Chojun Miyagi was born on April 25, 1888 in the city of Naha, Okinawa to an aristocratic family. He began his martial arts training at the age of 12 with Aragaki Ryuko Sensei. Aragaki Ryuko’s approach was only to teach the fighting itself and not too much emphasis was placed on the martial art.

After seeing the dedication of Chojun Miyagi, Aragaki Ryuko decided to introduce him to Kanryo Higaonna. In 1902, at the age of 14, Chojun Miyagi Sensei commenced training with Kanryo Higaonna Sensei. It was severe, with lots of running and strength exercises. It is said that Higaonna Sensei was so demanding of his student’s performance that Chojun Miyagi sometimes passed out performing Sanchin kata. At the age of 20 Chojun Miyagi became Higaonna’s top student. At the age of 22 he travelled to the main island of Kyushu for his military service. After 2 years of service he returned to Okinawa. For the next 3 years Kanryo Higaonna taught him privately until Higaonna died in 1915.

With his death Chojun Miyagi decided to follow the steps of his Sensei and travel to Fuchow, China, where Higaonna had learned the martial arts. On his first trip in 1915 he went to Fuchow and visited the grave of Ryu Ryu Ko Sensei as well as the temple where he trained. He also trained for two months with a student of Ryu Ryu Ko Sensei.

A story is told that while visiting a temple in China, Chojun Miyagi noticed a crane sitting on a roof, which was made of tile. As he approached the huge bird, the crane became alarmed and flew away. As it was flying away, the frightened crane flapped its wings against the tile roof, breaking some of the tiles in the process. Miyagi was amazed that the soft feathers of the crane were able to break something as hard as tiles. Inspired by this, he devised a whole new approach to Karate, mixing in with the hard techniques many soft ones to be used in countering hard blows and kicks.

On his return from China, Miyagi began to take on students. He introduced a kata called Saifa (literally: “smash and tear”) which has arm and leg movements similar to White Crane that he learned from his friend Gokenki (who was a ‘White Crane’ stylist). He also practiced and researched a White Crane kata called Rokkishu (which he also may have learned from Gokenki) eventually adapting its arm movements to form a kata he called Tensho (literally: “revolving palms”) which utilised the same steps as Sanchin kata.

In 1921 he was chosen to represent Naha-Te in a presentation to the visiting crown prince Hirohito. He repeated this in 1925 for prince Chichibu.

In the 1920’s Chojun Miyagi developed the characteristic Goju Ryu warming up exercises or Yunbi Undo with the help of a friend of his, who was a doctor. This series of exercises were based on not only martial arts fundamentals but also on medical research. It was also around this time that Chojun Miyagi began to teach in a high school in Okinawa.

In 1926 he set up the Karate Research Club along with Chomo Hanashiro (Shuri-Te), Kenwa Mabuni (Shito Ryu) and Motobu Choko, spending the next three years training in basics, kata, fitness and philosophy. Unfortunately the club disbanded in 1929.

In 1929 he was invited to Japan by Gogen Yamaguchi, who would promote the Goju style in Japan.

Jigoro Kano (founder of Judo) began visiting Okinawa in 1927, and was so impressed with Sensei Miyagi, he invited him to Japan in 1930 and 1932 to demonstrate at several tournaments.

It was at one of these tournaments that one of his senior students, Jin’an Shinzato was asked which school of Karate he belonged to. Unable to answer as styles were only known by their geographical reference at that time, he approached Sensei Miyagi, who agreed that a name should be chosen for their unique style.

There is a Chinese text called the Bubishi, a very popular historical reference among karateka of the day, and in it are the Eight Poems of the Fists.

The 3rd precept reads:

“The way of inhaling and exhaling is hardness and softness.”

Go means hard and Ju means soft. Since his style was a combination of these ideals, he began referring to his art as Goju Ryu, and in 1933 it was officially registered as such at the Butoku-Kai, the Japanese Martial Arts Association. In the same year, he presented his article “An Outline of Karate-Do”.

In 1934 Miyagi Sensei was appointed as head of the Okinawan branch of the Butoku-Kai Association and travelled to Hawaii later the same year to introduce Karate there. Upon his return to Naha, he was awarded a commendation from the Ministry of Education for outstanding service in the field of physical culture. In 1936, he returned to China for more study, this time in Shanghai.

He returned in 1937 and was awarded the Japanese equivalent to the commendation he had received at home.

In 1940, Chojun Miyagi developed a Kata which was initially called Fukyugata-ni and was intended to supplement Itosu’s Fukyugata. At this time Japan was entrenched in a war with China and on the brink of entering World War II. Schools, military and police authorities were already using Itosu’s kata as Itosu had intended way back at the beginning of the century and were now looking at an additional kata. Their requirements were for a simple but aggressive kata to bolster the spirit and fighting ability of the younger generation. Miyagi responded with a kata that accomplished this even to the extent that for the first time in a kata the finishing move was a step forward. Miyagi felt that this would portray a boldness that was required in the difficult times ahead. Later he renamed the kata Gekisai (literally: to “break and smash”) and later still developed a second variation – renaming the kata(s) Gekisai dai ichi and Gekisai dai ni (“Gekisai number one and two”) using them to teach beginners.

The Second World War cost Miyagi dearly. Along with all of his books, manuscripts and other martial arts relics lost in bombing raids during the battle of Okinawa, he had lost three of his children and many of his students. His best student and his likely successor Jin’an Shinzato was killed when his unit, fighting in the defence of Okinawa, was hit by cluster bombs dropped by an American fighter-plane. Despite all of this, Miyagi resumed teaching after the War.

