Sledovať a poznať líniu majstrov bojového umenia, ktorému sa venujeme je veľmi dôležité. Táto priama línia hovorí o tom, že náš učiteľ sa učí alebo učil od iného majstra, ktorý sa zas učil od toho predchádzajúceho. Zaručuje nám, odkiaľ pochádza zdroj našich znalostí a učenia. V organizácii TOGKF sledujeme priamu líniu majstrov Goju-Ryu karate od samotného zakladateľa, Bushi Chojuna Miyagiho. Vieme teda, že sa učíme z toho správneho zdroja.
Kanryo Higaonna no Higashionna bol výnimočným mužom a bojovníkom. Narodil sa v roku 1853 v rodine nižšej šľachty. Mal veľkú túžbu a nadanie študovať čínske bojové umenia. S tréningom Karate začal vo veku 17 rokov pod vedením Aragaki Yosho Senseia. Aragaki Sensei patril k vyššej šľachte a tak bolo veľmi neobvyklé, že prijal žiaka z nižšej sociálnej vrstvy. Prečo sa tak stalo ostáva dnes len predmetom špekulácií. Majstrom Higaonna Kanrya sa neskôr stal Kojo Taitei. Ten bol po celej Okinawe známy vďaka svojej legendárnej sile a neobvyklým schopnostiam. Hovorí sa, že dokázal zabiť kravu dvoma údermi päsťou.
Higaonna Kanryo Sensei cestoval do Číny (Fuzhou), kde hlbšie študoval techniky bojových umení. V Číne stretol svojho učiteľa, Ryuryu Ko Senseia, pod ktorého vedením strávil 16 rokov. Ryuryu Ko bol potomok šľachty, ktorý sa v Číne skrýval pred prenasledovateľmi. Bol zdatným remeselníkom a vyrábal predmety z bambusu. Z tohto obdobia pochádza príhoda, kedy do dieľne Ryuryu Ko Senseia prišiel muž, bez slova zobral kus bambusu a rozdrvil ho v jednej ruke. Ryuryu Ko Sensei pochopil výzvu, vzal druhý kus bambusu, uchopil ho na obodvoch koncoch a jediním pohybom ho roztrhol. Neznámy muž pochopil svoju prehru, mlčky sa uklonil a odišiel.
Upon his return to Okinawa, Higaonna Kanryo Sensei taught his art, Naha Te (Hand from the city of Naha), to only a select group of students. His most talented student and the founder of Goju Ryu Karate Do was Miyagi Chojun Sensei.
Autor textu: Sensei Igor Vakoš
The founder of Goju-ryu, Miyagi Chojun, was born in 1888 in the city of Naha, Okinawa. It is believed that he began training under the guidance of Kanryo Higaonna no Higashionna at the age of 14. When his teacher became seriously ill, Miyagi Chojun took care of him until his death in 1917. Throughout his life, Miyagi frequently traveled, with the goal of continually expanding his knowledge and incorporating it into his own style of karate. In 1917, Miyagi Sensei traveled to China for the first time, following in the footsteps of his master to study the roots of Naha Te. However, at that time, the country was embroiled in revolutionary conflicts, and Miyagi Sensei returned disappointed.
Miyagi Sensei trained tirelessly and worked on expanding Karate. He founded the "Karate Research Club" and conducted demonstrations across Okinawa. Due to his growing popularity, he was given the opportunity to showcase Karate to Prince Hirohito, who would later become the Emperor of Japan, during his tour of Okinawa. Miyagi Sensei also demonstrated his art for the founder of Judo, Kano Jigoro Sensei. Thanks to this connection, he was able to perform Karate demonstrations in Japan as well.
Autor textu: Sensei Igor Vakoš
Miyagi An'ichi Saiko Shihan (10th Dan Goju-Ryu Karate) was born on February 9, 1931, in Naha, Okinawa. He began his Karate training in February 1948, at the age of 16. Along with three friends, he attended training with Miyagi Chojun. The training emphasized Junbi Undo (warm-up exercises), followed by Hoju Undo (preparatory exercises) and Ude Tanren (conditioning training for strikes). After a year of training, beginners learned the Sanchin Kata, along with its associated Shime (concentration and conditioning tests).
