Acknowledgements

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Table of Contents

By Graham Noble

Many thanks to the following, for help with rare material and/or translations: Pat McCarthy, Terry O’Neill, Steve Bellamy, Dennis Martin, Harry Cook, Morio Higaonna, Brian Sekiya, Mario McKenna, Mitsusuke Harada, Takao Nakaya, Mike Clarke, Charles Goodin, Dennis May, Simon Lalley, Alan Ellerton, George Chaplin. I have also used translated material by Joe Swift, Andreas Quast, and Sanzinsoo (Kiyotaka Yamada).

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Sadao Sakai: Miyagi Sensei was called the founder or originator of “Goju Ryu”. What was the origin of Goju Ryu?
Meitoku Yagi: I believe that was around Showa 7 (1932). Our senpai and Miyagi Sensei’s oldest student Jinan Shinzato was invited to an event hosted by the Butokukai, and put on a demonstration there. At that event, Shinzato Senpai was asked by several judo and kendo sensei whether his group had a ryu-ha (school or style). The judo and kendo sensei stated that normally bujutsu had a ryu-ha. Therefore, after returning from the event, Shinzato Senpai discussed this subject with Miyagi Sensei. Miyagi Sensei said, “In the book, ‘Kempo Eight Precepts’ there is a phrase, ‘Hou wa Goju o donsu’. Therefore, we should name our system ‘Goju Ryu’.” That was what I had heard. In other words, to control your opponent with ‘Ju’ (‘Soft’) and then to defeat him with ‘Go’ (‘Hard’).”
- From a discussion between Sakai and Yagi in the booklet published on the 25th anniversary of Chojun Miyagi’s death.

“We have a saying ‘Ju yoku go seisu’, softness overcomes hardness. You have to train your spirit, become more self-restrained. Just as the heads of rice bend as the rice grows, you must bend as you get stronger. The virtue of humility and self-restraint is very important. If a man is powerful he can sometimes be violent, just like a madman with a weapon, so we need to give spiritual education to young people who train at karate.”
- Tatsunori Sakiyama, in the 25th anniversary booklet.

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