He passed away on October 8, 1953 at the age of 65.

GOGEN YAMAGUCHI

Yamaguchi was born in Kyushu, Miyazaki Ken, on 20th January 1909. As a young man he was fond of athletics and was introduced to Karate at an early age. But it wasn’t until the family moved to Kyoto while he was in his teens that he began the serious study of karate.

It was while attending Ritsumeikan University that Yamaguchi first heard of Goju karate and of Chojun Miyagi, the Okinawan who was head of the school.

Curious about the system, Yamaguchi wrote to Miyagi and invited him to come to Japan. Miyagi accepted but it wasn’t until sometime later that they met. Yamaguchi immediately fell in love with the strange and intricate patterns displayed by Miyagi. From that moment on, the future of Yamaguchi was sealed. He concentrated on the study of Goju to the exclusion of almost everything else. When Miyagi left to return to Okinawa, he left behind a well-trained and dedicated follower. Miyagi later named Yamaguchi the leader of Goju Ryu on mainland Japan.

Yamaguchi became the apostle of Goju in Japan. With single minded determination, he set about the task of spreading the word throughout Japan. The first thing he did was to set about establishing a dojo.

He organised the first Karate club at Ritsumeikan University and the first Karate dojo in western Japan in 1930. Under his indefatigable leadership the school began to attract new adherents and the Goju karate system began to fan out across the island nation.

GONOHYOE YAMAMOTO

Master Yamamoto was born in Tokyo in 1938 and began his study in Karate with Master Yamaguchi in 1952 at the age of 14. In 1962, at the age of 24 he obtained his 5th Dan (Godan) when he accompanied Gosei Yamaguchi (Master Yamaguchi’s son) to the United States in order to promote Goju-Ryu Karate.

After returning from the united States, he visited nerous countries in order to help coach instructors and further promote Goju-ryu. In 1967 at the age of 29 he won the free style tournament at the first all schools Karate championships. On the 19th April 2003, Master Yamamoto opened the Kanda Renseikan school in Tokyo which also acts as the administrative school of the International Karate Organisation (IKO).

Master Yamamoto is now a director of the Kanda Renseikan and devotes himself to coaching high-ranked black belt holders and to direct mental training for young disciples of Goju-Ryu.

PETER URBAN

Peter Urban is considered the father of the karate styles known as American Goju and U.S.A. Goju. Although he never received permission from Gōgen Yamaguchi to create an American Goju-ryu school, he did so anyway

“I was the only one fortunate enough to train under Japan’s big three: Oyama, Yamaguchi and my sensei, Richard Kim”

Peter George Urban was born in Jersey City, New Jersey on August 14, 1934. He lived a short while in Altoona, Pennsylvania then was raised and educated in Union City, New Jersey where he graduated from Emerson High School

He joined the United States Navy in 1952 and was stationed in Yokohama, Japan where he became a karate student of Richard Kim.^[3] One year later, Urban was transferred to Tokyo which was too far away from Yokohama to continue training with Kim. So they both traveled to Tokyo where Kim introduced Urban to teachers Masutatsu Oyama and Gogen Yamaguchi (also known as "the Cat"). In 1957, Urban opened a small dojo in Tokyo, Japan, then became the first occidental to compete in the All Japan College Karate Championships

In 1959, Urban moved to America, and opened his first American Goju Dojo, in Union City, N.J. The following year, he opened another school on 17th street in Manhattan. Urban was reportedly one of the men responsible for establishing structured tournaments in America, with one of the first being the North American Karate Championships in 1962 at Madison Square Garden

In 1966, Urban traveled back to Japan to ask Yamaguchi for permission to proceed with the creation of an official GoJu club in America. Yamaguchi told him "no" stating that "according to Bushi-Do that no white man can achieve nirvana".^[2] This response angered Urban who also quoted Bushi-do relaying "that according to Bushi-do Japan can never lose a war". This statement offended Yamaguchi. Realizing this and not meaning any disrespect, Urban prepared to cut off his pinky finger in apology to his sensei. Yamaguchi's oldest son stopped him from doing this; however, the damage was done.^[4]

Urban returned to America and incorporated himself as the founder of American Goju.

He continued to work under Richard Kim^[5] and the Butoku kai but later went on to form the U.S.A. Goju Association (U.S.A.G.A) which is still in operation today.

Peter Urban died naturally on April 7, 2004 at the age of 69. At the time of his death he was working on opening a new karate dojo in Massachusetts

Aaron Banks

Aaron Banks is a Grand Master Martial Artist born in 1928 in Bronx, New York and made it his personal mission to distribute the different forms of martial arts to the western world. He has brought Chinese Kung Fu, Korean Moo Duk Kwan, Japanese and Okinawan Goju-Ryu karate, judo and boxing under the same roof in his New York Karate Academy. During his life, he has promoted 352 karate tournaments, conducted more than 1,000 demonstrations, and organized 250+ martial arts shows. His karate influence can be seen through his karate school which he operated for 30 years and the 200,000+ students he has taught.^[1] Great Grandmaster Aaron Banks also brought Martial Arts to the public with his "Oriental World of Self-Defense" shows that played in Madison Square Garden for over 20 years via ABC-Wide World of Sports, NBC Sports world, CBS sports, and HBO sports, where millions of viewers watched.^[

^{more @}

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aaron_Banks

Born 1928

Died 2013 of natural causes at the age of 85