Traditionally, Miyagi Chojun began training with each student (as he did with Jin'an Shinzato) by teaching them Sanchin Kata, followed by one or two additional kata. However, with Miyagi An'ichi, he took a different approach. Sensing that his time was limited, Miyagi Chojun aimed to pass on the deep secrets of Goju-Ryu Karate-Do to the next successor. From 1949 to 1951, Miyagi An'ichi became his sole student and trained intensively. During this period, he learned all the kata of the Goju-Ryu system, along with the corresponding bunkai. Miyagi An'ichi remained Miyagi Chojun's personal student until Miyagi Chojun's death in 1953.
Autor textu: Sensei Igor Vakoš
Higaonna Morio Shuseki Shihan (10. Dan Goju-Ryu Karate) was born on December 25, 1938, in Naha, Okinawa. He began his Karate training at the age of 14 under his father, a teacher of Shorin-Ryu. At 16, he encountered Goju-Ryu Karate-Do and, on the recommendation of Koshin Iha Shihan, began training under Miyagi An'ichi Shihan. During his university studies at Takushoku University in Tokyo, Japan, he founded the Yoyogi Dojo. In 1979, along with senior Senseis, he established the IOGKF organization in Poole, England. He briefly stayed in the USA before returning to his homeland. From there, Higaonna Sensei travels around the world to lead seminars and training camps, spreading Goju-Ryu Karate-Do, as well as the teachings and philosophy of Miyagi Chojun Bushi.
In addition to physical training, he is also involved in research activities. He organized and undertook several scientific trips to China and other countries, wrote four books on Karate, and a book of stories about Okinawan Karate. Higaonna currently resides in Naha, Okinawa where he is still working to see Okinawan Karate recognized by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage. To this day he still remains the only Okinawan or Japanese karateka to have ever been invited to give a live karate demonstration in front of the Japanese Emperor and his family. He remains actively involved in spreading Okinawan Goju Ryu to any and all at his TOGKF Honbu dojo, in Tsuboya, Naha, Okinawa.
Autor textu: Sensei Igor Vakoš
Bakkies Laubscher Shihan (9th Dan Goju-Ryu Karate) was born on November 30, 1948, in Bethlehem, South Africa. His journey in Karate began in 1964 when he started training in KyokushinKai. In 1965, he switched to Shotokan (JKA) and at the age of 16, he was awarded the Shodan rank. In 1966, he began training in Goju-Ryu and in 1972, for the first time, he trained under the guidance of Higaonna Sensei during his three-month visit to South Africa. In 1973, Bakkies Sensei trained for six months with Higaonna Sensei at the famous Yoyogi Dojo in Tokyo. Over the following years, he regularly trained in Japan and Okinawa. He is one of the few "Westerners" who trained in Okinawa during the "old times" and personally experienced the intensity of training that many karate practitioners were unable to withstand.
Despite his significant achievements in competitive Karate (member of the South African national team, 5th place in the World Championship Kumite individual event, quarterfinal appearance at the 1975 Championship in Los Angeles, etc.), in 1975 he decided to dedicate himself to traditional Karate. In July 2004, during the IOGKF World Budosai, Higaonna Sensei awarded him the rank of NanaDan (8th Dan).
As the most senior student and representative of Higaonna Sensei, Bakkies Sensei leads seminars, courses, and Gasshuku worldwide. He currently serves as the World Vice-Chief Instructor of TOGKF, Chief Instructor of TOGKF South Africa, Technical Advisor for TOGKF, and a member of the Honbu Dojo panel of TOGKF.
