We’re indebted to Charles C. Godin from Hawaii Karate Seninkai for his in-depth research and archives and Bruce Haines for his book ‘Karate’s History & Traditions’. This post derives in part from an article written by Charles C. Godin published in Dragon Times, Volume 16, 2000.

Chojun Miyagi Sensei  (April 25th 1888 – Oct 8th 1953) was an Okinawan martial artist who improved Naha-te and founded the Gōjū-ryū school of karate by blending Okinawan and Chinese influences. The history of Goju-ryu dates back hundreds of years and finds it’s origins in the Shaolin Temples of Southern China. 

In 1934 Chinyei Kinjo was the editor of the Yoen Jiho Sha, a Japanese language newspaper located in Koloa on the island of Kauai, Hawaii and the major Okinawan newspaper of the time.

Kinjo invited and sponsored Miyagi Sensei to travel to Hawaii for a period of eight months. Kinjo grew up in Naha in Okinawa and had studied Goju Ryu under Chojun Miyagi Sensei, the Naha-te expert and Goju-Ryu founder.

Many Okinawans had already migrated to the islands and there was already an interest and following of the martial arts developing. As editor of the Yoen Jiho Sha, Chinyei Kinjo used his position to promote the Okinawan art of Goju-Ryu karate in Hawaii.

This visit to Oahu and Kauai is an important historic event when demonstrations and lectures paved the way in part for karate to be developed in the Hawaiian Islands.

The photo displayed here is the only one to be uncovered though others were undoubtedly taken and lost. There is myth about photos and film taken but Charles Godin has researched these paths and found none.

The Garden Island, the English language newspaper on Kauai covered the one month visit to Kauai which included events at Wahiawa, Kapaa, Makaweli Camp, Kalaheo, Koloa, Kekaha and Waimea.

In 1941, Tino Ceberano was born on Kauai. He grew up learning the martial arts of boxing, judo and kempo predominantly influenced by his Filipino father. He later moved to Honolulu training in Goju Kai karate under Anton Navas Senpai and Maisachi Oshiro Sensei, the latter who had traveled to Japan and trained under Gogen Yamaguchi Sensei and other notable senior Goju Kai instructors Yamamoto Sensei and Takahashi Sensei as well as Meitoku Yagi Sensei in Okinawa, a noted student of Chojun Miyagi Sensei.

In 1966, Oshiro Sensei invited Gogen Yamaguchi Sensei and his son Goshi Yamaguchi Sensei to visit Hawaii. This was Yamaguchi’s first visit to the West and the occasion was celebrated with a large tournament where it was noted that Miyagi had also travelled West via Hawaii.

Gogen Sensei, during this visit, graded Tino Ceberano, then a senior student assistant instructor of Oshiro Sensei, to third dan. It was on this trip that Tino Ceberano, following extensive training under Oshiro and Yamaguchi Senseis, departed for Australia to help establish Goju Kai karate in that country.

Tino Sensei later became a key figure in Australian martial arts history having largely introduced and developed Goju Kai karate to Australians and helped foster the growth and rise of karate as a life style.

He enjoyed a close relationship with Gogen Yamaguchi Sensei, hosting him in Australian in 1970 and 1972 as well as visiting and training with him in Japan for many years until Gogen Sensei passed in 1989.

Tino Ceberano Hanshi is popularly known as the father of Australian karate having taught Goju Kai karate-do in many countries for 23 years and later I.G.K. (International Goju Karate) from 1989.

Tino Hanshi’s pedigree in Goju karate has lasted 62 years since his humble beginnings in Honolulu following a short stint training in Kyokushin karate with Bobby Lowe Shihan.

The historical visit of Chojun Miyagi Sensei to Hawaii in 1934, introducing Goju-ryu karate was the first to a Western country, preceding Tino Hanshi’s birth in 1941 Kauai by seven years. It is of historic significance that today, the I.G.K. Hawaii dojo is in Kapaa, Kauai where Miyagi Sensei visited in 1934.

Also of historic interest is that both Tino Ceberano Hanshi and his first teacher Oshiro Sensei trained with Meitoku Yagi Sensei at one time, a noted student of Chojun Miyagi Sensei. When Tino Hanshi was graded for his 7th Dan in Okinawa, Meitoku Yagi Sensei was on the grading panel of Okinawan seniors.

Kauai remains deep in Tino Hanshi’s heart and soul. “I was a Kauai boy,” Ceberano said. “Lawai and Koloa. I used to live in the house by the reservoir in Lawai where my father used to help the reservoir caretaker. We moved to Koloa later.”

The I.G.K. Hawaii dojo opened on 13th June 2018 in the All Saints Gym, built in 1929 at the All Saints’ Church at Kapaa on the Kuhio Highway on the island of Kauai.

Luis Soltren Sr Shibu Cho is the head instructor and he is accompanied by Rodney Woodward Sensei and Adrian Labrador Senpai. They all share a rich experience in martial arts and goju, some with a history of training under Dallas Watanabe-Grady Shihan.