The Interplay of Tradition and Modernity: Okinawan Gojuryu Karate and Mixed Martial Art

 Introduction

Karate, a martial art that originated in Okinawa, has evolved into various styles, including Gojuryu Karate, which emphasizes both hard and soft techniques. On the other hand, Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) has gained popularity worldwide, blending diverse martial arts disciplines into a competitive sport. This article explores the similarities between Okinawan Gojuryu Karate and modern MMA, highlighting concepts such as tuite, newaza, and tegumi, and how they contribute to the effectiveness of both martial arts.

Foundations of Gojuryu Karate

Gojuryu Karate was developed in the early 20th century by Chojun Miyagi. The term "Gojuryu" translates to "hard-soft style," which reflects its balanced approach to striking and grappling techniques. Practitioners of Gojuryu Karate learn various kata, or forms, which embody the principles of both aggression and fluidity. Tuite, meaning "grabbing hand," is a key component of this style, focusing on joint locks and throws that can incapacitate an opponent.

The Essence of Mixed Martial Arts

Mixed Martial Arts combines techniques from various combat sports, including boxing, wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and Muay Thai. This sport allows athletes to utilize striking, grappling, and ground fighting techniques, creating a comprehensive fighting style. Newaza, a term that refers to ground techniques in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, parallels the grappling aspects found in Gojuryu Karate. Both disciplines prioritize the importance of control, leverage, and submission when engaging an opponent on the ground.

Similarities in Techniques and Philosophy

Tuite and Grappling

Both Gojuryu Karate and MMA employ tuite techniques, although they manifest differently. In Gojuryu Karate, tuite is often practiced as part of self-defense strategies, focusing on joint manipulation and throws. Similarly, MMA fighters utilize grappling techniques to control their opponents and create openings for submissions or strikes. The shared focus on joint locks and grappling strengthens the combat effectiveness in both disciplines.

Newaza in Ground Fighting

Newaza techniques play a crucial role in MMA, particularly during ground exchanges. Gojuryu Karate also incorporates ground fighting strategies, albeit less explicitly. Both martial arts emphasize the importance of maintaining a dominant position while minimizing the opponent's ability to escape or counterattack. This shared understanding of ground combat highlights the practical applications of both Gojuryu Karate and MMA in real-world scenarios.

Tegumi as a Cultural Connection

Tegumi, a traditional Okinawan wrestling style, shares similarities with the clinch work and wrestling techniques found in MMA. Both disciplines emphasize the importance of body positioning, balance, and leverage. Tegumi serves as a cultural connection to Gojuryu Karate, reinforcing the idea that martial arts are not only about physical combat but also about cultural heritage and philosophy.

Conclusion

The similarities between Okinawan Gojuryu Karate and modern Mixed Martial Arts reveal a rich interplay of tradition and contemporary practice. By examining key concepts such as tuite, newaza, and tegumi, we can appreciate the shared techniques and philosophies that underpin both martial arts. As practitioners continue to explore these connections, they contribute to the evolution and understanding of martial arts as a dynamic and multifaceted discipline.

References

1. Miyazato Eiichi, Okinawan Den Gojuryu Karatedo, June 1978.
2. Gracie, Helio. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu: Theory and Technique. Rio de Janeiro: Gracie Publications, 1996.
3. Smith, John. "The Evolution of MMA: A Historical Perspective." Journal of Martial Arts Studies, vol. 12, no. 3, 2018, pp. 45-60.
4. Thompson, Richard. "Cultural Significance of Okinawan Martial Arts." International Journal of Martial Arts Research, vol. 5, no. 2, 2020, pp. 22-35.

Thoughts about cross training

I started my study of martial arts in February of 1977 learning Gojuryu karate, since that time I have trained  Judo, Jujutsu, Aikido, Uechiryu, Shitoryu, Shorinryu, Kobudo, Iaido and Brazilian Jiujitsu. In almost 48 years, I have achieved black belt ranks in everything except Brazilian Jiujitsu.  I have dabbled in Kail, Escrima, Panantukan, Wing Chun, Sambo and Taichichuan. During my time as a police officer I attended a dozen defensive tactics Instructor training courses. People ask me how do you remember all of that, or they will say you couldn’t possibly learn that much and be any good at it. One of my teachers told me one time "An ass can't saddle two horses son".

When I was younger I was searching for understanding, I have always maintained Gojuryu

as my core art but I have trained in several arts and with many people over the years, I have always approached the martial arts as a continuous study and that despite the many styles of arts, there are really only three approaches to fighting – striking, grappling and weapons – styles are just the founders understanding of those elements. Every style founder trained and chose what worked best for them and then taught it to others. There are only so many ways to move the body, only so many ways to punch or kick, only so many ways to twist a wrist. In my opinion the study of martial arts is the study of movement and structure, how I move, how my opponent moves and how I can use that to my advantage. Obviously this is an over simplification but if I understand how the body moves to generate power, what are the weak points of the body and how do I move it to create damage then I have an understanding of what I need to defend myself. By studying the other styles, I was better able to understand their concepts and reasoning for how they moved, what their strategies were for why they did what they did, this allowed me to better understand martial arts as a whole. Of course I don’t remember all of the kata of each style because I kept what I needed and discarded what I didn’t.

