Goju Ryu

Goju Ryu grapplingThe name Goju is derived from two contrasting terms: Go meaning hard, and Ju meaning soft. Goju differs from most other Karate systems in its proximity of fighting. Great emphasis is placed on striking and grappling at close quarters, both standing and on the ground, making it a good style for reality-based self defense.

Goju Ryu traced its roots to the late 19th Century, when an Okinawan islander named Kanryo Higaonna travelled to Southern China and trained under a White Crane master named Ryu Ryu Ko. On his return he taught his art and one of his students began to emerge as exceptional. His name was Chojun Miyagi.

After Higaonna's death in 1915, Miyagi combined his knowledge of Chinese systems with his own native Okinawan fighting arts (Tode) to create Goju Ryu Karate. On his death in 1953, Ei'ichi Miyazato took over as the head of the Jundokan and the Okinawan Goju Ryu system.