Having been engaged in translating the Chinese Book of Change into English – I am convinced that the Okinawan style of Goju Ryu Karate-Do takes its names – literally “hard-Soft” – from that ancient text (around 2000 BCE) which existed a long time before the development of the yin-yang ideal (around 300 BCE). Indeed, those scholars who developed the Commentarial material that seeks to explain the Book of Change (Yijing) – often attempt to superimpose the ancient “hard” and “soft” with the concept of “yang” and “yin” – although the amorphous nature of this schematic means that one quantity is continuously exchanged for the other. When lecturing in China – this often becomes an interesting and contentious point of discussion. Many are unaware that the yin-yang ideal is not that old as it is presented as all conquering in many Chinese-language texts. Whatever the case, I keep in contact with a number of Goju Ryu practitioners – as this is a style of fighting I explored in my youth. I still assist practitioners of this style with their historical research – which is often of a linguistic nature. Linked above is a blog article uploaded onto our Ch’an Dao Blog – concerning Traditional Judo.
SANGHA KOMMUNE (SSR) 