The Meaning of Goju-ryu and RyuShinKan

What is the meaning of GoJuRyu? Well, literally Go means hard and Ju means soft – it is the Ju in Judo, which literally translates as the “Soft Way.”  Ryu means style or school. But what is this "hard and soft style" of Okinawan karatedo?  Well, I think it means developing an incredible hardness or toughness of the body (and mind) and then using it in a very flexible and pliable way.  

Our dojo’s name is RyuShinKan.  Kan means hall or dojo, but the Ryu in this case is a different one from the above and means Willow tree.  Shin, on the other hand, means heart or mind. The Willow is tough and resilient and cannot be uprooted even in a typhoon. It has a strong trunk and firm roots into the ground. Yet in a slight breeze, the willow sways gently, allows the wind to pass through and offers no resistance. The heart and mind of Willow, this is the practice of GoJuRyu at the RyuShinKan dojo.

The RyuShinKan Dojo Emblem

Friday's training featured kakie - two students facing each other and pushing back and forth with their right or left hand/wrist against the other's (see link for a demonstration).  An interesting remark made by our teacher was that kakie is a form of "communication" between students to "sense" each others' movements and develop appropriate responses.  For many students, however, kakie becomes just a contest of strength, and in the attempt not to be "defeated" nothing is learned. For me, this is a very important point.

“Today is victory over yourself of yesterday; tomorrow is your victory over lesser men.” 
― Miyamoto Musashi, The Book of Five Rings