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Grandmaster Gogen Yamaguchi Sensei with Seiwakai Goju-Ryu Karate-Do founder Mr Shuji Tasaki Hanshi
Grandmaster Gogen Yamaguchi Sensei in white kimono with Goju-Ryu Karate-Do Seiwakai founder Mr Shuji Tasaki Hanshi to his left.

Our Lineage & History

The making of Goshukan and Goju-Ryu Karate-Do Seiwakai.

Goshukan Karate Academy is one of the many karate clubs in the world under Goju-Ryu Karate-Do Seiwakai, founded in 1971 by the late Mr Shuji Tasaki Hanshi (1933 – 2011), a 9th Dan practitioner in Seiwakai and Japan Karate-do Federation (JKF) Goju-Kai. Mr Tasaki began training in Goju-Ryu in 1952 under the tutelage of Grandmaster Gogen Yamaguchi Sensei. Mr Tasaki is known to be Yamaguchi Sensei's most competent fighter, having proven himself in the first All Japan Karate-Do Goju-Kai Championships in 1963. His extraordinary fighting ability has earned him the nickname 'Goshu' from Yamaguchi Sensei, a combination of the 'Go' meaning hard and 'Shu', the abbreviation of Mr Tasaki's first name Shuji. In 2007, the name 'Goshukan' was bestowed upon Goshukan Karate Academy's Chief Instructor, Stacey Karetsian Shihan, by Mr Tasaki.

Seiichi Fujiwara Hanshi
Mr Seiichi Fujiwara Hanshi

Today, Mr Tasaki's senior student, Mr Seiichi Fujiwara Hanshi, leads the organisation as the President and Chief Instructor of Seiwakai Goju-Ryu international. Mr Fujiwara holds an 8th Dan black belt with Seiwakai and JKF Goju-Kai and is the Chairman of the Overseas Committee Office of JKF Goju-Kai.

Mr Fujiwara regularly travels around the world on five continents, conducting seminars and gradings for members of Seiwakai. Today, Seiwakai forms one of the most prominent organisations out of the 13 member organisations of JKF Goju-Kai, with thousands of members training each week worldwide within Australia, India, Slovakia, Italy, South Africa, New Zealand, Hongkong, Sri Lanka, Mexico, Canada, USA, UK and Japan, just to name a few.

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The Martial Art

Brief History of Karate

Karate is a fighting art that evolved on the Japanese island of Okinawa when a ban on weapons was imposed onto the small island by the samurai rulers of Japan. It was introduced to mainland Japan in the early 1900s and was adopted and practiced as a way of personal development and character growth, focusing on self-defence, self-awareness and self-confidence. The three main areas of learning in karate categorises as Kihon, Kata and Kumite.

The word karate is a combination of two kanji: 'kara', meaning empty, and 'te', meaning hand. So karate literally means empty hand. Do means the way/path. Therefore karate-do implies karate as a total way of life that goes well beyond the self-defence applications. In karate-do, the purpose is to compete and strive to excel against ourself.

Today there are four main styles of karate in Japan: Shotokan, Goju-ryu, Shito-ryu, and Wado-ryu.

Areas of learning

Kihon, Kata and Kumite

  • Kihon

    Kihon means 'basics' and forms the fundamental building blocks of karate training. It includes strikes, kicks, blocks and stances. New students begin to learn basics when they start training; however, the practice never ends, as advanced martial artists often practice their basics regardless of how long they have been training.

  • Kata

    Kata means 'form'. A combination of moves consisting of both defensive and offensive movements. The training simulates a fight between the practitioner and one or more imaginary opponents. Kata is a training method for practising fighting movements, developing muscle memory, and training your mind and body to develop good form, speed and control, flowing from one stance to the next.

  • Kumite

    Kumite means 'sparring'. It is when two martial artists go up against each other to test their skills, performing defensive and offensive techniques. There are strict rules when participating in sparring to ensure the safety of practitioners, placing a lot of importance on technique and skill. Kumite practice includes freestyle training and structured fighting drills against an opponent.

Japan Karate-Do Federation (JKF) Goju-Kai

The Japan Karate-do Federation was formed in 1964 to help unify all traditional Japanese karate organisations. It is the first national karate federation founded in the world. The four main styles of Karate in Japan that forms the organisation are Shotokan, Goju-Ryu, Shito-Ryu, and Wado-Ryu. Most traditional Goju-Ryu organisations are members of the JKF Goju-Kai, which seeks to conserve and eternalise the karate style developed in Okinawa, Japan, by Mr Chojun Miyagi, founder of the Goju-Ryu school of Karate.

2018 Seiwakai International Gasshuku, Omagari, Japan
2018 Seiwakai International Gasshuku, Omagari, Japan

Student and Parent Testimonials

What our members say about us.