Morio Higaonna
Hanshi / 10th Dan
World-renowned 10th Dan Okinawan Goju-ryu grandmaster and founder of the global IOGKF federation.
Quick Facts
Date of Birth12/25/1938
Era20th–21st century
Country of Origin
Okinawa (Japan)
Okinawa (Japan)Rank / TitleFounder of IOGKF Goju-ryu
Active Years1955–present
Biography
Morio Higaonna trained under Ei'ichi Miyazato and An'ichi Miyagi. In 1979 he established the International Okinawan Goju-ryu Karate-do Federation (IOGKF) to preserve traditional training.
Associated Martial Arts
Goju-ryuFounder→
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.
KarateFounder→An Okinawan striking art reshaped in the 20th century into Japanese budo and an Olympic sport. Built on kata and hand and foot techniques.