The Memory of my Father – Chōjun Miyagi 宮城長順

An Interview with Yasuko Kojiro (Thuruko Miyagi-Old name)
30th March, 53rd year of Shōwa 昭和 (1978)

My father, Chōjun 宮城長順, loved his children very much.

Though my name is Yasu now, my old name was Thuru before I was married. As I used to be very active and gymnastic, my father’s students, Mr. Matama and others, said to me, “Could you do Karate 空手, please do it.” At that time, I wore Koshimaki 腰巻 (the cloth) instead of pants. I imitated my father’s Karate 空手 with wearing only Koshimaki 腰巻 in front of these people. They really enjoyed and clapped enthusiastically. After having four daughters, my father got a son, his name is Kei. My sisters were quiet, but I was very active. I have always imitated my father’s Karate 空手. I have ten brothers and sisters. The oldest sister used to be a teacher in kindergarten. Her husband was also a teacher in a school and became a director before he retired. She died of fever after the delivery of the girl when she was only 28 years old. I am the second child and 4 years younger than my oldest sister. My father went to the War (First World War) when he was 21 years old. I was born after his return when my parents were both 25 years old. They were both born in the year of the mouse and so was I. After me, there were two daughters and then the first son, Kei, was born. My father was very pleased and loved the son incredibly. It seemed that he could not feel any pain, even though he takes his son in his eyes (Japanese expression). I used to be jealous as a child for the fact that a boy was very important in family. So I forced Kei to enter the Japanese cabinet to make him cry when my parents were not at home. I am 7 years older than Kei and 19 years older than my youngest brother, his name is Ken-Bō 賢坊 (Bō 坊 is used for children only). When I walked with Ken-Bō 賢坊, some people asked, “When did you get married and have a child?” My father loved his children very much. This morning (30th March, 1978) I tried to cut my nails. Usually, my grandson cuts my nails, but he has gone skating today. It reminded me that my father used to wash our hair on every Saturday evening when we were small. At that time we did not have shampoo like today, instead we used the washing powder. After that, we took a bath and he cut our nails. The way he cut the nails was so short that it hurt. Also, as my hand has been tensed by it, he has hit me gently with the scissors. When I cut my nails, I always remember that my father used to cut my nails every week. So the memory makes me embarrassed if I have long nails.

He was strict about cleaning and organizing.

He would become angry when I did not put my books on the shelves properly. When I did not know how to read Kanji 漢字 (Chinese character), I put Hiragana ひらがな (Japanese alphabet) along with the Kanji 漢字. He was angry that I could not even memorize the Kanji 漢字.

He was adopted to another family and then changed his name from Matsu to Chōjun 宮城長順

He started learning Karate 空手 because when he was small, he was not very healthy. The house where he was born was a pharmacy. They sold medicines to the royal households. They imported the medicines from China and had two ships. When I was small, I found natural medicines, for example, the sweet plants (licorice) which were cleanses the toxins after childbirth. There was a medicine, Saikaku サイカク (rhino horn), that was sold solely to the royal households in the region. My father was adopted to the main house of his family (his uncle, his father’s oldest brother) when he was 3 or 4 years old. My father’s name used to be Matsu 松 (pine tree). But his rich neighbor gave him his new name, Chōjun 宮城長順. His new family was very rich. My father has been to China many times to learn Karate 空手. I have been having good memory since I was 3 years old. Although he had a master in Okinawa, Kanryō Higaonna Sensei 東恩納寛量先生, he wanted to go to China to learn Karate 空手. This is because Karate 空手 came from China originally. But Chinese people hesitated to teach him Karate 空手. So he paid money to learn. I was always looking forward to getting the souvenirs from China.

My father died of a heart attack.

My father died in October, the 28th year of Shōwa 昭和 (1953) of a heart attack. He was 66 years old. I was in Tokyo when he passed away. At that time, I had a house in Kyoto, and some medical students who came from Okinawa were living in my house. When they went to Okinawa, I asked them to bring some unusual souvenirs for my father. I have heard that he was not going to live more than 3 years. Just 1 year before he died, I received a telegraph from him, and I went back to Okinawa to see him. He was very pleased and called all his students, “Yasu has come back. Could you come to see her?” It was very surprising when I saw all these people. But it was very good that I went back to see him before he died. The third year of the first heart attack seems most dangerous. He died in the dangerous period. He was too young to die. I wanted him to live longer. He used to tell my mother, “The people who do Karate 空手 in Shuri, can live longer, but not in Naha. So I really want to live long.” (He lived in Naha. So he wanted to prove that someone who did Karate 空手 could live long in Naha.)

He collected many materials about Karate 空手.

He wished to write the book of Karate 空手. When I asked if he wants to write the book, he said he has to do more research in China again. Unfortunately, the Second World War had started and all materials were burnt and destroyed. He regretted this very much.

My father’s training wear dedicated to Meitoku Yagi Sensei 豊見城明徳先生.

Here is Meitoku Yagi Sensei 豊見城明徳先生. He is the same age as me. When we were small, I called him, “Yagi, Yagi.” Then he said, “As I am a man, you should use the polite words.” So I was against him and said, “It is not necessary. We are the same age!” My mother and I decided to give my father’s training wear to Mr. Yagi. When my mother was still alive, we tried to decide to whom we should give this training wear to. Should we give it to Kei (the oldest son) or not? But finally, we decided to give it to the person who has been doing Karate 空手 for a long time and dedicated to my father. That was Mr. Yagi. My brother, Kei, did not come back to Okinawa when my father died, even though he has an obligation, as the oldest son, to come back when one’s parents die. I preferred to give this training wear to Mr. Yagi instead of Kei, because of this reason. Mr. Yagi started learning Karate 空手 when he was 14 years old. My father would also be pleased with this decision. In September this year, it will be the thirteenth anniversary of my mother’s death. We gave my father’s training wear to Mr. Yagi two to three years before my mother died. My father wrote his name, Master Miyagi 宮城長順, on his training wear. Kei wanted it and still thought that he can take the way of Gōjūryū 剛柔流, because he is the oldest (living) son. But I do not think so. The most important person who has developed the way of Gōjūryū 剛柔流 is Mr. Yagi. I think the person who does one’s best for Gōjūryū 剛柔流 should be the leader. The leader is not necessarily the son of my father. But Kei cannot understand what I mean. At the beginning, the students could not understand as well. So I said to my brothers, “You have to think. Though you are the son, you have not done Karate 空手. Have you learned Karate 空手 from our father more than Mr. Yagi?” I am sure that my father would have agreed with me. This is the only way to follow the will of my father. Ken-Bō 賢坊 (the youngest brother) can understand. He said that they should not say anything about who should become the leader. The person who will take Gōjūryū 剛柔流 will follow the way of Karate 空手, not the position of my father.

Note: The English translation of this interview was done by Ms. Keiko Sato for the Netherlands Meibukan Gōjūryū 硬軟流 Karate-Do Headquarters. She was at the time a student at the University of Nijmegen in the Netherlands.

Poon Chan. November 1999

Japanese Printing

Thuruko Miyagi interview p1

Thuruko Miyagi interview P1