Spokane Jundokan

Inside Goju-Ryu by Don Warrener Photos by Rick Hustead Ever since 1945, Okinawa, a tiny island in the Pacific, has been familiar to Westerners, especially those who are into the martial arts. Ravaged for centuries by the Japanese, it was the site of the infamous Battle of Okinawa near the end of World War II. The U...

Gōjū-ryū (剛柔流), Japanese for "hard-soft style", is one of the main traditional Okinawan styles of karate, featuring a combination of hard and soft techniques. Both principles, hard and soft, come from the famous martial arts book used by Okinawan masters during the 19th and 20th centuries, the Bubishi (Chinese: 武備志; pinyin: Wǔbèi Zhì).[2] Gō, which means hard, refers to closed hand techniques or straight linear attacks; jū, which means soft, refers to open hand techniques and circular movements. Gōjū-ryū incorporates both circular and linear movements into its curriculum, combining hard striking attacks such as kicks and close hand punches with softer open hand circular techniques for attacking, blocking, and controlling the opponent, including joint locks, grappling, takedowns, and throws.

Sensei Tenuro Chinen instructs class in GoJu Ryu Katas This rare tape was part of Sensei Anthony Mirakian's collection of martial arts videos. Sensei Chinen's teacher, Ei'ichi Miyazato, was one of Chojun Miyagi's...