Here is a translation of the history section of the article on the Senbukan which was recently published in Hiden budo. If you end up posting it or sharing it elsewhere please give me credit for the translation.
Hidden budo January 2020
Translated by Filip Konjokrad
"Ju" part of Goju Ryu karate
In general, it is called Goju Ryu karate, the element of Go is exposed, and it has a strong image. However, as the name of the ryuha is “Goju” The technique is based on Go and Ju. At Karate Do Goju Ryu Senbukai, he focused his research on the technique of Ju, which tends to be hidden behind Go and tends to be left behind. The original technique system is fully built. Kanki Izumikawa shihan, the founder of Senbukai, was born in 1908 in Naha, Okinawa Prefecture. He learned the basics of karate from his grandfather and brother from the age of eight. As a high school student, he studied under the influence of Juhatsu Kyoda, one of Kanryo Higashionna's senior students. After graduating from high school, he practiced Goju Ryu in earnest under Higa Seko, student of Higashionna Kanryo. At the end of about 12 years of training, the transcription of the Hakutsuru Ken "Okinawa Den bubishi", which is regarded as the transmission of Goju Ryu, was permitted. It is recognized as an orthodox tradition of Goju-Ryu.
Kanki Shihan was in Tinian in the 1930s while under Japanese rule and Saipan. After traveling to the South Sea islands such as Palau and teaching karate. In 1938 he moved to Kawasaki, where many people from Okinawa lived, and began teaching karate. At that time, the Goju Ryu had already been transmitted to the mainland, but Kanki Shihan was the first official Goju Ryu teacher to move from Okinawa. Karate Do Goju Ryu Senbukan was founded in 1939 and is now known as Karate Do Goju Ryu Senbukai. It has been inherited by the third generation Katsuya Izumikawa Shihan.
Shotei Kumite devised by Senbukai
According to Katsuya Shihan's story, the prototype of the “Senbukai Shotei Giho” to be introduced this time seems to have already been performed by the first generation/founder Kanki Shihan. It is said that during the training of Kumite, Kanki Shihan applied black ink or some kind of white powder on his palms. They attacked each other with palms, and they were competing for victory or defeat with the amount of powder that was on their body. It seems that shotei giho was born from the techniques of shotei kumite cultivated through these lessons. However, it was his son, Kanbun Shihan, who later became the second kancho, Katsuya Shihan, his younger brother who succeeded the third generation and Keisetsu Yoshimaru shihan who had inherited the techniques.
Kanki Shihan passed away at the age of 59 in 1967. Kanbun Shihan, the second generation who could not learn all the Goju-Ryu from his father, studied for 10 years under Juei Tamaki shihan, his father's brother disciple. By learning from his older brother, Katsuya Shihan finally came to know the whole picture of Goju Ryu. However, with regard to the Shotei Giho, Kanki Shihan passed away while it was unfinished, and the second generation Kanbun Shihan passed away at a young age of 39. The research was taken over by the third generation Katsuya Shihan.
A wide variety of Goju Ryu original techniques
The shotei giho mentioned here is not limited to shotei tsuki but is a generic term for open hand techniques. It was said that the original Goju Ryu, which was passed down to the mainland from Okinawa, was unorganized and somewhat unusual. After that, the elements of “go” became more prominent as the kumite competition centered on hitting progressed. The soft techniques inherent in karate in Okinawa hid in the shadows.
The competition of kumite played a very important role in spreading karate, but at the same time, the techniques of “kumite” developed in accordance with the rules of competition kumite.
On the other hand, Kanki Shihan, the Senbukan Shodai soke, said that he had been teaching nage waza, gyaku waza, and how to open a hand when approaching since he began teaching on the mainland. These are all applied techniques of the movement included in the Goju Ryu kata and seem to have fallen into the category of techniques originally transmitted to Goju Ryu. At that time, Senbukan did not do any training like Jiyu Kumite, but emphasis was placed on kata training and Yakusoku Kumite, and they trained their skills through these.
When Katsuya Shihan assumed the role of the third-generation soke, he was enthusiastic about the competition kumite because he was still young, and the dojo was also focused on nurturing athletes with a sports orientation. However, while interacting with Yoshimaru Shihan, who had already turned to Daito-ryu Aiki Budo by Sagawa Shihan at the time, and Kinjo Hiroshi shihan, Nihon karate do kenshū-kai sōke, he turned to the idea that we had to study karate as a martial art (budo). In revisiting the karate inherited from his father and brother from a martial arts point of view, the presence of Yoshimaru shihan who had been taught by Kanki shihan and Sagawa shihan, was significant.
Yoshimaru shihan who had inherited karate from Katsuya's father once again collapsed from heart failure and wandered between life and death. On this occasion he decided to teach his teacher's son, Katsuya Shihan, the Daito Ryu secrets he had gained. While receiving a private lesson once a week from Yoshimaru shihan, Katsuya shihan studied Daito Ryu techniques while studying the techniques of Ju hidden in the Goju Ryu kata.
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