Autor textu: Sensei Igor Vakoš
Sensei Raoul Vogel (7th Dan Goju-Ryu Karate) was born on August 1, 1961, in Cape Town, South Africa. When he was 3 years old, his family moved to Windhoek, Namibia, where he grew up. From a young age, he was a very active person, engaging in swimming and tennis, and even played on his high school’s representative team. However, he was also drawn to films featuring Bruce Lee, and in 1976, he began practicing Goju Ryu Karate with his brother Robert.
Unfortunately, the dojo closed after a year, and Sensei Raoul occasionally trained at Tenshinkan Dojo. However, in 1979, his life took a new turn when Sensei Hennie de Vries moved from Cape Town to Windhoek and revived Goju Ryu Karate in the area. After about four years, he was awarded the Shodan rank by the then Chief Instructor of South Africa, Sensei Etienne Coetzee. Over the following two years, he, along with his brother, joined the Namibian national karate team and participated in various international events. Eventually, he decided to end his sports career and has since fully dedicated himself to traditional Karate.
In 1985, he moved to South Africa and began training with Sensei Tony de Beer. During this time, he met Charlie Avis, with whom he started collaborating and helping teach at his dojo in Northern Pretoria, South Africa. Over the following years, he lived in South Africa, returned to Namibia, spent two years in Germany, and then moved back to South Africa. During these years, he advanced to the level of 4th Dan. He also started attending seminars and Gasshuku led by Bakkies Sensei, and since then, he has regarded him as his personal teacher.
In 2001, he permanently left South Africa and moved to Germany, and a year later, he relocated to Austria, where he still resides today. There, in 2005, he opened his own dojo, giving birth to IOGKF Austria. After the organization split in 2022, he followed Bakkies Sensei’s path and established TOGKF Austria. For many years, he has closely collaborated with Kobudo Kai and the SUOKK organization, leading seminars and Gasshuku in Austria, Slovakia, and other countries. His motto is: "A karate-ka is always fit, because you don’t know when your next fight will be!"
Autor textu: Sensei Igor Vakoš
Sensei Igor Vakoš (5th Dan Goju-Ryu Karate; 4th Dan Okinawa Kobudo; 3th Dan Gendai Kobudo) was born on June 16, 1976, and has been practicing martial arts since 1991. Like most martial arts enthusiasts in Slovakia, he began with Goju Kai Karate. Sensei Igor is from Trenčín and moved to Bratislava at the age of 18 to pursue his university studies. In addition to his intense studies and Karate training, he also practiced Aikido, Iaido, Ju Jutsu, and to some extent, Tai Chi and Qi Gong. Since 2000, he has been working as an instructor in his own Karate group in Dúbravka. Over time, he also took over a dojo in Petržalka and later began leading seminars and his own training sessions.
In 2003, he left the Goju Kai club where he had been active and began seeking his next path. In June, he met Sensei Viliam Petreš and started training Gendai Kobudo systematically. On October 2, 2003, he founded the Kobudo Kai club, where he was responsible for the club’s educational framework, organization, and coordination. In January 2004, he began training traditional Okinawan Goju Ryu under the IOGKF organization, later TOGKF. The practice captivated him, and he immediately switched his training style. In the same year, he met Sensei Raoul Vogel, the chief instructor of TOGKF in Austria, and has been training intensively with him ever since, either in regular classes and seminars or privately. In 2007, the club applied for membership in IOGKF, and Sensei Igor became the official representative for Slovakia.
In 2020, the organization Slovak Union of Okinawan Karate and Kobudo (SÚOKK) was established, and Sensei Igor became its president and chief instructor of TOGKF for Slovakia. Thanks to this, SÚOKK became the first and only organization in Slovakia with an official mandate to teach this style. Sensei Igor continues to participate in Karate and Kobudo seminars, as well as other martial arts events worldwide, under the guidance of internationally recognized instructors and masters. He has traveled multiple times to Okinawa, where he trained in Karate and Kobudo directly in the birthplace of these arts at the Honbu Dojo of both organizations. He passes on his knowledge through regular training sessions and seminars across Slovakia. Additionally, he is involved in organizing international seminars and Budo Camps.
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