A
Brief Biography of Yagi Meitoku, Hanshi, Judan
(Translated by Poon Chan Sensei on February,
14th 2000).
- March 6th, 45th Year of Meiji (1912): Born Kome,
Naha City.
- February 4th, 2nd Year of Showa (1927): began
training with Grandmaster Chojun Miyagi
-
March, 7th Year of Showa (1932): graduated from Prefecture
2nd High School.
- July, 9th year of Showa (1934): finished the
tour of duty from the 23rd Company of the Capital Infantry.
- August, 9th Year of Showa (1934): started working at water
plant of Naha City.
- June, 10th Year of Showa (1935): started working at the
pharmacy of "San Hing Tong" Hospital
-
December 13th, 11th Year of Showa (1936): started working
at "Ming Chu" Mining in Taiwan; started training
in Taiwan Kungfu.
- July, 13th Year of Showa (1938): started position in the
Prefecture's Police Department.
-
from October, 26th Year of Showa (1951): started positions
as officer, superintendent and Director at the Ryukyu Custom
Office.
-
27th Year of Showa (1952): opened dojo.
- 31st Year of Showa (1956): selected as Chairman of the newly
established Okinawa Karate-do Goju Kai.
-
47th Year of Showa (1972): retired from the Public Service.
-
50th and 54th Year of Showa (1975 & 1979): Consultant
of All Okinawa Karate-do Federation
-
54th and 57th Year of Showa (1979 & 1982): Chairman of
All Okinawa Karate-do Federation
Advisor and Honorary Chairman of Okinawa Karate-do Goju Kai
Honorary Chairman of Goju Ryu Meibukai
Honorary Chairman of Cheng Family Clan in Okinawa.
-
April, 61st Year of Showa (1986): Fourth Order of Merit from
the Emperor Hirohito.
-
November, 4th Year of Heisei (1992): Invited to demonstrated
Karate at the reopening of the Shuri Castle.
-
February, 5th Year of Heisei (1993) : recipient of the 1st
Okinawan Karate-do award.
-
August, 9th Year of Heisei (1997): Recognised as Okinawa Prefecture's
Intangible Cultural Asset.
-Died: February 7, 2003.
Contributions
to Goju Ryu:
Yagi Meitoku Dai Sensei founded the Meibukan (Enlightened
Warrior) school of Okinawa Goju Ryu Karate.
He
developed the Taikyoku training kata and the Kumite drills
Rezoku Kumite, Kakome Kumite as well as systematized the Ippon
and Nippon Kumite.
In
the 1980s and 90s after several research trips to Taiwan he
also created 5 new kata as per the sacred animals of Taoist
cosmology: Seiryu (Green Dragon, East), Shujako (Red Pheonix,
South), Genbu (Black Turtle Warrior, West), Byaku (White Tiger,
North), and Tenchi (Tai Chi or Grand Ultimate).
Legendary
Prowess:
Miyagi
Chojun’s nickname for Yagi Meitoku Dai Sensei was “Spider
Yagi” because his hands and legs were long and fast.
He
also became known as “Yagi the Makiwara breaker”
because he actively saught out Makiwara in Okinawa that were
supposedly unbreakable and broke them.
Yagi
was also known for the toughness of his body. Anthony Mirakian
Hanshi reports that he had once asked a Japanese soldier to
hit him over the shouder with his rifle. At which point the
Japanese soldier obliged. The results were that the soldier
had his rifle butt broken whereas, Yagi just shook it off
as if it was nothing.
Finally,
Yagi was also known for his almost sixth sense feeling of
danger. Reportedly he was once walking home from a local bar
and along the road there was a mugger hiding in the bushes
with a knife ready to pounce on him. When Yagi got close to
the place where the attacker was, he simply turned looked
sharply into the bushes and said: “Go Home!” The
attacker was so surprised and taken aback that he fled from
the area never to return.
Another
story which exemplifies this sixth sense was when Yagi was
walking along a beach with a fellow Karate Master. At one
time the Karate master was thinking to himself: “I wonder
what he would do if I was to punch him from behind right now?”
Yagi turned immediately to his friend and said: “You
were thinking of attacking me just now, weren’t you?”
Surprised and impressed, his friend had to confirm his suspicions.
Yagi Meitoku Dai Sensei had several students including: Yushun
Tamaki (????-), Anthony Mirakian (1933-), Seneha Shigetoshi
(1941-), and his sons Meitatsu Yagi (1944-) and Meitetsu Yagi
(1949-).
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