Goju-Ryu Karate
剛柔流空手道
From the Japanese Island of Okinawa
Goju-Ryu Karate comes from the island of Okinawa, Japan. One of the most popular of the original three styles of Karate, its history dates to the early 1920s when it was introduced by its founder, Chojun Miyagi Shihan.
Goju-Ryu Karate
The name Goju-Ryu means “hard and soft” and is taken from the precepts of traditional Chinese Kempo.
Our logo also includes the concept of ‘Kenkon’, which signifies Heaven and Earth in traditional Japanese language.
In oriental philosophy, achieving harmony and order in the world requires a balanced nature, exemplified by pairs such as night and day or fire and water. Chojun Miyagi Shihan, the founder of our style, selected the name Goju-Ryu inspired by principles from Chinese martial arts. ‘Go’ means hard or resilient, while ‘Ju’ means soft or yielding.
Thus, Goju-Ryu translates as the “hard-soft school”, reflecting both the technical aspects and the underlying philosophy of our style.