History of Goju-Ryu Karate-Do...
Karate-Do was born over 700 years ago, and has evolved ever since on the small Japanese Island of Okinawa. It was heavily influenced by Kung Fu which was introduced to Okinawa in the 1300’s due to a cultural exchange caused by trade between Okinawa and China. 
In 1609, Japan invaded Okinawa and in fear of rebellion, introduced a government policy to forbid all weapons and the study of martial arts. The Okinawan martial arts continued in secrecy and over the next 300 years of isolation it developed into its own unique character and was named “Te” meaning “hand” or “fist”. 

The Goju style of karate was developed in the city of Naha, so the martial arts style that was taught there was called “Naha-Te”. Naha-Te was highly influenced by the Chinese martial arts of Shao Lin Chaun which claimed to be part of the White Crane lineage and consisted of a combination of “hard” and “soft” elements, it included breath control and chi and was characterised by more of a defensive attitude than an offensive one.

Kanryo Higaonna...
Naha-Te evolved into Goju-Ryu through Kanryo Higaonna Sensei. As a youth he learned Naha-Te and at the age of 22 travelled to China and studied Kung-Fu (Chinese Kempo) under Master Ryu Ryuko. At the age of 30, Kanryo Higaonna returned to Okinawa with a style that had never been seen on the island before. 
His fame spread throughout Okinawa and was in high demand for martial arts tuition. He opened his house as a dojo and continued to teach until his death in 1915. Kanryo Higaonna is honoured as the father of Goju-Ryu Karate.

Chogun Miyagi...
Chogun Miyagi was the disciple student of Kanryo Higaonna. He continued to train under the guidance of Higaonna until his death in 1915. After the death of his master he decided to travel to China to further his knowledge of the martial arts. When he returned to Okinawa he began to teach using his garden as the dojo. After World War II, Miyagi also taught at the Police Academy of Okinawa.
He structured the system of Naha-te, adapted it to the demands of modern society and made it available to the public. He blended the hard, snapping techniques of Naha-te with the softer, gentler techniques of the Chinese martial arts, Goju-Ryu was born.
Miyagi gave the style its current name of “Goju-Ryu” meaning hard-soft style.
His life was totally devoted to karate. He is known as the Founder of the Goju-Ryu Karate-Do system and in honour of his life long persuit in the martial arts, the goju-ryu emblem is modelled on Sensei Miyagi’s fist. (Refer to Goju-ryu emblem).

Gogen “The Cat” Yamaguchi...
Gogen Yamaguchi was the successor of Miyagi Sensei and was responsible for Goju-Ryu’s growth throughout mainland Japan. Yamaguchi was nick-named the cat because of his cat like movements and his long flowing hair. His hair resembled a lion’s mane and his eyes were like that of a tiger. 
After Chogun Miyagi passed away in 1953, Yamaguchi was given the rank of 10th degree black belt, the highest level in the system. Yamaguchi originated free sparring (jiyu kumite) in the art and later established the competitive tournament methods during its popularisation of the art as a modern sport. Yamaguchi’s guidance of the style led to international acceptance, and is now studied world wide.