GOJUKAI
KARATE DO AUSTRALIA~Sydney Gojukan~ School
of Gogen Yamaguchi
Co-Founder of Goju Kai Karate
Do USA
1940-1990
Kishio
Gosei Yamaguchi was undoubtedly one of the
finest Masters of Karate-do that we have had the
honour to train with , albeit briefly. Gosen
Shihan's death in 1990 approximately one year after
his father Jitsumi Gogen Kaiso, 山口剛玄 and 範士 Hanshi, was the
greatest shock to all of us, and especially so to
his mother Midori Yamaguchi, and his siblings,
Hirofumi Goshi, Norimi Gosei, and Wakako. The
pain etched indelibly into the face of Goshi Shihan
as he discussed the tragic loss of his dear brother
is testament enough to the esteem to which he was
held within his own family. Gogen Kaiso was
obviously very proud of Gosen Shihan as he was of
all of his children. He was especially proud of the
fact that Gosen Shihan somehow managed to juggle his
enormously stressful job as Vice President of Japan
Airlines, with his responsibilities as a Shihan of
the Suginami World Headquarters Dojo of Goju Kai.
Gosen
Shihan had followed his younger brother Goshi
Hirofumi Yamaguchi to the USA in 1963 and took over
the classes at the Dojo in San Francisco State
College in the Summer of 1963 where Goshi Shihan had
commenced teaching. It was at that time that the
U.S.A. Goju Kai was introduced to America as a group
within the International Karate do Goju Kai
Association, and Gosen Shihan was the first Goju Kai
practitioner to become known in that Country. He
departed the U.S. in order to return to help his
father to teach classes at the Honbu Dojo, which had
become very hectic since his departure.
Gosen
Yamaguchi Shihan was the second son of Jitsumi Gogen
Yamaguchi and his wife Midori Yamaguchi who lived on
the island of Kyushu. He was born in Manchuria in
1940 at approximately the same time that his father
Gogen was captured an imprisoned in Siberia during
World War Two. He remained in Japan
until his marriage in 1966 whereby he traveled once
again back to San Francisco briefly to visit with
his brother Norimi Gosei Yamaguchi who had taken
over the Goju Kai Dojo from him. Gosen Shihan was
employed as an executive by Japan Airlines and
during the period 1968- 1971 he worked his way to
the very top of the Company being promoted to Vice
President of Japan Airlines [JAL] after stints in
Frankfurt and Europe.
During
this time period Gosen steadfastly promoted the
Japan Karate do College [Nihon Karate do Senmon
Gakko] and supported his Father Gogen and brother
Goshi in every way possible: this was especially
true with regards to Sponsorship via his company,
and also in his teaching capacity which was
extensive.
After the passing of Gogen Yamaguchi Kaiso it was the common desire of the two brothers Gosen and Goshi Yamaguchi, to divide between them the role of managing the vast empire association that was the IKGA with over 200,000 members throughout the world.
Gosen shihan took over the role as President of the Associations Japan Karate do Goju Kai Association JKGA and IKGA, and Goshi Shihan was accordingly elevated to Saiko shihan by all of the Senior 9th Dans in the group in Japan, most of whom were much older and senior to himself and who were unanimous in their decision. This role encompassed all Technical aspects regarding Kata, Bunkai, and development of rules, regulations and future progressions etc.
Prior to Gosen Shihan's illness Paul Starling Shihan had attended a training Seminar for Instructors in Japan with his wife Sandie, where Gosen Shihan taught the 'old style' of Goju Ryu that they were both so familiar with. It was the type of training that Paul had learned at the Honbu Dojo in Japan and that he had emulated in his Sydney Goju Kan Dojo, noticed , and commented on by Gosen Shihan after the training session. Afterwards Gosen Shihan discussed many of his ideas for the future of the Association with Paul , and he has remembered much of this discussion. It was Gosen Shihan's idea that ranks within the IKGA/ JKGA should only proceed as far as 6th or 7th Dan, afterwhich the only grade progression from there on would be Menko to Menkyo Kaiden. There is a photographic record available of the training session and the party and meeting afterwards; these will be uploaded to this site shortly.
It was after his brother Kishio Gosen's decease that Hirofumi Goshi Yamaguchi was requested by the senior instructors of the Association, to assume the role as President of the IKGA/JKGA which he assumed in 1990 with a sad heavy heart in the name of his father & beloved brother. Gosen Yamaguchi is remembered and greatly respected for his gentle unassuming nature, his wisdom, as well as his precise, effective yet beautiful flowing and typical 'goju ryu' technique style, and his enormously dedicated and hard working attitude to his duties of the IKGA and his career with Japan Airlines. He will certainly never be forgotten by those who trained with him and under his guidance, and especially so by his Mother Midori, and his siblings Hirofumi Goshi, Norimi Gosei and Wakako.
