Goju-ryu
剛柔流An Okinawan style joining hard and soft elements; its hallmark is the breathing kata Sanchin. Chojun Miyagi named it in 1933 after a line from the Bubishi.
Quick Facts
JapanCharacter & Origin
Training
Who It Suits
Organisation & Competition
What the style is built from
Editorial rating on a 0–3 scale, based on how much room each area gets in ordinary training.
Catalogs & Databases for Goju-ryu
About Goju-ryu
Goju-ryu is one of the four principal styles of Japanese karate. It was founded by Chojun Miyagi on Okinawa, who named it in 1933 after a line from the Chinese text Bubishi: go means hard, ju soft. The name is not ornament but a description of method — the style deliberately alternates hard, direct techniques with soft, circular ones. Miyagi's teacher Kanryo Higaonna had studied in Fuzhou in China, and Chinese influence is more evident in goju than in the other styles. It shows in circular blocks, close-range work, catching and pulling down the opponent's arm, and an emphasis on breathing. The key kata is sanchin — a slow form performed under tension, with audible breathing, during which the teacher tests the body's structure by striking the torso directly. Sanchin is also the best demonstration of the whole style: it builds the structure that lets one absorb a blow. Its counterpart is tensho, a soft open-hand form. The culminating kata is suparinpei. Stances are shorter than in shotokan and the centre of gravity lower — goju assumes fighting happens at close range. It also uses kicks to the knee and groin, which sport rules do not permit. The main lines are the Okinawan ones (Jundokan, Meibukan and others) and Japanese Goju-kai. They differ in the tempo of the kata and in how much contact sparring involves, so even within one style what is practised varies from club to club.
Styles & Branches
Similar styles
Selected by overlap in the style profile, not by historical lineage.