"There has [always] been 'Te' in Okinawa. It has been improved and developed..." Chojun Miyagi Sensei 1936 meeting of Okinawan Karate Masters.
The Okinawans combined Chinese martial arts with the existing local practices to form To-de (China hand), sometimes called Okinawa-Te’.
Three districts , Naha, Shuri and Tomari, give their names to three distinct styles,
Shuri-te, Naha-te and Tomari-te .
Naha-te is named for the area around Naha, an important past commercial capital of the Ryukyu Kingdom and currently the capital of Okinawa.
The leading exponent of Naha-te training was Kanryo Higaonna Sensei.
Originally a Naha-based student of Seisho Aragaki he travelled to mainland China and studied with Wei Shin Zan and Liu Liu Ko.
Higaonna Sensei’s most notable student was Chojun Miyagi Sensei who went on to found and name Goju-ryu Karate.
Chojun Miyagi Sensei introduced the katas Gekisai Ichi and Ni, and Tensho Kata .
one of his most notable students was
Eiichi Miyazato Sensei who went on to found the Jundokan TsuyoiKokoro Dojo is part of this school
'...there has always been 'Te' in Okinawa...'
Chojun Miyagi Sensei
