The Goju Fist – Our Symbol Of Balance

The Goju Fist

No appendage other than the hand is so linked to the idea of karate practice. Total body co-ordination is the aim in physical training, but karate-do being translated as ‘way of the empty hand’, symbolic emphasis is placed on the –te (hand).

As students of Goju Ryu (hard-soft style), we are afforded an understanding of this unique to our discipline.

The half-open, half-closed hand that resides on the upper-left of our gi is that of Chojun Miyagi, Kanryo Higaonna’s number one student. Through Higaonna’s synthesis of Chinese White Crane kung fu and indigenous Naha-te martial training, Miyagi named his teacher’s method “Goju Karate”.

Hand model talent scouts were not necessarily rushing to knock on Miyagi Sensei’s door. However, eager students were. Well known throughout Okinawa were Miyagi’s feats of tactile toughness. In public demonstrations, piercing sides of beef and tightly bound bamboo reeds with his fingers alone was testament to constant hojo undo (supplemental body conditioning). Such training led to enormous fore-knuckles, dense metacarpals, and leathery, calloused skin. It was evident who Miyagi’s students were.

However, there is a reason why we do not study simply Go-Ryu or Ju-Ryu Karate. Paralleling the fluctuations of everyday life, Goju balances hard and soft, the firm and pliant, the rigid and flexible. A half-clenched fist symbolizes this yin and yang relationship.

The Goju fist was officially designed in 1947 by Gogen Yamaguchi Sensei, and adorns our gi in practice today. In our school, the ends of the banner will fill as –dan (black belt) levels increase. The ends of the banner at Shodan, the “Goju Budo” lettering at Nidan, the “CMAC” level at Sandan, the entire fist at Yondan, and beyond.

The Goju crest is comprised of three colours. White, which signifies the beginner, pure and humble…black, which symbolises the virtuous nature and ideals that go with being a black belt…and red, symbolizing mastery. The fist will become redder with each ascending rank, signifying a gradual accumulation of mastery in the art of Goju.

Much like the Shaolin monk salutation of a fist and an open hand in unison, the Goju fist is a constant icon of our commitment to balance.

“When your temper rises, lower your fists. When your fists rise, lower your temper.”
-Chojun Miyagi, 1888-1953

Written by Mr. Kenney McCoy, Shodan