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Chojun Miyagi founder of Okinawan Goju Ryu
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Gogen Yamaguchi Kaiso founder of Goju Kai Karate in mainland Japan and World Wide in more than 80 countries.
Goshi Yamaguchi Saiko Shihan President of world gojukai karate.
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Gohei Yamaguchi heir to gojukai karate and son of Goshi Yamaguchi and grandson of Gogen Yamaguchi Kaiso
This constitutes the only true bloodline of gojukai and is the last will and testament of Gogen Yamaguchi Kaiso.
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Gogen Yamaguchi, our founder and legend was born on 20th January 1909 in Kagushima, Japan. He was a descendant of the Samurai and one of the most complex figures to ever grace the World Karate stage.
As the chosen successor by Master Miyagi in 1953, Gogen Yamaguchi set about uniting Goju as one organisation, Gojukai.
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The martial arts fraternity in Japan bestowed upon him the honour of Grand Master, 10th Dan Hanshi and is therefore referred to as Kaiso, ‘Our Founder’.
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His first Karate Dojo was established in Western Japan in 1930.
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Under his powerful leadership, the Gojukai Karate system began to spread rapidly across the island nation.
Gogen Yamaguchi was to radically alter the course of Karate. He wanted to allow greater freedom of movement and the idea that was born, was Kumite which is the Japanese term for ‘freestyle fighting.’
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In 1930, Gogen Yamaguchi succeeded in his efforts to have Karate admitted into Budokan, the official Government headquarters for Japanese Martial Arts.
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After the Second World War, where he earned the title of ‘The Cat’, Gogen Yamaguchi returned to Japan after being held as a prisoner of war.
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He found his school had become badly disorganised in his absence, but with strength, honour and dignity he began to rebuild it according to the ancient ways.
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By doing this Gogen Yamaguchi re-affirmed his faith in the country’s basic traditions inherited from the Samurai.
As a deeply spiritual man, Gogen Yamaguchi realised that Martial Arts required much sacrifice, effort and discipline and he would go into the mountains once a month to toughen himself spiritually and physically, using the powerful technique of Ibuki breathing.
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He stood for several hours under icy waterfalls to make his mind and spirit impenetrable to adverse physical conditions. Every year during the coldest part of winter Gogen Yamaguchi set off for two weeks of gruelling training in the snow-clad mountains of Mount Kuruma.
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Until his death in 1989, Kaiso Gogen Yamaguchi lived as a true warrior.
His dream to build and grow IKGA (International karate-do Goju Kai) on every continent in the world was realised because of the loyalty he created through leaders of continents that have not broken away but rather chose to continue supporting the Yamaguchi family which was built through his belief of Honour,Loyalty and Respect.
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Goju Kai Karate founders family tree:
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The Last Will & Testament and True Bloodline of Goju Kai Karate
Peter Brandon Hanshi, All Africa Head graded to Godan(5th Dan) on the same day as his son Frank Brandon Shihan graded to Shodan (1st Dan) 40 years ago in Japan in 1982 under the watchful eye of Gogen Yamaguchi (The Cat).
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Exactly 40 years after that in 2022 Frank Brandon Shihan’s son Benjamin Brandon obtained his Shodan under Gogen Yamaguchi Kaiso’s son Saiko Shihan Yamaguchi on the same day as Frank Brandon Shihan graded to his 7th dan in Japan at the head office.
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This is true legacy and shows the loyalty and honour of a true bloodline of authentic karate lineage.
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We thank our Hanshi, Peter Brandon for his unwavering loyalty to our founder's legacy.
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Ingo de Jong Hanshi Director of Europe and Peter Brandon Hanshi Director of Africa was appointed nearly 40 years ago by Gogen Yamaguchi himself as well as Gonzales Hanshi Director of South America that has been a loyal Yamaguchi family member for nearly 50 years was appointed by Saiko Shihan Goshi Yamaguchi after the death of Watanabe Hanshi , a student of Gogen Yamaguchi.
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Paul Starling Hanshi trained and lived in Japan at the official Goju Kai college for 3 years under Gogen Yamaguchi Kaiso was appointed as one of the Vice Presidents of I.K.G.A.
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CONTINENTAL HEADS AND SAIKO SHIHAN'S PRESIDENT'S COUNCIL
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Brian Mackie Hanshi appointed by Saiko Shihan heads up the Oceana block, Brian Hanshi also trained under Our founder Gogen Yamaguchi and currently trains under Saiko shihan for over 40 years. Brian Mackie Hanshi’s son Ben Mackie and his wife are highly graded Goju Kai members that support him and his many members within the Oceania Block.
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BRIAN MACKIE HANSHI
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The newly appointed head of Asia, after the resignation of Hiromasa Kikuchi Hanshi because of health reasons is Saiko Shihan’s son Gohei Yamaguchi Shihan.
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GOHEI YAMAGUCHI SHIHAN
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Gohei Shihan is being groomed and supported by all of the Presidents council(continental Heads and Saiko Shihan his father) along with all of Japan Goju Kai’s most senior Shihan Kai members to lead in the future thus keeping our legacy alive through loyalty to our founder Gogen Kaiso and Saiko Shihan.
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Kikuchi Hanshi, who sadly passed away this year, is revered as a loyal student of Gogen Kaiso for 60 years.
Friendships formed across the globe through Gogen Kaiso’s I.K.G.A organisation because of the hard work of his son Saiko Shihan Goshi Yamaguchi, now 80 years of age and the loyal Continental Directors is undisputed and simply the truth.
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Our story is incredible, unprecedented and very special.
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Gogen Kaiso would have been enormously proud of the loyalty of his son and Continental Directors that still work everyday as the only TRUE organisation that functions under Gogen Kaiso’s last will and testament and that continue the work under his direct bloodline of sons and grandson.
Our IKGA is the only existing and functioning organization with a direct bloodline to Gogen Yamaguchi.
