05/21/2022
Today we join hands with our Shorei-kan family around the world, to celebrate the 105th birth anniversary of our founder, Grandmaster Seikichi Toguchi.
Kancho Toguchi was not only one of Master Chojun Miyagi’s top students, he implemented Master Miyagi’s vision of creating additional katas to bridge the gaps in the nascent Goju-Ryu system.
In Goju Ryu there are 12 core katas. However, in Shorei-kan there are 9 additional katas that were created specifically by Toguchi Sensei. The role that Toguchi Sensei has played in creating katas to supplement those taught by Miyagi Sensei is not generally known. During the time that Miyagi Sensei was alive, he had started the streamlining of karate katas by creating basic introductory katas for school children, called 'Fukyugata'. Miyagi Sensei created two Fukyugata, called Gekisai Dai Ichi & Gekisai Dai Ni. However, Miyagi Sensei passed away before completing his goal of adding more katas to bridge the gap between these Fukyugata and the other Kihongata & Kaishugata.
Toguchi Sensei took it upon himself to ensure that Miyagi Sensei's dream did not go unfulfilled. After Miyagi Sensei passed away and his seniormost students opened their own dojos, Toguchi Sensei's dojo was one of the first to receive American G.I's and he wanted to ensure that people who attended his dojo could be taught in a systematic, progressive manner that would make it easy for them to learn and practice. To do this, he created 3 Fukyugata. These were originally called Fukyukata Dai Ichi, Fukyokata Dai Ni & Fukyukata Dai San. However, because of the American mispronunciation of 'Fukyu' (sounded like a swear word), he changed the name to 'Hookyu', thus these became the Hookyukata series. This was then followed by Gekisai dai ichi and ni. Toguchi Sensei then created Gekisai Dai San, which introduced the double-hand chudan-uke at the start of the kata (to link the fukyugata to the kihongata of Sanchin & Tensho). This was followed by Gekiha Dai Ichi & Gekiha Dai Ni. Each progressive kata was designed to introduce the karateka to a new technique, stance, or progression of block, etc. In this manner, Toguchi Sensei created a system that allowed the karateka to be systematically introduced to progression in a linear, simplistic, traceable system.
Apart from these kata, he created Kakuha Dai Ichi & Kakuha Dai Ni and created the bunkai for the entire curriculum. The last kata he created was the 'Hakutsuru No Mai' (Dance of the White Crane). This kata was created based on a dream that Miyagi Sensei had of a White Crane and Toguchi Sensei created this kata in honour of his Sensei. This kata also references Goju Ryu's origins from Fujian White Crane boxing. Today, most Goju Ryu schools had adopted Toguchi Sensei's bunkais (he created contiguous bunkai to match the flow of the kata, from start to finish. Prior to this bunkai was practiced only a short series of movements and not in a continuous flow) and kiso-kumite as part of their syllabus and this is his greatest legacy, but one that few people are aware of.
We at Shorei-kan are torch-bearers of that legacy and share in the pride of one of the great lineages in karate. Today we join hands with our Shorei-kan family around the world to celebrate the birth anniversary of one of the greatest karate masters in history and someone we are so blessed to call our Kancho.
Happy Birthday Toguchi Sensei!
