Okinawan Goju-Ryu by Seikichi Toguchi. Fundamentals of Shorei-kan karate
PREFACE
Karate, which originated in Okinawa, today enjoys world-wide popularity. This is reflected in the many books written on the subject and their volume of sales. These books, however, while dealing with an art of Okinawan origin, are written by karate men from places other than the Ryukyu Islands. Considering the abundance of their material, it is difficult to understand why a karate textbook written by an Okinawan master himself has never been published. There exists no literature or reference source on the techniques of the Okinawan masters, written by them. Foreign karateka, visiting the islands to further their studies, must grope for information because there is no textbook to help them organize and assimilate these techniques. The intent herein is to present (hopefully without pretension) such a textbook.
A complex art, karate demands great discipline and dedication.
As a result, it must be learned gradually and progressively.
Teaching beginners difficult classic kata such as passai or seisan is comparable to teaching elementary school boys college level subjects. Similarly, emphasizing free-fighting competition to novices is sending an untrained army into battle. Students must move from basics to complexities in a prescribed manner. To facilitate this progression and simplify the study of karate, I have developed Hookiyu Kata (Unified Kata), a unified system of learning for beginning students of Goju-Ryu Shorei-Kan Karate. A combination of styles, though predominantly Okinawan, it provides a basic training for the pupil and gives him background necessary for both classic kata and fighting competition.
I feel great responsibility in my mission as an Okinawan master.
Therefore, I present this textbook to introduce Hookiyu Kata and to uphold the true spirit of the traditional Okinawa Karate-Do Goju Ryu style.
