Goju Ryu
Goju Ryu Karate means Hard and Soft System of Empty Hand.
Place the word Do after Karate as in "True Karate Do" and it
means the Empty Hand Way, which encompass much more than
just technique.
Goju Ryu was the style that Miyagi Chojun founded in
Okinawa. Miyagi learned Naha-Te (the China hand that was
taught in the city of Naha), from Kanryo Higionna, an
Okinawan who had trained in China in White Crane Boxing for
14 years. Higionna combined that with the hard Okinawa Te
that he had also learned. Miyagi trained under Higionna
until his death and afterwards went to China on a couple of
occasions to further his knowledge and training. Miyagi
named his system after one of his students participated in a
Karate demonstration and was asked what the name of his
system was. He thought and replied "Half hard system." Upon
relaying this to Miyagi he saw that his system needed a name
and agreed with his student but preferred "Hard and Soft
system.", from a line in the Bubishi that "all breath is
both hard and soft.". Thus Goju Ryu or Hard/Soft system was
created.
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