Friday, June 2, 2017 by C. Michial Jones
The landscape of modern Goju-Ryu is a vast delta of branching rivers. Chojun Miyagi Shihan left behind a cohort of formidable seniors—Higa, Yagi, Miyazato, and Toguchi, among others—each of whom eventually formed their own Kai-ha (organizations). While their technical nuances differ, their movements remain unmistakably rooted in the same soil. They are, without question, practicing Goju-Ryu.
However, as we move further from the Okinawan source, the water begins to muddy. At what point does a style change so significantly that it should no longer carry the name?
The Core and the Fringe
If we look at Gogen Yamaguchi’s Gojukai, we see a style that diverged from the Okinawan mainstream. It may de-emphasize Hojo Undo (supplementary training) compared to its island cousins, and its aesthetics have shifted, yet the core Koryu kata remain intact. Any educated practitioner can look at Gojukai and recognize the skeletal structure of Miyagi’s art.
The difficulty arises when we examine systems like USA Goju. While Peter Urban was a pioneer, his curriculum underwent such radical metamorphosis—blending elements from Yamaguchi, Richard Kim, and Mas Oyama—that the result bears little resemblance to the source material. It is a formidable system, but is it Goju-Ryu? To many purists, the answer is no. It is a derivative work, a new expression that should perhaps be classified as its own entity.
The “Blueprint” vs. The Hybrid
In my view, claiming the name “Goju-Ryu” is a matter of transparency. To call a style Goju-Ryu implies an adherence to Miyagi’s fundamental blueprint:
- Junbi Undo: Specific preparatory exercises.
- Hojo Undo: The use of traditional implements (Chi-ishi, Ishi-sashi, etc.).
- The 12 (or 13) Kata: The closed set of forms established by the founder.
Many modern groups teach a handful of Goju kata but fill the gaps with Pinan, Passai, Kusanku, or Empi. These are beautiful, historic kata, but they belong to the Shorin-Ryu or Shotokan lineages. When a school awards a “Goju-Ryu Black Belt” to a student whose primary curriculum consists of Shorin-Ryu forms, it borders on false advertising.
Integrity in Nomenclature
The legendary Meitoku Yagi Sensei provides the perfect example of how to handle evolution with integrity. He created five original kata, but he did not retroactively label them as “Goju-Ryu.” He categorized them as Meibuken kata—distinct from the Goju-Ryu proper.
If a practitioner is not following the curriculum set by Miyagi, they are doing something “different.” That “different” thing may be effective, it may be athletic, and it may be combat-tested—but it isn’t Goju-Ryu. We owe it to our students and to the history of the art to call things by their true names.
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