Meitoku Yagi
Okinawan Goju-ryu master from Naha, student of Chojun Miyagi, founder of the Meibukan school and author of the Meibuken kata, a Living National Treasure of Japan since 1986.
Quick Facts
JapanBiography
Meitoku Yagi was an Okinawan karate master of the Goju-ryu style and the founder of the Meibukan school. He was born on 6 March 1912 in Naha on Okinawa and died on 7 February 2003 at the age of 90.
From 1927, that is from the age of 14, he studied under Chojun Miyagi and, according to the sources, learned from him all the kata of the Goju-ryu syllabus. The eighth grade, the title kyoshi, was awarded to him by the Dai Nippon Butoku Kai at twenty; some sources give the year 1933, others 1932.
In 1952, a year before Miyagi's death, he opened his own dojo. He founded the Meibukan school, whose name means "house of the warrior with a pure mind", in the Daido district of Naha and later moved it to the Kume district; to students there he stressed promoting peace and contributing to society. From 1970 to 1980 he created the Meibuken series of kata: the pair Tenchi, which shows the mutual response of attack and block, and the four guardian kata Seiryu, Byakko, Suzaku and Genbu, which according to Chinese mythology represent east, west, south and north. The vertically clenched fists with an extended arm in these kata reflect the influence of Chinese martial arts.
On 29 April 1986 Emperor Hirohito named him a Living National Treasure. In 2000 he published the autobiography The Life Drama of the Man, Meitoku, and still at the end of 2002, at 91, he gave karate demonstrations. His son Meitatsu was promoted in 1997 to hanshi 10th dan, became president of the IMGKA organisation and until 2016 led the Meibukan hombu dojo.
Teachers, students and family
Associated Martial Arts
Ranks and titles
- KyoshiMeibukan Goju-ryu · 1932
Achievements and honours
- State award1986