|
Brief History of Goju-ryu Karate-do and The Meibukan
Much has been written about the origins of karate and
various masters by researchers and historians too numerous to mention. The
following summary reflects information drawn from multiple sources and in no
way is intended to claim ownership or authority on the subject. My goal is to
simply provide the reader with some sense of the roots and lineage associated
with my training. For more information, please see the short bibliography that
follows.
Sensei Kanryo
Higaonna
The origins of Goju-ryu Karate-do may go back
hundreds of years, but most historians agree that its formation as a ryu
(style) began with Kanryo Higaonna.
In 1853, Higaonna was born in the
city of Naha, Okinawa, and as a youth began studying the martial arts. After
several years of training under Seisho Arakaki, Higaonna traveled to Fuzhou (in Fukien province, China) where he
was introduced to the Chinese master Liu
Liu Ko, who became his primary teacher. After staying many years in China, Higaonna returned home to Okinawa,
where he began teaching the martial arts he had learned, referred to at various points in time as “Te”, “To-de”,
or “Kara-Te” (meaning “Chinese” or “empty” hand).
Sensei Chojun Miyagi
In 1902, Chojun Miyagi (born in
1888 at Higashi-machi, Okinawa) was accepted by Higaonna as a student of ‘Naha-te’.
(As karate styles diversified, they began to be named after the places in
Okinawa where they were practiced, hence Naha-te, Tomari-te and Shuri-te).
Shortly before his death in 1915, Higaonna
indicated that Miyagi would succeed
him. Miyagi continued his study in
the martial arts, journeying to Fuzhou, China in 1915 to visit and learn as his
master had done years before. In 1933, Miyagi
designated his ‘te’ as ‘Goju-ryu’ and registered the name at the
All Japan Martial Arts Association. It is said that Miyagi drew the name ‘Goju’
from a phrase found in the Bubishi (one of the most famous historic
treatises on Chinese martial arts ever produced) that goes: “Ho go ju donto” (the way of breathing in
and out is a way of softness and hardness). Miyagi continued to teach his karate-do
until 1943, primarily in Okinawa, but also occasionally in Japan.
Sensei Meitoku
Yagi
In 1912, Meitoku Yagi
was born in Naha, Okinawa, and at the age of fourteen was introduced to Chojun Miyagi who accepted him as a
student. Within a few years, and because of his great natural abilities, Yagi began assisting his master,
becoming one of his top students. After the death of Chojun Miyagi in 1953, Miyagi’s senior students were not able to
reach consensus on a successor. It was at this time that Yagi named his dojo
(school) the ‘Meibukan’, which some
translate as ‘House of the Pure Martial Art’. Other senior students of Chojun
Miyagi also established their own dojos,
including Seikichi Toguchi (the Shoreikan), Eiko Miyazato (the Gokenkan),
and Eiichi Miyazato (the Jundokan). In 1963, ten years after
Miyagi’s death, Meitoku Yagi was
publicly appointed Miyagi’s heir and successor by the Miyagi family, a role he carried with great honor until his death in 2003.
Following the Second World War, and during the Korean and
Vietnam Wars, Okinawan karate schools
were visited by numerous American soldiers stationed on Okinawa, which had been
formally annexed by the U.S. as a military resource base until its formal
passing to the Japanese government in 1972. It is worth noting that Okinawa and
its people claim a rich heritage of their own, spanning a thousand years or
more, which is reflected in their own unique language, customs, and culture.
Sensei Anthony
Mirakian
In 1933, Anthony
Mirakian, of Armenian heritage, was born in Havana, Cuba. As a young man, Mirakian immigrated to the United
States and later joined the Air Force. He was introduced to the martial arts
while stationed in Okinawa during the Korean War in the early 1950s. Mirakian began training at the Shoreikan of Seikichi Toguchi, and continued to visit and learn from other
schools and prominent Okinawan masters, including
Ryuritsu Arakaki, who introduced him
to Meitoku Yagi. After thoroughly
assessing Mirakian’s background, and following strong recommendations provided
by Arakaki and others, Mirakian was
accepted as a student by Meitoku Yagi.
In November 1959, Mirakian returned
and introduced Okinawan Meibukan Goju-ryu karate to the United States. In 1961, he was granted official permission
by Meitoku Yagi to open his own dojo,
the first foreign dojo in the history
of the Meibukan and one of the first
foreign (founded outside Japan) dojos
in the history of Okinawa Goju-ryu
where he continues to teach today.
|
