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| Higashionna Kanryo never heard of Goju-ryu, let alone practiced it. |
As you may know, I'm no fan of karate 'history', it's a mess, and as far as I can tell much of what is 'known' today regarding who learnt what from whom, is based more on opinion and hearsay, than recorded facts. Who is deemed important in the history of karate, and who isn't, largely depends on the story you're peddling and the history you are laying claim to in order to bolster your own standing today. It's all a bit shallow and pathetic...but there you have it.
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| Miyagi Chojun never learnt Goju-ryu from any of his teachers. |
When you think of the fuss that some people today are making about Miyagi Chojun, you have to wonder... why? Apart from the ongoing issue of trying to claim authenticity by association I can't for the life of me understand why anyone alive today would want to practice their karate 'exactly' like Miyagi sensei...even if anyone alive today knew what that looked like. BTW, the name Goju was forced upon him at the insistence of the Japanese...hardly something to be proud of.
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(photo courtesy of D. Martin)
Miyazato Eiichi seldom used the name 'Goju-ryu', but often mentioned 'Chojun sensei's karate' |
Having met, talked with, and practiced under several of Miyagi Chojun sensei's students, I found Miyazato sensei was unusual in that he never laid claim to his teacher's karate, and if pressed, would only ever say that he was doing his best to make what he knew available so that others might discover karate for themselves. He balked at the idea of being his teacher's 'successor', telling me one day that everyone who pursued the kind of karate we did was Miyagi Chojun's successor.
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| Pages from: An introduction to Goju-Ryu Karatedo, by Teruo Chinen |
Miyazato sensei's generation was I think the last not to be corrupted by sport and/or commerce, at least on the grand scale we see today. If you take the information (above) from my own collection as an example (click on the image to enlarge). The hand written notes on the page are Higaonna Morio sensei's. You'll note that he queries a number of English words he's not sure about; but he does not query who his teacher is. So, what does this mean...and is it important? That depends on your connection to Higaonna sensei I guess.
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| Kata training with a partner, (seipai in case you're interested) |
I don't use the name Goju-ryu much, preferring instead (if I have to say anything at all) to say I practice Okinawan karate. In Okinawa, many Shorin-ryu sensei I've met call what I do, 'Chinese karate'. Rather than feeling connected to everyone pictured above, I feel separated from them; not only by age and time, skill and experience, but in how I think and feel, how I live and the world I live in. I'm disconnected from them by the way I practice the kata and the applications I continue to discover, as well as the amount of information available to me that they had no way of accessing.
The only thing I have been able to find that truly links our karate together in any meaningful way, is the opportunity karate practice created for all of us to glimpse who we truly are. In the end, perhaps this is the only worthwhile legacy karate makes available to anyone. If so, I consider that to be a gift infinitely more valuable than a name, a celebrity sensei to train under, or a bunch of hitherto unknown 'secret' techniques....
Happy training...whatever you call it!
