Traditional Okinawa Goju Ryu Karate Do Federation - Higaonna Dojo

Sensei Daniel Mahardani recently visited Okinawa and our honbu dojo in Naha, traveling all the way from Jakarta, Indonesia. Earlier this week, the honbu shihan oversaw his promotion to the rank of godan — may he continue to represent the TOGKF and help to spread the Goju-ryu karatedo of Higaonna Morio Sensei across the world.

The Higaonna honbu dojo sometimes hosts visitors from other styles, practitioners who are interested in different aspects of the Goju-ryu teachings of Higaonna Sensei or who have simply always dreamed of training in the legendary dojo, itself. Recently the honbu hosted kareteka specializing in Shotokan (Brazil), Shorin-ryu and Isshin-ryu (USA), and Tōon-ryu (Germany). It is an honor to be contacted by dedicated individuals walking the paths of another martial art, and through hard training, humility, and mutual respect, the whole truly becomes greater than the sum of parts.

Precious memories from a master

A few weeks ago, I asked Uehara Sensei if he would be willing to share any karate photographs he might have. Given that he is truly a walking encyclopedia of all things Goju-ryu, I knew there was a good chance he had preserved some remarkable pieces of history.

The very next day, he arrived with a few photo albums documenting his amazing karate journey of over 60+ years. Needless to say, they were filled with incredible treasures: photographs of first-generation students of Miyagi Chojun, a striking black-and-white image of Uehara Sensei and his brother, Uehara Ko, practicing kakie, training photos from the Jundokan, images of many well-known Goju-ryu practitioners from various ryuha in their prime, and even a potentially historic photograph that is currently being researched.

Among some of the most meaningful to me were his photographs with Miyagi An’ichi Sensei, including the one shared in this post. During training, Uehara Sensei frequently draws upon Miyagi An’ichi Sensei’s teachings through stories, kata, and characteristically demanding applications. He often speaks with great fondness about the one-on-one instruction he received, where lessons were communicated in the Okinawan language allowing for a deeper transmission of knowledge and understanding.

I feel incredibly fortunate that Uehara Sensei provided the opportunity to view these remarkable photographs as they are a priceless visual record of our ryuha’s history and a reminder of the generations who preserved and passed on this tradition.

These photos were taken earlier this week, showing Higaonna Morio Sensei receiving his official certificate regarding the Kyokujitsu-shō, translated as the Order of the Rising Sun.

In early 2018, the former Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko attended a special event hosted at the Okinawa Karate Kaikan. As part of a small showcase of traditional karatedo, Higaonna Sensei demonstrated the Goju-ryu kata Pechurin.

Now, 8 years later, their son Emperor Naruhito has chosen to recognize our sensei for his distinguished service to the state of Japan. This is the highest award conferred onto individuals outside of royalty or government, in this case presented in acknowledgement of pristine cultural preservation and exceptional advancement.

Sensei was accompanied during this ceremony by members of his family and his top students in Okinawa, the honbu shihan: Uehara Yonekazu, Kuramoto Masakazu, and Yonesato Yoshinori.

Yoshinori Yonesato sensei and Masakazu Kuramoto sensei are having fun and staying out of trouble in Las Vegas, USA. They were hosted by sensei Mickey Brock and his students while Mirko Buchwald sensei made the trip to show his support. They were able to meet the famous kickboxing champion Benny “the jet” Urquidez and sensei Jeff Speakman who headlined the event.

The shihans were able to avoid Typhoon #9 (Bavi) which is currently coming through the ryukyu island chain, and Naha is looking forward to their safe return home.

George Sensei in Australia…

The latest visitor to Sensei Higaonna’s Naha dojo is sensei Davide Incarbone who has traveled all the way from Italy. Davide is putting in the work under the hot Okinawa sun and the honbu dojo is happy to welcome him.

Nth American Spring Gasshuku makes the Okinawa Times newspaper in Okinawa