Meibukan philosophy

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The Meibukan (明武館) is the lineage of Gōjū-Ryū founded by Meitoku Yagi (八木明徳, 1912–2003); Yagi began training under Chōjun Miyagi (宮城長順) in 1926. For the history, see History of the Meibukan. This page covers the name, maxims and core ideas.

Meaning of the name

Meibukan consists of mei (明, “bright, clear, shining”), bu (武, “combat, martial art”) and kan (館, “house, hall”). English-language literature and Dōjō websites consistently render the name as “house of the pure-minded warrior”. “House of the pure/clear fighting spirit” conveys a similar sense but is not a literal translation; literally it would be “house of the clear (shining) martial art”. The rendering is an interpretive translation. Yagi chose the character 明, which is also the first character of his given name. Some sources write it 明武舘 (舘 is a variant of 館).

Four endings are distinguished: Meibukan (the style), Meibukai (the association), Meibuka (a practitioner of the style) and Meibuken (roughly “law/fist of the pure warrior”, in connection with the kata).

The character 明

The character 明 is made up of 日 (sun) and 月 (moon). Three interpretations have been handed down: (1) the duality of hard and soft, with the sun drawn thick and constant and the moon slender and changeable; (2) a play on the reading “hi to tsuki”, interpreted as “one strike”, with the admonition to practise every blow in earnest; (3) the breath sounds “A” and “Un”: A for exhaling – open, associated with the moon, linked to attack –, Un for inhaling – closed, associated with the sun, linked to receiving (see The Meibukan crest). These interpretations are readings, not etymology.

Maxims

  • 奥妙在錬心 – Oku myō zai ren shin: “The secret lies in forging the heart.” Train with a good heart. Favourite saying of Chōjun Miyagi and motto of the Meibukan. Yagi received the saying as a calligraphy.
  • 流水分戦峡 – Ryū su fu sen kyō: “Flowing water in a stream meets no obstacles.” From the brush calligraphy of Meitoku Yagi. The image of water points to yielding, adaptation and being unobstructed (cf. Dao).
  • Further sayings mentioned in the literature: 奥妙在百錬千鍛 – Oku myō zai hyaku ren sen tan (“practise a hundred times, a thousand times”), 難儀こそ極意 – Nangi go gokui (“the secrets of practice reveal themselves through hard work”) and 寒竹風松 – Kan chiku fu shō (“the pine bends in the wind, the bamboo is hard in the cold”).

Then there is the Tenchi kata, whose name goes back to a line from the Bubishi: Jinshin wa tenchi ni onaji (人心同天地, “the mind is one with heaven and earth”).

“How not to lose”

The IMGKA sums up the attitude with a sentence by Meitatsu Yagi (八木明達): others teach how to fight, the Meibukan teaches how not to fight; others teach how to win, the Meibukan teaches how not to lose. On Okinawa, karate was always an art of self-defence, not a martial art of attack: no kata is to be understood as an attacking technique, every kata begins with a block. This fits Meitoku Yagi’s sentence: “Do not make mastering the techniques your main goal – study the way of life through karate.” According to Dōjō tradition, Yagi’s goal for his students was to promote peace, to be good people and to contribute to society.

Connection to training

  • Kata begin with a block; kumite is understood as protection, not attack.
  • Hard and soft (Gō and Jū), inhaling and exhaling, are trained in Sanchin and Tenshō.
  • The “way of life” as the goal: character building, respect and composure in everyday life.

Sources

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