Seigo Tada and Seigokan: the Goju-ryu lineage that reached Brazil

Every Goju-ryu practitioner knows the name of Chōjun Miyagi, the founder of the style. Fewer know the story of one of his students in Kyoto, who founded a school in 1945 and took it to more than a dozen countries, Brazil among them. This is a summary of the story of Seigo Tada and Seigokan. The full version, with sources, is in the biography of Seigo Tada.

A student of Miyagi in Kyoto

Seigo Tada (多田正剛) was born in Kyoto on 18 February 1922. At fifteen, in Shanghai, he studied Chinese martial arts. In 1939 he joined the karate club of Ritsumeikan University, where he was taught directly by Chōjun Miyagi, who also taught on mainland Japan. Tada later took charge of the club.

That relationship is the source of the Seigokan lineage: Miyagi's Goju-ryu, as taught by Tada.

1945: the founding

In 1945, shortly after the end of the war, Tada opened the Seigokan dojo in Kyoto and founded the organization known today as 日本正剛館空手道士会 (Seigokan Karate-Do Association). The school's name carries the founder's own: 正剛館 is the "house" (館) of 正剛 (Seigō). Its purpose, according to the headquarters, was to educate young people through karate understood as a path of personal improvement.

A builder of Japanese karate

Tada did not limit himself to his own dojo. In 1952 he held the first tournament with protective equipment of his own design. He took part in the unification of styles that created the Japan Karate Federation in 1964, and was involved in refereeing and organizing the first Japanese and world championships. He chaired the Hyōgo Prefecture federation and in 1981 received the prefecture's Sports Merit Award.

From Himeji to the world

The school's headquarters, the Sōhonbu, is in Himeji. From there Seigokan spread to dojos and universities across Japan and, from 1967, abroad: Hong Kong, Macau and then yearly teaching trips to countries such as the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia, Portugal and Brazil.

Seigo Tada died in 1997. The school remains in the family: it is led today by Seigo Tada III, sōke and president of the organization.

Seigokan in Brazil

In Brazil, Seigokan Brasil brings together the dojos and senseis teaching Seigokan Goju-ryu, under Shihan Leonardo Carion and Sensei Joetsu Narita. The lineage connecting them to Tada, and Tada to Miyagi, is what the organization exists to preserve.

If you want to train in that lineage, find an affiliated dojo. If you are a sensei and your dojo follows Seigo Tada's path, contact the board.