Seigokan (正剛館) is the
Goju-Ryu Karate-do organization founded in 1945 by
Seigo Tada (1922-1997)
Hanshi (8th Dan). With its Hombu Dojo (headquarters) in
Himeji
260px, Himeji City Hall
is a city located in Hyōgo Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 525,682 in 227,099 households and a population density of 980 persons per km². The total area of the city i ...
,
Japan, the ''Seigokan All Japan Karate-do Association'' (SAJKA) — its official name — has branches in Australia, Brazil, Canada, China (including Hong Kong and Macau), India, Italy, the Philippines, Portugal, Sri Lanka, the United States, England, Chile, Colombia, Indonesia and Venezuela.
Master Seigo Tada was a pupil of
Chojun Miyagi and the head of the
Karate
(; ; Okinawan pronunciation: ) is a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tii'' in Okinawan) under the influence of Chinese martial arts, particularly Fuj ...
Club at Ritsumeikan University. In the 1960s, Seigokan was considered the most important Goju-Ryu Association (Kai-Ha) in
Japan, with more than 200,000 members.
Seigokan includes two unique kata created by Seigo Tada — Kihon-Tsuki-no kata and Kihon-Uke-no kata — in addition to the traditional Goju-ryu kata Sanchin, Tensho, Gekisai Dai Ichi, Gekisai Dai Ni, Saifa, Seienchin, Seipai, Shisochin, Sanseru, Seisan, Kururunfa and Suparinpei.
The Seigokan curriculum also includes Yakusoku
Kumite
Kumite ( ja, 組手, literally "grappling hands") is one of the three main sections of karate training, along with kata and kihon. Kumite is the part of karate in which a person trains against an adversary.
Kumite can be used to develop a part ...
(set sparring techniques) in the variants 1 to 7 of Zenkutsu and 1 to 7 of Shikodachi, as well as seven Torite (grappling and striking techniques). Today, SAJKA is directed by Sandaime Kancho — or Soke Seigo Tada III — who succeeded Mrs. Okamoto Michiko (Seigo Tada II), the widow of
Seigo Tada Hanshi.
The most well-known Seigokan member is Ms.
Atsuko Wakai, four-time WKF Women's Kata World Champion. Two senior members of Seigokan took important roles in continental and world karate affairs. The late
Jose Martins Achiam 7th Dan (1944-2008) was an Executive Committee Member of
World Karate Federation
The World Karate Federation (WKF) is the largest international governing body of sport karate with 198 member countries. It was formed in 1990, is the only karate organization recognised by the International Olympic Committee and has more than t ...
(WKF) and Secretary General of
Asian Karatedo Federation
The Asian Karate Federation (AKF) is the governing body of sport karate of about 44 countries of karatedo federation in Asia.
The AKF is a non-profit organization and performs its activities on an amateur basis in compliance with the princip ...
(AKF).
Bill K.S. Mok (7th Dan) was an Executive Committee Member of World Karate Federation 2004-2010 and Secretary General of Asian Karatedo Federation 2008-2010. The European Seigokan Chief Instructor is
José Manuel Guerreiro Santana (7th Dan), twice World Seigokan Kumite Champion in 1998 and 2004, from
Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, In recognized minority languages of Portugal:
:* mwl, República Pertuesa is a country located on the Iberian Peninsula, in Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Macaronesian ...
Seigokan. The Italian Seigokan Chief Instructor is Shihan Francesco Cuzzocrea (6th Dan), from
Reggio Calabria
Reggio di Calabria ( scn, label= Southern Calabrian, Riggiu; el, label= Calabrian Greek, Ρήγι, Rìji), usually referred to as Reggio Calabria, or simply Reggio by its inhabitants, is the largest city in Calabria. It has an estimated pop ...
(
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
) The Indonesian Seigokan Chief Instructor is Shihan Dody Rochadi (6th Dan), from
Jakarta (
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
).
References
- "'
Yoki´s Karate Errantry in America''" by Yukiaki Yoki (2001); ''Betty D.Greenberg Edition''
- "'
História da Seigokan em Portugal''" by Eduardo Cunha Lopes (2015); 340 pages (Portuguese)
- "Seigokan Golden Book" by JKS; ''Limited Edition of Japan Karatedo Seigokan (Out of Print)''
- "Karate-Do Seigokan em Macau" by Regional Government of Macao (1991); ''(Reprint in press)''
External links
{{Portal, Japan
Japan Seigokan Honbu DojoEngland SeigokanAustralia SeigokanBrazil SeigokanBrazil SeigokaiHong Kong SeigokanIndia SeigokanPortugal SeigokanSri Lanka SeigokanUSA SF Chinatown SeigokanUSA Seigokan / Seigokan SF BayItalian Seigokan Dojo
1945 establishments in Japan
Karate organizations
Gōjū-ryū