Goju ryu (Japanese for “hard-soft style”) is one of the main traditional Okinawan styles of karate, featuring a combination of hard and soft techniques. Both principles, hard and soft, come from the famous martial arts book Bubishi (Chinese: wu bei ji), used by Okinawan masters during the 19th and 20th centuries. Go which means hard, refers to closed hand techniques or straight linear attacks; Ju which means soft, refers to open hand techniques and circular movements. [More on this page]
Goju Ryu Katas
Goju Ryu has 12 core kata in its standard curriculum. Students in most schools are required to know all of these kata before reaching sandan.
Morio Higaonna sensei writes that “Karate begins and ends with kata. Kata is the essence and foundation of karate and it represents the accumulation of more than 1000 years of knowledge. Formed by numerous masters throughout the ages through dedicated training and research, the kata are like a map to guide us, and as such should never be changed or tampered with.”
Almost all of the kata have a corresponding bunkai oyo, a prearranged two-person fighting drill. These drills help the student to understand the applications of the kata, establish proper rhythm/flow, to practice constant attack/defense, and to safely practice dangerous moves on a partner. The following are the 12 Goju Ryu katas:
- Sanchin – “Three Battles/Conflicts”
- Gekisai ichi – “Attack & Destroy”
- Gekisai ni – “Attack & Destroy”
- Saifa – “Smash and Tear Apart”
- Seiyunchin – “Control/Suppress and Pull”
- Shisochin – “Four Directions/Gates of Conflict/Attack”
- Sanseru – “36 Hands”
- Sepai – “18 Hands”
- Kururunfa – “Holding Ground”
- Sesan – “13 Hands”
- Suparinpei – “108 Hands”
- Tensho – “Turning Palms”