Tuesday, June 15, 2021

Who Were the Senior Students of Chojun Miyagi?

 When people talk about the students of Chojun Miyagi, Seiko Higa, Meitoku Yagi, Seikichi Toguchi and Eiichi Miyazato are usually the main ones that come to mind. It might come as a surprise to learn Miyagi had more than a dozen other senior students, although as most of them didn’t open schools they are much less known. Despite this, they did still influence Goju-Ryu in numerous ways.

While Goju is often split into “pre-war” and “post-war” versions, I’d say you could group it into three categories. Let’s call them generation 1,2 and 3.

Generation 1 Students

These would be the very first people that trained with Chojun Miyagi. This is the first group of his students and the most senior. The key individuals here would be Seiko Higa, Hohitsu Gushimiyagi, Jinsei Kamiya, Jinan Shinzato, Keiyo Madambashi, Genkai Nakaima, Nanjo Kiju and Tatsutoku Sakiyama.

Chojun Miyagi with Seiko Higa, Kenwa Mabuni,
Juhatsu Kiyoda, Jinan Shinzato, Keiyo 
Madambashi, Genkai Nakaima,
Nanjo Kiju and Tatsutoku Sakiyama. (1924)

There might be a few new names on there, or at least some you didn’t often hear about. Higa of course needs no introduction, he originally trained with Kanryo himself. After his death it was natural to continue training with his senpai Chojun Miyagi. He’s also the only one from this group that opened a school and went on to teach students of his own.

Hohitsu Gushimiyagi was another student of Kanryo Higashionna. He remained a life long friend of Chojun Miyagi. In the memorial picture for Chojun Miyagi, he can be seen sitting next to the portrait of Chojun Miyagi.

Jinsei Kamiya holds a very important role in Goju-Ryu history.  In addition to being a student of Miyagi, he was also a physician and close friend.  While Miyagi often gets the credit for developing the Junbi undo, he was greatly assisted by Jinsei Kamiya.  

Generation 2 Students

Here we find some more familiar names like Meitoku Yagi and Seikichi Toguchi. It also includes Seiko Kina, Shunshin Furugen, Kiei Tomoyose, Jitsui Yogi and Seijin Nakamoto.

Seiko Kina was one of the first of this group to begin teaching. According to the Okinawa Karate Kobudo Jitten, he was running a dojo in Izumizaki-cho where Miyagi and Shinzato would occasionally visit as well.

Chojun Miyagi teaching to various students

Shunshin Furugen never opened a school but did teach several students of Miyagi’s other students. His specialty kata was Kururunfa, which he learned directly from Miyagi himself. He is known to have taught at least Zenshu Toyama and Masanobu Shinjo.

When Morio Higaonna founded the IOGKF in 1979, many of the names above became advisors to the organisation.

Generation 3 Students

We now come to the final group of students. The most senior here was undoubtably Eiichi Miyazato. Others included Koshin Iha, Aniichi Miyagi, Chisen Bise, Seikichi Kinjo and Suichi Aragaki. After the passing of Chojun Miyagi almost all of the post war students remained closely associated with Eiichi Miyazato, at least for a period of time.

Miyazato continued teaching in the garden dojo, and when the location got too small due to the number of new students, the Jundokan dojo was built.

Certainly there were other students of Chojun Miyagi not listed above. One of the most notable would be his oldest son Kei, who also founded a dojo in Tokyo named the Komeikan. 

The Founding of the Goju-Ryu Shinko Kai

During Chojun Miyagi’s life time several of his students got together to form an organisation for the preservation and promotion of Goju-Ryu. The founding members were Genkai Nakaima, Seiko Higa, Jinsei Kamiya and Keiyo Madambashi. Chojun Miyagi was the first president of the organisation. After his death, Seiko Higa was the second president. The organisation would eventually evolve into the Okinawa Goju Kai.

A notice in the newspaper about the Shinkokai.
The four main members are listed.  

If you’re interested in more Goju-Ryu history, my book History and Stories of Goju-Ryu has much more detailed biographies of most of the individuals mentioned above, and many more: https://www.lulu.com/en/ca/shop/filip-konjokrad/history-and-stories-of-goju-ryu/paperback/product-1y8w9n86.html?page=1&pageSize=4

 

Wednesday, June 9, 2021

Kanbun Izumikawa: The Successor of Kanki Izumikawa

Kanbun Izumikawa was the oldest son of Kanki Izumikawa, born in Kawasaki city in 1942. From an early age he was absorbed in karate and learning the Senbukan Goju-Ryu from his father Kanki. It is typically the tradition for the firstborn son to succeed the father as the head of the school and he was being prepared for this role early on. Kanbun would have received a detailed instruction in the inner techniques and teachings of Goju-Ryu from his father.

In 1967, Kanki Izumikawa the shodai soke of the Senbukan passed away. Kanbun Izumikawa then became the second soke of the Senbukan and inherited his father’s teachings and legacy. Under his leadership the “Goju Ryu karate do Senbukan” was renamed to "Goju Ryu karate do Senbukai”.  According to his younger brother Katsuya, Kanbun was very serious about karate and practiced it strongly. He was committing to growing and expanding the Senbukai. Unfortunately, though, following the passing of their father, many of Kanki Izumikawa's senior students left and established their own organisations.

From 1963-1968 he had consecutive victories in kata competition at the All Nihon Karate-do Senshu Ken Taikai which was sponsored by the Nihon karate Do Rengokai. In 1973 he also travelled to the Senbukan branch dojo on Hawaii to teach as his father did before. In addition, each summer he would travel to Okinawa and train with Juei Tamaki who was a senior student of Seiko Higa and former dojo brother of his father Kanki Izumikawa. These annual visits went on for a period of ten years and were to further his understanding of the Seiko Higa lineage of Goju-Ryu. Kanbun also served as director of the Kawasaki Karate Association.

In 1982, sadly he succumbed to an illness and died at the young age of 39. His younger brother Katsuya Izumikawa who was his assistant instructor inherited the Senbukai as the third soke and continues to pass on the traditional Goju-Ryu teaching from his father and brother.

Kanbun Izumikawa 
Sanchin Kata



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