Goju-Ryu Comes to America

Gojuryu karate-do was first introduced to the America’s by its founder, Grandmaster Chojun Miyagi. Miyagi Sensei was invited by Chinyei Kinjo and the Okinawan News Paper, the Yoen Jiho Sha to demonstrate and teach his art to the Okinawan’s that lived in the American territory of Hawaii. Miyagi Sensei stayed for almost a year and toured the Islands giving demonstrations.

The introduction of Gojuryu to the mainland of the United States was threefold. Peter Urban Sensei was the first instructor to introduce Japanese Gojuryu in 1959. Urban was a student of the famed Gogen Yamaguchi Sensei and was instrumental in establishing Yamaguchi’s Goju-Kai in the United States. Later Urban would go on to form his own American Goju System. Also in 1959 Jack Coleman Sensei introduced Gojuryu to Ohio. Coleman was a student of Kanki Izumikawa Sensei and after his return from Japan began teaching in Toledo, Ohio. Coleman’s efforts helped established what later became the Gojuryu Karate-do Kyokai, and John Roseberry Sensei, a student of Seikichi Toguchi Sensei, began teaching Shoreikan Gojuryu at the Great Lakes Naval Base in Illinois.

In 1960, Anthony Mirakian Sensei was the first to introduce the Okinawan Gojuryu Meibukan to Watertown, Massachusetts. Mirakian first trained under Seikichi Toguchi Sensei and later became a senior student under Meitoku Yagi Sensei. Also in 1960 Masaichi Oshiro Sensei, a student of Yamaguchi and Yagi began teaching Gojuryu in Hawaii.  In 1963, Gosen Yamaguchi Sensei (2^nd son of Gogen) established a dojo in San Francisco, making it the first Goju-kai dojo on the west coast.

By 1964, Yamaguchi Gosei (1^st son of Gogen) had arrived in San Francisco and founded the Goju-Kai Karate-do USA. William Rueter, a student of Masaichi Oshiro, introduced Gojuryu to Nevada, Ichiro Takahata begins teaching Shoreikan Gojuryu in Oklahoma and Larry Pickel, a student of Eiichi Miyazato, founded the Jundokan of Indiana. Pickel began teaching in Chesterfield, Indiana. Pickel’s dojo would spawn one of American Karate’s great leaders, Glenn Keeney Sensei.

The late 1960s saw a surge of practitioners from Seikichi Toguchi’s Shoreikan immigrate to the States: 1966 Shoichi Yamamoto in Kansas, 1967 Akira Kawakami in New York and in 1969 Toshio Tamano in California.

In 1968, Motto Yamakura Sensei, a student of Seigo Tada Sensei, arrived in Boston and began teaching Seigokan Gojuryu and John Roseberry begins teaching Shoreikan Gojuryu to Nebraska. In 1969, Teruo Chinen Sensei, a student of eiichi Miyazato Sensei arrives in Spokane, Washington and establishes a Jundokan Gojuryu Dojo. Chinen Sensei remained in the US and eventually founded the Jundokan International. Mike Mancusso Sensei, a student of eiichi Miyazato sensei, returned from Okinawa and began teaching in New York and in 1970 Natambu Bomani sensei, also a student of Miyazato Sensei, returned and began teaching in Ithaca, New York.

Since that time, there have been many people to help spread Gojuryu throughout the United States, some of those people include;

Ichiro Naito, Morio Higaonna, Frank Van Lenten, Robert Taiani, Chuck Merriman, Lou Angel, Jim Weinhoft, Glenn Keeney, Richard Stamper, Scott Lenzi, Anthony Marquez, Roy Oshiro, John Porta, Chuck Phillips, Natambu Bomani, Lloyd C. Johnson II, Lloyd C. Johnson III, Kawasi Mabatu, Kimo Wall, Kow Loon Ong, Chris DeBiase and countless others.