Okinawan Goju-Ryu: Fundamentals of Shorei-Kan Karate

by Seikichi Toguchi

Discusses about etiquette, kata, stances, and techniques of the goju-ryu system as practiced in Okinawa. This book includes a detailed section on sanchin breathing and step-by-step photos with foot... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0897500180
• ISBN13: 9780897500180
• Release Date: February 1976
• Publisher: Black Belt Books
• Length: 192 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 5.8" x 8.8"

Customer Reviews

A sound textbook for dojo practice

I found very useful to complement my karate training from the master himself. Since karate is transfered from master to student, each one adds their own variation and over the years diverts from the source. Having a book true to it is very useful to understand many things we practice over and over. The book is very clear and easy to follow, helping to correct style and stances.

Outstanding!

Invaluable for newer Goju Ryu practitioners, this outstanding book covers the basic stances, punches, kicks and blocks required learn hookiyu kata and gekisai kata (including how to formally begin and end the forms). While you cannot learn any martial art solely from a book, the kata, bunkai oyo, and basic kumite are clearly illustrated and adequately described for beginners. For more advanced students the sanchin kata write-up is excellent, integrating movement, breathing and technique in a way that illuminates some of the more difficult aspects of that essential form. There is also an interesting yet brief history of Goju Ryu, including biographical information about Kanryo Higashionna (the founder of Naha Te) and Chojun Miyagi (the founder of Goju Ryu karate). Seikichi Toguchi, a direct student of Miyagi's, was an inspirational leader of the Goju community whose teaching will be sorely missed. Both his books are essential reading for Goju Ryu practitioners. Lawrence Kane Author of Surviving Armed Assaults, The Way of Kata, and Martial Arts Instruction

Goju Ryu at its best

This is one of the first books to deal with Goju Ryu published in the United States. ALthough it is not a volume that deals in depth with Okinawan Karates history it does provide the reader with a lot of information on the subject. It's real wealth is the pictures showing how the kata are executed, particularly Sanchin. This alone will give the karate-ka who does not practice Goju-ryu an educated view from which they can make a comparison between their execution of Karate kata and the Goju ryu way. Like Richard Kims Weaponless Warriors this is an older book one still of value for today's karate-ka.

Correct information for all Goju Ryu stylists.

Face it. There are lots of varied styles of Goju Ryu Karate Do. There are even those claiming direct lineage and senior student status from Chojun Miyagi Sensei. Toguchi is not one of those. This man actually trained with him! He also trained with and was a student of Seko Higa a true senior student of Chojun Miyagi. In this book you get a feeling of a true Goju Ryu Sensei. He accurately develops the history of Goju Ryu and the people involved with promoting it after Miyagi's death. This is extremely important since Miyagi never named a successor to his style. The only person Miyagi granted permission to open a dojo was Seko Higa. After Miyagi's death his senior students opened the Jundo Kan which still exists to this day. This is where splits in the style come from. Toguchi explains his basics with ease and introduces his developed techniques that he was given permission by Miyagi himself to create. This is why this book is so good. You get a first hand account. This book is easy to understand and the author comes to the point quickly without pages and pages of rhetoric. It is great reading and very discriptive both in words and pictures. Great for any library.

This book is essential.

The inclusion of the Goju-ryu Sanchin kata (complete with instruction for proper breathing) makes this book a must-have. Sanchin kata has many variations in different schools, even within Goju-ryu. Seikichi Toguchi was a very highly respected Shihan (master). The explanations in his book are lucid and the photos extremely helpful.