A Description of Goju Ryu, Kyokushin,

Shorin Ryu, & Ryuei Ryu Karate Styles

Goju Ryu

Goju Ryu (Japanese for "hard-soft style") is one of the four traditional styles of karate, featuring a combination of hard and soft techniques. It is commonly believed that the concept of combining the two extremes originated in a Chinese martial arts doctrine known as wu bei ji (pronounced bubishi in Japanese.) Goju Ryu combines hard striking attacks such as kicks and punches with softer circular techniques for blocking and controlling the opponent, including locks, grappling, take downs and throws. Major emphasis is given to breathing correctly. Goju Ryu practices methods that include body strengthening and conditioning, its basic approach to fighting (distance, stickiness, power generation, etc.), and partner drills. Goju Ryu incorporates both circular and linear movements into its curriculum.

Sanchin kata is the foundation to all other Gōjū kata, it is also the foundation of body conditioning. Sanchin kata has the simplest techniques, and yet is arguably the most difficult to master of all Gōjū kata. Sanchin is often taught as a black belt kata, yet it is simple enough to teach at the white belt level. This is often done in order to prepare the student for this kata by the time he or she reaches black belt.

Kyokushinkai

Kyokushinkai is a style of stand-up, full contact karate, founded in 1964 by Masutatsu Oyama who was born under the name Choi Yong-I. Kyokushinkai is Japanese for "the society of the ultimate truth." Kyokushin is rooted in a philosophy of self-improvement, discipline and hard training. Its full contact style has had international appeal (practitioners have over the last 40+ years numbered more than 12 million)

In this form of karate the instructor and his/her students all must take part in hard sparring to prepare them for full contact fighting. Unlike some forms of karate, Kyokushin places high emphasis on full contact fighting which is done without any gloves or protective equipment. This apparent brutality is tempered somewhat by the fact that you are not allowed to use a non-kick or non-knee strike to hit your opponent in the face, thus greatly reducing the possibility of serious injury. Knees or kicks to the head and face, on the other hand, are allowed.

Technically, Kyokushin is a circular style. This is in opposition to Shotokan karate, which is considered a linear style, and closer to Goju-ryu, which is considered a circular style. Shotokan and Goju-ryu were the two styles of karate that Oyama learned before creating his own style. However, Oyama studied Shotokan for only a couple of years before he switched to Goju-ryu where he got his advanced training. This is reflected in Kyokushin where the early training closely resembles Shotokan but gradually becomes closer to the circular techniques and strategies of Goju-ryu the higher you advance in the system.

Shorin Ryu

Shorin-ryu is one of the major modern Okinawan martial arts. Said to have been founded by Sokon Matsumura during the 1800s, Shorin-ryu combines elements of the traditional Okinawan fighting styles Shuri-te and Tomari-te. Shorin-ryu is widely considered to be one of the two major modern styles of Okinawan karate, along with Goju-ryu, which is rooted in the other traditional Okinawan style, Naha-te.

Shorin-ryu is generally characterized by natural breathing, natural (narrow, high) stances, and direct, rather than circular movements (with the exception of Shorin-Ryu Kyudokan, which makes extensive use of circular movements). Shorin-ryu practitioners will say that deep stances are not important for powerful moves, and that only correct motion matters.

Ryuei Ryu

This style of karate was first introduced to Okinawa around 1875 by Norisato Nakaima. Born of wealthy parents in Kume, Okinawa, Nakaima was a good scholar and, at the age of 19, went to Fuchou, China for advanced studies in the martial arts. There a former guard to the Chinese embassies in the Ryukyu islands introduced him to a Chinese boxing teacher known as Ru Ru Ko, who also taught Sakiyama Kitoku and, according to some sources, many years later Kanryo Higashionna. Nakaima was accepted as a disciple, and, after over 7 years of training, received a certificate of graduation from the master. He was trained in a variety of arts and skills ranging from physical combative techniques to Chinese medicine and herbal healing remedies. Just before leaving China, Nakaima traveled to the Fujian, Canton, and Beijing areas, where he collected a number of weapons and scrolls to bring back home with him.

Back in Okinawa, Nakaima passed this Chinese boxing style in secret to his son Kenchu Nakaima, who then went on to teach it only to his son, Kenko Nakaima (founder of the Ryuei Ryu Karate and Kobudo Preservation Society. In 1971, at the age of 60, Kenko Nakaima realized that there was no longer a need to keep his family's fighting system a secret, and so, with some hesitation, he took on a group of twenty school teachers as karate students, it was at this point the name "Ryuei Ryu" was first used to describe the art.

Ryuei Ryu has 11 kata in it’s curriculum and incorporates extensive weapons training. There are relatively few schools of the Ryuei Ryu outside of Japan. One group, the Okinawa Ryuei Ryu Karate Kobudo Ryuhokai, is led by Tomohiro Arashiro of California. Arashiro Sensei teaches a very popular sport based version of the art, modified simply for competitive situations only by Tsuguo Sakumoto, a former student of Kenko Nakaima.

Luis Santana

Triangle’s Best Karate

March, 2008