On a nice Okinawan spring afternoon, Nakamura Sensei took a group of senior
instructors and I to see where Chojun Miyagi lived and trained so we could
produce this article for IOGKF members.
I was actually surprised to see how close it was to Higaonna Dojo in Makishi.
You could basically say Higaonna Sensei and Chojun Sensei share the same
neighbourhood. The house Chojun Miyagi lived in has since been removed and
a new one has been built in its spot. As is the custom in Japan, many families
live together for many years, with grandparents usually staying on and the
house or land is passed down through the generations. The Miyagi family still
live in same place today.
Chojun Sensei inside the Garden Dojo
Outside the Garden Dojo today
When you stand outside you can’t help but be humbled by to ordinary house
in the ordinary Okinawa street, where an extraordinary man created a martial
arts style practiced by over 75,000 people in over 55 different nations. We
actually nearly walked past the Miyagi home, it blended into the typical
Okinawan street that much.
Standing outside, the saying ‘if walls could talk’ came to mind. As we moved
around the side of the house, where the Dojo had once been, I thought about
the human marvels that had taken place over that wall. I looked down the
street and I could imagine a younger Chojun Sensei running down the street
bowling himself into the hard stone walls for conditioning. It was a strange
feeling, the same I felt standing outside Chojun Sensei’s gravesite. It is hard
to believe you are there and that you are where history literally took place.