Gogen Yamaguchi

Quick Facts

Date of Birth1909

Date of Death5/20/1989

Country of OriginJapan

Also known asJitsumi Yamaguchi

Biography

Gogen Yamaguchi, born Jitsumi Yamaguchi, was a Japanese karate master, a student of Chojun Miyagi and the founder of the Goju-kai organization. According to the international organization IKGA he was born on 21 January 1909 in Kagoshima Prefecture, while English Wikipedia gives 20 January and the city of Miyakonojo. He died on 20 May 1989.

According to IKGA he began karate in 1923 with an Okinawan named Maruta. In 1929 he entered Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto, where he studied law and founded a karate club. According to IKGA he met Chojun Miyagi in 1931, while English Wikipedia gives 1929. In 1937 Miyagi granted him a teaching licence and the name Gogen.

After returning from wartime captivity in 1947 he opened a dojo in the Tokyo district of Asakusa, and in 1950 the All Japan Karatedo Gojukai organization was formed. According to its own website the international IKGA was founded in 1965, and his sons Gosen, Gosei and Goshi spread Goju-kai in the United States. He took part in founding the Japan Karatedo Federation and in 1966 published the book Goju no ibuki.

At Ritsumeikan he developed free sparring, jiyu kumite. According to English Wikipedia the story that he defeated a live tiger in a cell comes from his own writings, and we have not found independent evidence. In an interview from 1989 he argued for a clear distinction between sport karate and budo.

Early life

According to the international organization IKGA, Gogen Yamaguchi was born on 21 January 1909 in Kagoshima Prefecture as Jitsumi Yamaguchi. He was the third son of the merchant Tokutaro, who later became a teacher. According to IKGA he began karate in 1923 under an Okinawan named Maruta, who made his living as a carpenter. In 1929 he entered Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto, where he studied law, and Japanese Wikipedia states that he had previously studied briefly at Kansai University.

Training and teachers

According to IKGA he met Chojun Miyagi in 1931 and trained under him from then on. In 1937 Miyagi granted him a teaching licence and the name Gogen. According to Japanese Wikipedia, Miyagi awarded him the title of hanshi and tenth dan in 1951, but we have not found an official IKGA document. His son Goshi told the magazine Karatedo in June 2001 that his father travelled twice a year to Mount Ontake in Kiso for ascetic training.

Contribution and innovations

In 1929 he founded a karate club at Ritsumeikan, according to Japanese Wikipedia the circle Tojutsu kenkyukai, while English Wikipedia gives the year 1930 and a co-founder, Jitsuei Yogi. At the university he developed free sparring, jiyu kumite. In 1949 he opened a dojo in the Tokyo district of Asakusa, and in 1950 the All Japan Karatedo Gojukai organization was formed. According to its own website the international IKGA was founded in 1965. His sons Gosen, Gosei and Goshi moved to the USA between 1961 and 1965, and he himself, according to IKGA, took part in founding the Japan Karatedo Federation. In 1966 he published the book Goju no ibuki.

Legends and documented facts

The date and place of birth differ. IKGA and Japanese Wikipedia give 21 January and Kagoshima, English Wikipedia and the website gojukai.com give 20 January and Miyakonojo in Miyazaki Prefecture. IKGA dates the start of his study with Miyagi to 1931, English Wikipedia to 1929. IKGA places the founding of All Japan Karatedo Gojukai in 1950, English Wikipedia in 1935. The sources also differ in their account of his wartime service in Manchuria and captivity, and agree only on his return in 1947. According to English Wikipedia, the story of the duel with a tiger comes from his own writings, and we have not found independent evidence. English Wikipedia attributes the nickname Cat to American soldiers because of his walk.

Legacy

According to the IKGA page about Yamaguchi, he founded the educational institution Karate College in 1971, while the page on IKGA history gives an official opening in 1973. IKGA organizes world championships, the first held in 1993 in Chiba and the second in 1997 in São Paulo. English Wikipedia lists Peter Urban, Paul Starling and Mervyn Oakley among his students, and his son Gosei leads Goju-kai USA. He died on 20 May 1989, and we have not found the place of death in the sources. In his last interview for the magazine Blitz he argued for a complete distinction between sport karate and budo.

Teachers, students and family

Associated Martial Arts

Quotes