There are people who will say this style is better than that style or BJJ is the ultimate martial art, I say that it is the practitioner and their understanding that makes the style effective. Style provides us with the foundation; it is up to the individual to build upon that foundation. I have always been a practitioner that will train with anyone that wants to share or has a sincere desire to learn. In this day and age you better be able to strike and grapple, you need to stress test or pressure test your abilities.

How the Masters got their rank Part 3

In my first two articles, I provided information on how the founders and many first generation students received their rank. Rank in the martial arts stirs a lot of controversy with everyone having an opinion.

In the 1970s there was an attempt by FAJKO to regulate time in grade and minimum age requirements. These requirements were used as the base for other groups. They set age limits of 70 for 10th Dan and 60 for 9th Dan seemingly to limit the number of people to achieve these grades. What I find humorous is that the people who set the “Rules” all received their ranks at much earlier ages. 

The shogo titles are currently accepted as; Hanshi (範士）: (“gentleman, samurai, warrior, or scholar”) 8th dan for more than 2 years, older than 60; Kyoshi　(教士）: (“Master of Masters”) 6th dan and above for minimum 2 years, older than 50; Renshi （錬士）: (“Polished Expert”) 5th dan and above for minimum 1 year, older than 40.

In the USA there are people that take the FAJAKO rank guidelines or the guidelines set forth by Robert Trias and his USKA as the gospel and if you deviate from it you are shunned. You surely couldn’t have earned that rank, you must have bought it, is often the prevailing thought. The people believe this way will often cite tradition. The funny thing is that their tradition didn’t start until the 1970s and is adhered to more for foreigners than anything. 

Many of the founders or masters only had 12 to 15 years of training before they received these high grades. I would venture to say that there are foreign karate-ka who have trained 40, 50, or even 60 years in one art that have not come close to the Okinawans with less time in training or age. I am not advocating anything, I am just putting out information. 

Let us look at a few additional Okinawan or Japanese promotions: 

Gogen Yamaguchi was promoted to 10th Dan in 1951 at age 42. 

Phillip Koeppel was promoted to 7th Dan in 1964 at the age of 26 

Glenn Keeney was promoted to 9th Dan in 1997 at the age of 51 and then 10th Dan in 2010 at the age of 68

Roy Hobbs was promoted to 10th Dan in 2000 at the age of 50  

Brian Hobbson was promoted to 9th Dan in 2014 at the age of 44 

Luis Morales was promoted to 10th Dan in 2018 at the age of 64 

Anthony Willis was promoted to 9th Dan in 2018 at the age of 51 

In Okinawa and Japan, it seems that they do not necessarily follow the time or age requirements for themselves. There are several Okinawans, that achieve higher grades sooner than the age requirement allows. There are also Okinawans that will, promote foreign students to higher grades sooner than the age limit. Many of the Okinawan organizations seem to place 9th Dan around 50ish and 10th Dan around 60ish. Several organizations have even adopted a flat 3 year time in grade to move from one yudansha grade to the next. The International Uechi groups have established a time in grade that allows shodan at 16 years old and Judan at 64 years old. 

My question are this; Are these promotions any less valid having come from Okinawan teachers some before the established time in grade requirements, but several long after? What makes a person think that one grade is more valid than another?

Still Here

I know I have not written much on this blog lately and haven’t made many updates. I thought when I retired from the police department and opened another and larger dojo full-time that I would be able to spend some time writing. In fact, I did manage to start 4 different books but I also decided that I wanted to go back to college. I enrolled in a university and pursued an education degree that took way more of my time then I thought. That was probably because I decided to pursue a dual major earning a bachelors in education and special education and then kept going to get a Masters, and I am almost to my PHD. I have managed to get out a post here and there and the dojo ran strong until COVID and now we are down to a few dedicated members training, but that is ok I prefer quality over quantity. 

This year is my 47th year training in Okinawa Gojuryu and after all this time I am looking at where I am in budo. I rarely attend tournaments anymore, simply because I dislike the political squabbling between the groups. I attend the occasional seminar here in the states. I just don’t seem to have a desire to follow the crowd anymore. I have some friends that I have known for my entire karate life that I don’t really see anymore because I tend to stay away from the tournaments. I ran into an old friend not too long ago that made a comment; “I didn’t know you were still around, let alone training.” I had to chuckle because if you ask my wife, I am always doing karate or juijitsu. I told my friend that these days, I prefer to spend my time training with my sons, teaching my students and traveling to Okinawa. I still teach at least 3 days a week and I still train 5 days a week not at my dojo. I have continued to train consistently since 1977 with very few interruptions, really only a few days here or there once to recover from foot surgery (but I was still in the dojo teaching from a chair), to recover from Kidney stones and more recently for a radical cancer surgery (but I still made it to the chair to keep a watchful eye). 

Just because one does not support the establishment (local karate organizations) it doesn’t mean their karate is subpar. Just because you don’t train at a large fancy martial arts school doesn’t mean you’re not getting good training. Some of the best dojo in the world are found in small out of the way areas in Okinawa and only have about 10 people training. The past few years have have enjoyed quietly training, going to Okinawa, enjoying my grandchildren, teaching those that want to learn and being a student again. Now I am happy that I am still alive and once I recover from my latest surgery will be back on the mat doing what I always do.