The History of Karate: Okinawan Goju-Ryu [Illustrated] [ペーパーバック]

The book is of high quality and well illustrated. It is a treasure house of facts concerning the early history of Okinawan karate, descriptions of the early training and, best of all, it describes Chojun Miyagis ethical ideals, teaching methods and way of life, providing a valuable source of knowledge and understanding to guide the present day karateka.

This book should be on the shelf of every serious student of karate, and it should be read often.

Chojun Senseis widow, Makato, was still living at this time. Usually the first to arrive, Higaonna would do various chores to get the area ready for the evenings practice. He would finish these chores well before the other students would arrive and Makato would sometimes call him over to chat. Of all the things they spoke about, Higaonna vividly remembers two things Mrs. Miyagi told him: 1)For those who practice martial arts, smoking is the worst thing for the body, so you must never smoke; and 2)You should learn from Anichi Miyagi. Higaonna took her words to heart in both cases.

Higaonna also taught karate at his high school karate club, completely filling his days with his passion.

In 1960 Higaonna moved to Tokyo to attend Takushoku University. His passion for karate continued to drive him and during his free time he would visit various dojos around the Tokyo area. One dojo owner (Aragaki) in the Yoyogi district of Tokyo invited Higaonna to teach there, even though it was a Shorin Ryu dojo. It wasnt long before Yoyogi Dojo converted to Goju-Ryu. Higaonna's reputation and popularity grew, reaching to the four corners of the globe. Within a few years he had developed such a large following that the need for a formal organization became apparent. At the urging of his followers, and with the support of many of Chojun Miyagi's senior students, in 1979 Higaonna formed the International Okinawan Goju-Ryu Karate-Do Federation (IOGKF) with the purpose to preserve, protect and disseminate the true teachings of Chojun Miyagi and Okinawan Goju-Ryu.

The Technical Headquarters for the IOGKF is in Okinawa at the HIGAONNA DOJO, where Sensei Higaonna teaches. However, with tens of thousands of members worldwide, Sensei Higaonna travels extensively throughout each year teaching seminars and gasshukus (karate camps). Even with his hectic schedule, he himself trains several hours every day, for he feels that one should never cease learning and expanding ones own knowledge  and he encourages his instructors to do the same.

In addition to teaching and conducting seminars throughout the world, Sensei Higaonna has produced scores of technical books and videos to aid serious students in their training and development.

In 1997 the acclaimed Nihon Kobudo Kyokai, whose primary mission is to protect and preserve traditional martial arts, inducted Morio Higaonna into their ranks and recognized him as the SOLE representative for Okinawan Goju-Ryu karate in the world.

Sensei Higaonna continues to devote his life to the research, training and the dissemination of Okinawan Goju-Ryu.