I read the book Goju-Ryu, which is a specific type of martial arts that involve quick harsh movements. The founder of Goju-Ryu was Chojun Miyagi. Goju-Ryu is Japanese for Hard-soft techniques. Each and every master of the Goju-Ryu dojo had one accomplishment in life, it was to build character, conquer human misery, and find spiritual freedom. In this specific martial arts, there are steps of movement one must take in order to master this martial arts, it’s called a kata. In a kata, you must take each and every knowledge you know about this martial arts, and it is formed in one ‘dance’ movement. There are 12 katas in all, Gekisai, Saifa, Sanchin, Tensho, Kihongata, Kaishugata, Seiyunchin, Shisochin, Sanseiru, Seipai, Kururunfan, and Seisan. When translated into English it stands for, Attack and destroy, smash and tear, three battles, heaven’s breath, kata of basics, kata with open hands, attack and conquer, fight in four directions, 36 hands, 18 hands, holding on and striking suddenly, and 13 hands. The last kata is not really counted because it is only performed by masters, it’s called the Suparinpei. Only 3 people have mastered this technique, Meitoku Yagi, Miyagi, and Morio Higaonna, once they passed away, there was no one to teach it to.
This book had interesting knowledge, but the literacy was really boring, I wouldn’t recommend it unless you have a special interest in Goju-Ryu’s martial arts. If you don’t then you might as well put this book down and find another.
