Gogen Yamaguchi (“The Cat”) History
One of ten children was born on January 20, 1909 in the city of Kagoshima, which is located on the southern end of Kyushu Japan. He was named Yoshimi Yamaguchi by his father, Tokutaro.
His mother, Yoshimatsu, was Tokutaro’s assistant. As a boy training was in the art of Jigen-ryu Kenjutsu (kendo).
As a young teen, when his family moved to Kyoto, Yamaguchi began studying Goju-ryu in the Maruta Dojo in Miyazai, Kyushu under Takeo Maruta, a carpenter by trade.
1929 Yamaguchi entered Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto and majored in Law. In 1930 he started the first karate club on the Ritsumeikan campus.
It was during this time jiyu kumite, came into being, which translates as free fighting. Masters of this time stressed kata and were not very big on free sparring as techniques were done in full force and without control.
The system Yamaguchi developed was based on the sparring system of kendo where points are scored for striking specific targets, and eventually would become the basis for modern day tournament fighting.
1931 Yamaguchi, age 22, was introduced to Chojun Miyagi, the founder of Goju. Up to this point in his training Yamaguchi had focused on the “hard” aspect of Goju.
Yamaguchi was so well trained in the hard side of Goju that Miyagi gave him the name “Gogen” meaning “rough”.
After meeting Miyagi he became aware of his need to train his “soft” spiritual side as well. Immediately he fell in love with the strange and intricate patterns displayed by Miyagi. From that moment on, his future was sealed.
He concentrated on the study of Goju to the exclusion of almost everything else. When Miyagi left to return to Okinawa, he left behind a dedicated follower.
Dubbed “The Cat” by a group of America GI’s during his post war years teaching allied troops karate in Japan. There are several theories as to why they nicknamed him “The Cat”.
In addition he added the Taikyoku kata’s to the Japanese Goju system, which are used as an introduction for beginners to help prepare them for the more advanced kata’s of the goju – ryu system.
Gogen Sensei also designed the famous Goju-ryu fist insignia, modeled after the right fist of Chojun Miyagi.
Also in 1935 Yamaguchi Sensei began his travels with the Japanese government as an intelligence officer and his first son Norimi Gōsei Yamaguchi was born.
During his tour of duty in Manchuria, from 1938-1945, Yamaguchi was captured by the Soviet military in 1942 and incarcerated as a prisoner of war in a Russian concentration camp.
In 1947 after two years as a Russian prisoner Yamaguchi returned to Japan. Upon his return he was shocked and heart broken at the condition of Japan after World War II both physically and spiritually. During the war many Goju schools had closed.
Few dojo,s remained open with no real leadership. On the verge of suicide himself, due to the state of his country and his art form.
Slowly, began the re consolidation the Goju schools that had remained open through the war, while constantly opening new ones.
Following the war focus was on the spread of martial arts and to better himself physically, mentally and spiritually. He sought out Reverend Tadaki Yoshimura, Chief Reverend of Shin-shu Shinto, and eventually became a Shinto master as well.
Yoga tuition was from Tengai Noda, Japan’s leading expert and yoga master at the time. Eventually Yamaguchi would meld these together with his Goju to form his personal system of Goju Shinto.
The face of Goju ryu changed with the influence of Gogen Yamaguchi. Goju-ryu was formally registered and recognized by the Butoku-kai, the governing body for Japanese martial arts.
This is the same organization that awarded him the title of Renshi (senior expert/5th dan) in 1940. In 1950 he founded the Zen Nippon (All Japan) Karate-do Goju-kai, a national organization in Japan.
All karate dojos in Japan were united in 1964 under the Federation of All Japan Karate-do Organization (FAJKO), which is today known as the Japan Karate Federation (JKF).
Following that was his appointed as Shihan (master) of the karate division of the Kokusai Budo Renmei, the International Martial Arts Federation in Japan.
This appointment came from the federation chairman, Prince Higashikuni of the Japanese Imperial Family. Another noteworthy Imperial contact occurred in 1968. when Emperor Hirohito presented Yamaguchi with the Ranju-Hosho (Blue Ribbon Medal) for his contribution to the martial arts.
Even in his late 60’s He founded and opened the Japan Karate-do College in Suginami, a suburb of Tokyo, Japan. This school served as his home as well as the Goju-kai headquarters.
Second floor was a yoga-shinto center for the education and practice of those two arts and the top floor served as a dormitory with accommodations for about 12 students.
Gōgen Yamaguchi visited Sydney and Melbourne in 1970 and 1972.
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Gogen sensei had been married twice, firstly to Midori (who still lives on the island of Kyushu), with whom he had four children: Gōsei Norimi Yamaguchi, Gōsen Kishio Yamaguchi, Makiko Yamaguchi, and Gōshi Hirofumi Yamaguchi.
His second wife, Mitsue, had one child, Gōkyōko Wakako Yamaguchi.
All of his children practiced karate-dō and became Masters in their own right. The names commencing with gō (剛) were their karate names.
Gogen Yamaguchi Sensei died on the 20th of May 1989.
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