| Morio Higaonna | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 25, 1938 Naha, Okinawa, Japan |
| Residence | Naha, Okinawa, Japan |
| Style | Goju-ryu Karate |
| Teacher(s) | Tsunetaka Shimabukuro, An'ichi Miyagi, Ei'ichi Miyazato |
| Rank | 10th dan karate |
| Spouse | Alanna Higaonna |
| Children | Eric Higaonna |
| Notable students | Steven Bellamy, Harry Cook, Bakkies Laubscher, Kazuo Terauchi |
| Website | http://www.iogkfhonbu.com/ |
Morio Higaonna (Higaonna Morio, born December 25, 1938) is a prominent Okinawan karate practitioner who is the founder and Chief Instructor of the International Okinawan Goju-ryu Karate-do Federation (IOGKF).[1][2] He is a holder of the highest rank in Goju-ryu karate, 10th dan.[1] Higaonna has written several books on Goju-ryu karate, including Traditional Karate-do: Okinawa Goju Ryu (1985)[3] and The history of Karate: Okinawan Goju Ryu (2001).[4] Martial arts scholar Donn Draeger (1922–1982) reportedly once described him as "the most dangerous man in Japan in a real fight."[5][6][7]
Higaonna was born on December 25, 1938, in Naha, Okinawa.[8][9][10] He began studying Shōrin-ryū karate at the age of 14 with his father and then with his friend Tsunetaka Shimabukuro.[8] It was Shimabukuro who recommended that Higaonna learn Goju-ryu karate at Chojun Miyagi's garden dojo (training hall).[8] In the late 1950s, he began training under Ei'ichi Miyazato[11][12] (the most senior student of Chojun Miyagi, 1888–1953, who founded the Goju-ryu style) and An'ichi Miyagi[13] (who was reportedly like an adopted son of, though not related to, C. Miyagi).
Higaonna was awarded black belt status by Miyazato in 1957.[10] In 1960, he moved to Tokyo to study at Takushoku University.[8] On December 30 of that year, Higaonna was promoted to the rank of 3rd dan at the first all-style dan grading of the Okinawa Karate-do Renmei.[8][13] He was invited to teach at Tokyo's Yoyogi dojo, where he attracted a large following of karateka (practitioners of karate).[13][14]
In July 1979, Higaonna founded the IOGKF in Poole, England.[2][8] He was ranked 7th dan at the time.[15] In 1980, Higaonna married a US student, Alanna Stevens, and their son Eric was born in November that year.[16] The family lived in Okinawa from May 1981 to May 1985, then in Tokyo from 1985 to 1987.[16]
In September 1987, Higaonna moved with his family to Southern California to establish a new dojo.[16] With San Marcos as a base,[16][17][18] he began hosting budo festivals while continuing to research, practice, and travel worldwide to teach, such as in the former Soviet Union.[16] Higaonna received his 8th dan and 9th dan promotions from Yuchoku Higa.[19] In 2004, Higaonna was a member of the Okinawan Karatedo and Kobudo Encyclopedia Committee.[9]
Higaonna later returned to live in Japan,[16] and attained the rank of 10th dan in September 2007.[2] His wife, Alanna Higaonna, is Administrative Director[20] and an Advisor[21] for the IOGKF, and his son, Eric Higaonna, is also a karateka.[16] Higaonna remains active in karate, teaching in his home city, in Tsuboya, Naha, Okinawa.[2][12]
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