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Seiwakai Goju-ryu

Influential Goju-ryu branch within JKF Goju Kai, founded in 1972 by Shuji Tasaki, a student of Gogen Yamaguchi.

Quick Facts

Country of OriginJapan
Founded1972
RegionAsia
Primary FocusStriking
Contact LevelLight contact
Belt System20 levels

Character & Origin

StatusLiving, organized
LineageTraditional
Era of Origin20th century

Training

AttireTraditional dress
SparringPartner drills only
Role of WeaponsWeapons optional
Role of FormsForms at the core

Who It Suits

Kids ProgrammesNot taught to children
Senior FriendlySuitable for seniors
Physical Demand2/5
Injury Risk2/5
Learning Curve5/5
Self-Defence Value2/5
Fitness Value3/5

Organisation & Competition

Grading SystemCertificates
Competition FormatNo competitions
Weight ClassesNo
Olympic StatusNot Olympic
Estimated PractitionersUnder 10k

What the style is built from

Editorial rating on a 0–3 scale, based on how much room each area gets in ordinary training.

Hand strikesCore
KicksSignificant
Throws & takedownsMarginal
Ground fightingNot used
Locks & holdsMarginal
WeaponsNot used

Catalogs & Databases for Seiwakai Goju-ryu

👊 Techniques Database16 items
📖 Glossary of Terms66 items
👥 People & Masters1 items

About Seiwakai Goju-ryu

Seiwakai is an organization and technical lineage within Japanese Goju-ryu, founded in 1972 by Shuji Tasaki (1933-2011). Tasaki began training in 1952 under Gogen Yamaguchi (1909-1989), the man Americans nicknamed the Cat and whom Chojun Miyagi himself entrusted with spreading Goju-ryu on the Japanese mainland. In 1935 Yamaguchi founded the All Japan Karate-do Goju Kai, and in 1964 he was among those who unified Japan's dojos into a federation from which today's Japan Karate Federation emerged. Seiwakai stands in this tradition and operates within JKF Goju Kai, the official Goju-ryu branch of Japanese karate. This sets it apart from most Okinawan schools: it is not an independent lineage outside the mainstream but a prominent group within a federal structure that adheres to the standardized form of kata as the JKF requires for competitions and gradings. Tasaki's standing is confirmed by the ninth dan that JKF Goju Kai awarded him in 2009. After his death, leadership of the school passed to Seiichi Fujiwara, holder of an eighth dan from JKF Goju Kai, who began training under Tasaki in 1974. Under his leadership Seiwakai has spread to a number of countries and today ranks among the most internationally represented branches of Japanese Goju-ryu.

Similar styles

Selected by overlap in the style profile, not by historical lineage.

Shorei-ryuChito-ryu KarateMatsubayashi-ryuShorin-ryu SeibukanShorin-ryu ShorinkanMeibukan Goju-ryu