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 GOJU KAI KARATE DO AUSTRALIA I.K.G.A ARCHIVE

 Website of International Karate do Goju Kai Vice President Paul Starling Hanshi 範 士




 WRITTEN BY GOGEN YAMAGUCHI 最高 師範  TO PAUL STARLING SHIHAN

  
 
          Gogen Yamaguchi Kaiso & Paul Starling in Sydney Australia 1970.


Paul Starling -  Hanshi [ 8th Dan ] - Vice President - International Karate do Goju Kai Association -
Representative   I.K.G.A. Presidents Council - Advisor I.K.G.A
 Founder- Sydney Goju Kan -1970- & Former Patron of Goju-Kai Karate-do Sydney Inc. 

Thank you for taking the time to visit our I.K.G.A. Vice President's archived website of Goju Kai Karate do School of Yamaguchi. This style was established in 1963 in Sydney Australia. The Australian branch of Goju Kai has a very long standing tradition of an unbroken lineage directly to Grandmaster Gogen Yamaguchi 最高 師範 and hence his successor and third son Goshi Yamaguchi now aged over 80 who  is now also designated as Saiko Shihan 最高 師範 meaning highest or supreme grand master.  Paul Starling 範 士 Hanshi joined Goju Kai Karate do in the early 60's and has remained a member ever since, retiring from full time teaching due to illness in order to concentrate on teaching higher dan grade instructors. His long term membership designated him as the most senior non Japanese instructor and World Vice President of the I.K.G.A (International Karate do Goju Kai Association)

Australia is a continent as large as North America and distances between states have always been prohibitive, yet Goju Kai has continued to flourish here during the past 60+ years, largely as a result of the combined  efforts of the Shihan instructors located in New South Wales, Victoria & Western Australia and Queensland and South Australia. Although each Chief Instructor has their own unique and individual method of teaching and running their Dojo, they are united in a determined stance of loyalty and respect for the Yamaguchi family and for Yamaguchi Goshi Saiko Shihan 最高 師範.
Perhaps it could be argued that the strength of Goju Kai Karate do in Australia comes from the fact that the most senior Instructors here are of a very high rank, [at least 7th Dan 教士 ], and of these  Instructors and their Senior students, each has been training and teaching for at least 30-50+ years. At the same time, training with these Instructors are many other Shihan Instructors of 5th Dan and 6th Dan 錬士 Rank who have also each been training and teaching for approximately 25-60+ years. The Grandmaster or President of the association is the Kanchou 館長  and termed Saiko Shihan 最高 師範

Instructors of the 4th Dan rank {Jokyo}, and 3rd Dan rank {Shidoin}, usually termed as Sensei - 先生 work with their Chief Instructor or Shihan 師範 cohesively, to keep intact the traditional precepts of Goju Kai Karate do which state that:-

ひ とつー ごじゅ の みち お もなぶ を もって ほこり と すべし.
ひとつー れいぎ を ただし く すべし.
 ひとつー しつ じつ ごけん を むねと すべし.
ひとつー だんけつ ごじょ の せいしん を やし なお べし.
 ひとつー にほん こらい の でんと たる しょぶ の いふ を そんちよ すべし.
いじょ ー れい. .

             We are proud to study the way of Goju Ryu;  We are courteous in manners; We are humble but strong- We cultivate the spirit of co-operation.
We respect the spirit of Bushido within the traditional martial arts.
            That is all - Bow 
        

Zen Goshu Karate do Goju Kai shuyo kun gokkajyo. Warera karatedo wo osa mura mono wa. Hitotsu- Goju no michi o monabu wo motte hokori to subeshi.Hitotsu- Reigi wo tadashi ku subeshi. Hitotsu- Shitsu jitsu goken wo muneto subeshi.Hitotsu-  Danketsu gojo no seishin wo yashi nao beshi. Hitotsu-  Nihon korai no dento taru shobu no kifu wo sonchiyo subeshi. ijo - Rei.  

The Australian branch of Yamaguchi Goju-Kai maintains a strong link with the Japanese Headquarters of IKGA.   Grandmaster Goshi Yamaguchi Saiko Shihan visits our Country on a regular basis (usually every 2 years), and since the 1960's Australia has frequently sent individuals as well as large groups of students and Instructors to Japan, ensuring that Australia keeps up to date with the latest methods of teaching and training. It has been said that outside of Japan and the United States school of Gosei Yamaguchi Hanshi, that Australia has the longest history of Goju-Kai Karate-Do associated with the Yamaguchi Family. We are proud of the fact that we now have many Shihan Instructors in the Australian branch of the IKGA, which is explained by our 60 year + history.

 Please either view the pages that interest you from the Home Page/Site Map, or otherwise please press the last navigation link at the top & bottom of each page titled 'NEXT'.

As this site is continually being modified, we hope that you will bookmark the Home Page, and return intermittently, pressing the RELOAD button, to view a regularly updated version of the site. The International Karate do Goju Kai Association, currently have Dojo in 60+ different countries throughout the world, and we hope that you will navigate and explore the various Websites of our worldwide association.

Members may also be interested to attend European, Canadian, Australian, African, South American or Asian Summer and Winter camps held regularly and taught by Goshi Yamaguchi Saiko Shihan. Sydney members have previously attended Seminars in Sweden, Karlsgogaar, Corfu-Greece & Japan, while Western Australians & Victorians attended Championships & Seminars in Japan, Sweden, UK, India Malaysia & Brazil and beyond.