Characteristics of Gojo Ryu, Kyokushinkai, Shorin Ryu and Ryuei Ryu

Goju Ryu

Goju Ryu, the name literally translated as hard-soft karate, is a style which employs linear hard striking attacks with softer circular techniques used for blocking and manipulating opponents. Goju Ryu uses powerful stances (like those found in Shorin Ryu and Shotokan), such as sanchin, with lower stances being a more recent addition. This transformation is similar to the change in Shotokan stances from Gichin Funakoshi (higher) to lower stances introduced by Funakoshi’s son Gigo.

Goju Ryu was founded by Chojun Miyagi, who was a student Kanryo Higaonna whose style (Naha-te) of karate was derived from several Chinese influences including Wushu and kempo. Naha-te, and thus Goju Ryu, share a lineage based on influence from the White Crane style, from which the circular movements and fast strikes are taken, and from the Tiger style, which focuses on strong linear attacks and attacks to vital points (kyoshu-jitsu). In addition to these, Goju also incorporates traditional Okinawan fighting (tuite) which includes grappling, throwing, sweeping and other close-in techniques.

Correct breathing is a major aspect of Gojo Ryu. Breathing in is said to be “soft” while breathing out is said to be “hard”. Body strengthening (isometrics) is also very important in this style, for the hard attacks as well as for strong stances for close-in grappling techniques.

Kata in the Goju Ryu style is broken up into 3 traditional categories, kihongata for teaching basic techniques, heishugata for learning the fundamentals of movements and principles, and kaishugata which focuses on “combat application”. This breakdown of the kata into groups is similar to how kata is taught in Shotokan, with the basic katas being taught to beginners (6), intermediate katas taught to those just under shodan (9), and the last 15 kata for the advanced karate-ka. Along with all the kata training bunkai oyo (analysis and interpretation of kata movements) is stressed, and the karate-ka perform multi-person drills based on the bunkai analysis, which helps to reveal techniques-within-techniques.

Free sparring or kumite is not a major aspect of Goju Ryu, instead more focus is applied to kata and bunkai. Shotokan follows a similar path in its approach to kumite, where free sparring is performed by black belts after gaining a good understanding of kata and having a solid basis in kihon.

Kyokushinkai Ryu

Kyokushinkai is a very disciplined and hard training style that has it roots from many different styles of karate (Shotokan and Goju Ryu) as well as judo and jujitsu. The ryu name means “ultimate truth” which is why this style focuses its training (and competition) on full contact. It is the belief of this system that realistic combat and physical toughness are the way to properly train and learn karate.

Founded by Masutatsu Oyama in 1964, this style has, in its many derived forms, amassed a huge following, much due to the full-contact nature. The techniques employed in this style are more circular in nature as a result of Oyama spending more time learning Goju Ryu (from So Nei Chu and Gogen Yamaguchi) versus Shotokan (from Gichin Funakoshi). Like most other karate styles, Kyokushinkai emphasizes kihon, kata and kumite.

Kihon in Kyokushinkai is based on the movements and techniques found in the Shotokan and Goju styles, as well as boxing and kick-boxing. Linear techniques are taught first, representative of the Shotokan influence. Circular techniques are learned later after the karate-ka has become more advanced, this stemming from the extensive training Oymana had in the Goju Ryu style. Training is done in a full-contact manner, without protective equipment. This is to ensure the practitioner be fully conditioned before performing kumite.

There are three major groups of kata in the traditional Kyokushinkai system. The Northern style katas have their origins in Shotokan karate, these are the more basic kata taught to the lower ranks. This is most likely due to Oyama only training with Funakoshi for a couple of years. The Southern style katas have their origins in the Goju Ryu style, and are taught to the higher ranks. Oyama reached the level of 8^th dan in the Goju Ryu style under the instruction of So Nei Chu. The third type is something Oyama developed called Ura Kata, which has the karate-ka use spinning movements for advancing and retreating instead of linear stepping. This was done to improve balance and multi-directional combat skills.

