The name: 剛柔
Gōjū (剛柔) joins two characters: 剛 (gō), hard or firm, and 柔 (jū), soft or flexible. Chōjun Miyagi chose the name from a line of the Bubishi, an old Chinese martial arts text widely studied in Okinawa, which links hard and soft to breathing in and out.1 The core idea of the style is in its name: strength lies not only in hardening, but in alternating firmness and flexibility, tension and relaxation, attack and reception.
Origins in Okinawa
Goju-ryu grew out of Naha-te, the fighting tradition of the city of Naha in Okinawa. Chōjun Miyagi (宮城長順, 1888–1953) trained with Kanryō Higaonna, studied martial arts in southern China and, through the 1920s and 1930s, organized what he had learned into a teaching system with its own name, methods and kata.1, 2 Goju-ryu is now recognized as one of the four major styles of Japanese karate, alongside Shotokan, Shito-ryu and Wado-ryu.1
Sanchin and Tensho: hard and soft
Two kata sum up the style. Sanchin (三戦, "three battles") is trained with the whole body tensed and deep, controlled breathing; it is the foundation of the practitioner's posture, structure and endurance. Tensho (転掌, "turning hands"), created by Miyagi himself, is its complement: circular, flowing hand movements, with the breath following each gesture.1 One teaches firmness, the other flexibility. Together they are Goju.
What training looks like
Goju-ryu is known for close-range fighting, circular blocks, open-hand techniques, short strikes, throws and controls. That demands a prepared body, so the style keeps traditional conditioning methods:
- Breathing (ibuki and nogare): the strong breathing of Sanchin and the soft breathing of Tensho.
- Hojo undo: exercises with traditional tools such as the chi ishi (weighted lever) and nigiri game (gripping jars) to strengthen hands, wrists and hips.
- Kote kitae: arm conditioning through contact with a partner.
- Kakie: "pushing hands" training in contact, to develop sensitivity and control at close range.
- Bunkai: the study of the applications of each kata's movements.
Seigokan Goju-ryu
Seigokan is a Goju-ryu school. Seigo Tada learned the style directly from Chōjun Miyagi at Ritsumeikan University from 1939 and founded the school in 1945 to pass it on.4 The Seigokan curriculum brings together the style's classical kata and adds two foundational kata created by Tada:3
- Tada's foundational kata: Kihon Tsuki no Kata and Kihon Uke no Kata.
- Goju-ryu kata: Sanchin, Tensho, Gekisai Dai Ichi, Gekisai Dai Ni, Saifa, Seienchin, Shisochin, Sanseiru, Seipai, Seisan, Kururunfa and Suparinpei.
The curriculum also includes prearranged partner forms (yakusoku kumite) and grappling and control techniques (torite).3 Learn about each one in the kata section.
Who is Goju-ryu for?
Goju-ryu is practiced by children, adults and older people. Everyone's pace is respected, but the path is the same for all: posture, breathing, kata and conduct, as the Dojo-kun asks. To start, find a dojo affiliated with Seigokan Brasil.
