What was the nature of his relationship with Mr. Chojun Miyagi, the founder of Goju Ryu?
(3) Was there any substance to the claim of Mr. Yamaguchi’s superhuman powers? (4) Was he truly responsible for the spread of Goju around the world? I believed that finding the answers to these four questions could do a lot to end the mystery surrounding Mr. Yamaguchi. WHO WAS GOGEN YAMAGUCHI? Mr. Gogun Yamaguchi was born on January 20, 1909 on the island of Kyushu in southern Japan. He was one of ten children, and all six of the Yamaguchi boys practiced the martial arts. However, it appears as if the young Mr. Yamaguchi was exceptionally interested and talented in the martial ways, and he practiced Japanese fencing and karate-do. His training was intense, and Mr. Yamaguchi tells us that “I believe that I trained myself in the fundamental alertness of a cat in these early days.” Even today, Mr. Yamaguchi is often referred to as The Cat. Additionally, the young Mr. Yamaguchi was drawn to the spiritual side of life. “I longed for unseen and mysterious things and… I tried to talk to the
