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The founder of Goju ryu karate, Miyagi Chojun , was born at Okinawa in 1888. At the age of twelve he started to train in karate-do under Aragaki Ryuko Sensei. At the age of fourteen he was introduced to Higaonna Kanryo Sensei and was eventually accepted as Higaonna Sensei's personal disciple.
After his master's death Miyagi traveled to China to develop his knowledge of the martial arts.
Goju-Ryu Karate was founded in the late 1920's by Chojun Miyagi. "Go" means hard, and "Ju" means soft, hence Goju-Ryu is translated as "Hard and Soft way". It is a blend of Okinawan Te (hard) and Shoa Lin Kung Fu (soft) with emphasis on the White Crane style. Other Chinese influences include Pakua Chang, I Chuan and Tai Chi Chuan, which Sensei Miyagi studied on several trips to the Chinese mainland.
Goju Ryu is a close-range self-defense system characterized by circular blocks, joint manipulations and kicking techniques to the lower body targets.
Dynamic tension and breathing are major elements in its training, incorporated in many of the kata. On October 8, 1953, Sensei Miyagi died of either a heart attack (the most popular explanation) or a cerebral hemorrhage at the age of 65. leaving a great legacy behind, He predicted that during the twentieth century Karate-do would spread thoughout the world.
Following this, three of his senior students opened their own schools. Seiko Higa carried on as Sensei Miyagi's successor.
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