (撃砕第一) and Gekisai Dai Ni (撃砕第二): Meaning “attack and smash, destruction”. These beginner’s kata were created by Chōjun Miyagi in 1940 and introduce the fundamentals of Gōjū-ryū. Dai Ni introduces open-hand techniques and additional stances compared to Dai Ichi. Gekisai Dai Ichi was also incorporated into the Okinawan Karate tradition as Fukyugata Dai Ni and is practiced by other schools like Kobayashi Shorin-ryū and Matsubayashi Shorin-ryū.
  • Saifa (砕破): Meaning “smash and tear”.
  • Seiyunchin (制引鎮). It explores themes like five techniques against cross-hand grabs and pushes.
  • Shisochin (四向鎮).
  • Sanseiru (三十六): Meaning “36 hands”. It features themes like double-arm receiving techniques.
  • Sepai (十八): Meaning “18 hands”.
  • Kururunfa (久留頓破).
  • Sesan (十三): Meaning “13 hands”.
  • Suparinpei (壱百零八手): Meaning “108 hands”. Some believe it contains the full syllabus of Gōjū-ryū, although this is disputed. It is noted as being 108 techniques long, almost twice as long as Shotokan‘s Kanku-Dai.
  • Tensho (転掌): Meaning “revolving hands” or “rotating palms”. This kata was adapted by Chōjun Miyagi from the Rokkishu exercises he observed in China, representing the soft aspect of Gōjū-ryū.

Other Kata (sometimes practiced or unique to certain branches):

  • Hookiyu (普及型): Universal or unified kata, created by Seikichi Toguchi, introducing basics of Gōjū-ryū stances and defensive postures. Sometimes considered a simplified form of Gekisai kata.
  • Taikyoku (太極): While originally created by Yoshitaka Funakoshi (Shotokan), Gōjū-ryū versions have been modified to reflect elements within the Gōjū-ryū style, such as zenkutsu dachi stances, and follow the basic H pattern.

Similarities and Differences with other styles’ kata:

  • Sanchin: Present in other styles like Uechi-ryū and Shorinji-ryū, but their execution differs. Uechi-ryū’s Sanchin relies primarily on the “Sanchin stance” and is very different compared to other versions.
  • Seisan: Found in Isshin-ryū, Uechi-ryū (though it looks very little like Gōjū-ryū’s, it’s genealogically related), and some Shorin-ryū branches. In Chito-ryū, Seisan is nearly identical to the original Shorin-ryū forms as taught by Chōtoku Kyan.
  • Suparinpei: Its length of 108 techniques is notable compared to other styles’ longer kata, like Shotokan‘s Kanku-Dai.
  • Gōjūshiho, Passai, Chinto, Kusanku: These kata are also found in various other karate styles (e.g., Shorin-ryū, Shotokan, Shitō-ryū, Isshin-ryū), reflecting their common Okinawan origins and Chinese influences. The interpretation and performance of these kata can vary significantly between schools and organisations, with different masters adding their own interpretations or mixes of variants.

Legacy

Gōjū-ryū has left a significant mark on the martial arts world. It is referred to as one of the major karate methods in existence today and is considered the “ultimate truth style” that has gathered many thousands of pupils throughout the world due to the high standards set and the reputation of its founder. Its emphasis on combining hard and soft techniques, strong stances, and practical application has influenced many subsequent styles and continues to be practiced globally.