Traditional Okinawan Karate
Meibukan - Ikemiyagi Dojo
Our karate is a Goju-ryu, or hard soft style called Meibukan that translates to "School of the pure warrior", this traditional karate style originates from Okinawa Japan lead by Kaicho Masaaki Ikemiyagi (Hanshi 9th dan).
Goju-ryu is one of the prevailing karate styles combining hard and soft technique. Ikemiyagi Sensei is the chairman of all Okinawa Karate Federation, which is one of the leading organizations representing Okinawan karate.
Okinawan Goju-ryu teaches to hit with crippling force, but to move smoothly avoiding the opponent’s punches. One must skin a raging buffalo with the same lightness as they apply to a brush drawing a calligraphic letter, so to speak. But such elegance of hard punches comes only after years of practice.
Human body is seen as both hard — «go», and soft — «ju». To make a technique efficient one must use «ju» moves to the hard parts and «go» for soft ones. For example, a hard straight fist punch is used to reach the opponent’s stomach, but strikes on the head come with the soft part of hand.
In real life you never know who and when you will fight. That is why there are no competitions or weight classes in traditional Okinawan karate. As well as there is no opportunity to learn about the opponent ahead of time, to get to know his or her tactics or weak points. The idea is to develop flexibility and understanding of the fact that a fighter must be at his or her best 365 days a year. (Excerpt from https://ikemiyagi.com/en/)
The Meibukan Ikemiyagi Dojo follows principles centred on the "House of the Pure-Minded Warrior". It balances rigorous traditional Goju-Ryu conditioning (the "Hard" or Go), dynamic flexibility (the "Soft" or Ju), practical self-defence, and inner spiritual growth through consistent physical practice.
Core principles and training tenets include:
Hard-Soft Duality (Goju): Rooted in the Bubishi, the style pairs Go (hard, linear strikes and tension) with Ju (soft, circular deflections and breathing), emphasizing the balance between relaxation and explosive power.
Practical Application (Bunkai): The dojo emphasizes the real-world self-defence purpose of Kata. Rather than purely memorizing movement patterns, students learn to apply them against vulnerable joints and pressure points.
Body Conditioning (Hojo Undo): Employs historical Okinawan training tools—such as the makiwara (striking post)—to build functional strength and condition the body.
Breath Control: Incorporates internal power building through rigorous breathing katas (like Sanchin and Tensho) to generate and release force efficiently.
Character and Spirit: Translating to "House of a Warrior, Pure Soul", the dojo views karate as a lifelong path of spiritual and mental development, guided by traditional etiquette and respect.
Head Instructor Kaicho Masaaki Ikemiyagi focuses heavily on keeping fundamental structure sound, combining traditional kumite sparring, natural body movement, and conditioning into a cohesive system
The Meibukan style was established by Meitoku Yagi who was known as Dai sensei (great or top teacher), was a the direct student and recognized successor of Goju-Ryu founder Chojun Miyagi the legendary founder of the Goju-ryu style. Massaki ikemiyagi Kaicho was one of Meitoku Yagi most senior students who with permission opened his own dojo in 1981 to pass on this knowledge following the same philosophy and teachings.
Naraasun dojo is the Australian authorised branch of Meibukan Ikemiyagi Dojo
More about Kaicho Masaaki Ikemiyagi