The TOGKF (Traditional Okinawan Goju-Ryu Karate-Do Federation) is still a relatively young organization, yet the roots of the association itself already go back to 1979, and today it is represented very strongly on an international level. I personally have never been, nor am I currently, a member of the organization. Nevertheless, I have many friends within the TOGKF, and this is exactly how the connection I would like to write about came into existence.
It all actually began because I had already been friends with one of the members on Facebook for quite some time. As fate would have it, both of us happened to be in Naha, Okinawa, in January 2024, and we were even staying at the same hotel. After my very first night struggling with jet lag, we met early in the morning at the hotel and briefly spoke with one another. I had just returned from shopping — in Japan many supermarkets are open 24 hours a day — while my friend Thomas Krekel was already on his way to work.
During the trip we met many more times, and one morning we eventually arranged to have breakfast together. In the end, there were five of us sitting together, including another Gōjū-ryū karateka. During breakfast, Thomas told us that it would be a great pleasure for him if we could write a seminar report about the upcoming TOGKF Hawaii Gasshuku — a gasshuku intended to commemorate Miyagi Chōjun’s journey to Hawaii 90 years earlier.
I immediately agreed, though with one condition: instead of writing only one report, I wanted to write two — one report about the TOGKF gasshuku itself, and another about Miyagi Chōjun’s actual journey to Hawaii in 1934.
The gasshuku eventually took place in April 2024, and the report was published in January 2025 — almost exactly 90 years after Miyagi Chōjun had left Hawaii again in 1935.
The report was received very positively within the TOGKF, and shortly afterward I was invited to the 3rd European Gasshuku of the TOGKF. I was asked whether I would be willing to give a historical lecture about Miyagi Chōjun and Gōjū-ryū during the event — a request I was naturally very happy to accept immediately.
In the meantime, I also had the opportunity to watch a demonstration by TOGKF members during the 49th Nihon Kobudō Enbu Taikai. This event takes place every year at the famous Budōkan in Tōkyō, and every two years TOGKF members are also invited to perform there.
My lecture at the gasshuku brought me a great deal of positive feedback, something that made me very happy despite my nervousness. At the same time, it was also my very first live lecture, and naturally it left me with a strong desire to continue giving presentations of this kind in the future.
As already mentioned, I am not a Gōjū-ryū karateka — my lineage is Tō’on-ryū, a style which also has historical connections with Higaonna Morio sensei. Higaonna sensei once visited Beppu in order to see Tō’on-ryū for himself, and he later wrote a short report about it which was published in Gekkan Karate-dō. In addition, when the 4th Sōke of Tō’on-ryū first began practicing karate, his earliest steps were taken at Higaonna sensei’s Yoyogi Dōjō in Tōkyō.
During a shared dinner in Beppu on February 14th, I told Ikeda sensei that I would soon be giving a lecture — news that made both him and the other participants very happy.
At the gasshuku in Halle, I also presented Kuramoto sensei with a photographic gift showing Higaonna Kanryō sensei — the patriarch of both Gōjū-ryū and Tō’on-ryū — in extraordinary detail and clarity. I sincerely hope that the image will find a beautiful place within the dōjō in the future.
The image itself was extracted from a group photograph that remains in the private possession of the Kyoda family. It was Kyoda Jūhatsu sensei himself who preserved this image from the flames of war. Naturally, I hope that the property and legacy of the Kyoda family will continue to be respected and protected — although unfortunately that hope was quickly diminished. But envy is perhaps as old as sin itself.
Therefore, I kindly ask people to keep the following in mind: if anyone happens to encounter an extremely detailed version of this photograph — one where even the cords of the suit can be seen in absolute clarity, perhaps even colorized — then the image was obtained illegally. And that is simply a fact.
But I am drifting away from the main story.
The gasshuku itself was a truly wonderful event, organized in an exceptionally professional manner and leaving no wishes or questions unanswered. During the seminar, I had the pleasure of meeting many new friends. I was able to hear fascinating stories about how Gōjū-ryū karate spread throughout countries such as Belgium, South Africa, Moldova, and many other parts of the world.
I especially connected very quickly with the Polish community. One reason for this was my teacher, Jhonny Bernaschewice, who was very well known in Poland, gave countless seminars there, and continues to be deeply respected.
I am already looking forward to maintaining many of these new friendships and acquaintances, and I sincerely hope to see many of them again very soon.
If anyone is interested in organizing a lecture together with me in the future, please feel free to contact me personally. I work independently of any organization and maintain friendships across many different Gōjū-ryū associations.
Karate Kenkyū Shitsu 