Kyokushinkai practices full-contact kumite without any protective gear, commonly resulting in injuries during training and competitions. Within the dojo, traditional Shotokan schools do not use protective gear when training kumite; however, control of techniques is expected, thus limiting the possibilities of injuries. In competition kumite Shotokan practitioners use only hand gear and mouth pieces (and helmets and groin cups for youths). Sparring is an important part of Kyokushinkai training as it is used to train the use of different techniques in a fighting situation. Full-contact sparring in Kyokushin is considered the ultimate test of strength, endurance, and spirit. A special tradition (test) within Kyokushinkai is the 50- or 100-man kumite, which is a test of an advanced student to fight 50 to 100 opponents in rapid succession.

Shorin Ryu

Shorin Ryu, which is based on Shuri-te and Tomari-te, along with Goju Ryu, which is based on Naha-te, are considered to be the two major styles of Okinawan karate. The Shorin Ryu style was a major influence on modern karate, with many of its primary elements incorporated into other modern styles. Shorin Ryu is meant to be a “natural style”, not “hard” like Goju Ryu.

Sokon Matsumura is typically referred to as the founder of the Shorin Ryu style, and he is attributed with unifying the traditional Okinawan fighting style and Chinese martial arts. In his youth Matsumura was a student of Kanga Sukagawa (5 years) and later on traveled in China learning different Chinese fighting styles. Two of Matsumura’s best known students were Anko Itosu and Anko Azato. Itosu and Azato trained many famous students, including Gichin Funakoshi, who later developed the Shotokan style based on a simpler form of the styles taught by these two teachers.

Shorin Ryu, while having a direct Chinese influence, has more linear or direct movements rather than circlular. Typical of this style is high, narrow stances, believing that correct motion matters more for application than low stances. These two aspects were incorporated into the early version of Shotokan by Funakoshi, and while linear movements still prevail today, the stances have been lowered in order to better train the lower portion of the body. “Natural breathing” is another critical component of this style (Shotokan adopted this principle as well), preferred over the soft/hard breathing of other styles such as Goju Ryu, keeping with “natural” aspect of this style.

There are 13 different sets of katas in traditional Shorin Ryu, where each set may contain one or more katas. These sets are used to train the most basic movements to the most advanced. The katas of this style are used in many different styles, including Shotokan though with different names and different emphasis.

In more modern US Shorin Ryu schools only 19 of the traditional katas are performed. Jujutsu is used in the study of these kata to increase the overall effectiveness of the techniques. In addition, a training technique called “push hands” is used to improve ones awareness of distance and body position. This same drill is used in traditional Shotokan schools as well, probably stemming from Funakoshi incorporating his kendo training into Shotokan, which had a strong focus on distance and timing. For kumite training in these schools, 12 prearranged fighting routines are practiced, each with an attack, a block and a counter attack, very similar to sanbon and ippon kumite.

Ryuei Ryu

The founder of Ryuei Ryu was Norisato Nakaima, who got his start in martial arts training with a Chinese boxing instructor named Ru Ru Ko in Fuchou, China. Nakaima also trained in weapons before leaving China and heading back to Okinawa. Nakaima kept his martial arts private, teaching it only to his son Kenchu, who then taught it to his only son Kenko. It was Kenko Nakaima who decided to share his art with others in the early 1970’s.

The Ryuei Ryu style has 11 katas, including Sanchin which is virtually the same as the version from Uechi Ryu and Goju Ryu. The style is soft and supple until striking, then it becomes hard or firm, which is similar to judo and kendo. Shotokan follows a similar philosophy, staying relaxed until the moment of impact. Breathing is similar to the Goju style, with breathing in being soft, and breathing out hard, with a hiss sound. Shotokan karate focuses on a more natural breathing pattern. Ryuei Ryu also places heavy emphasis on learning Chinese weapons, up to 14 different ones.

Some of the more modern schools of Ryuei Ryu, and there are not many due to it not becoming a public ryu until relatively recently, focus on competition karate, or sport, and not on the traditional aspects. Many claim that the kata do not represent real situations, Kenko Nakaima says they just haven’t spent enough time understanding them to know how to use them.

Craig Lawton

Triangle's Best Karate

March 11, 2008