# Morio Higaonna



## Raistlin (Sep 15, 2022)

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Does anyone know what happened with Morio Higaonna quitting the IOGKF? This is pretty big news!


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## punisher73 (Sep 16, 2022)

Take this with a grain of sand after doing some internet research....

A few weeks ago, there was an announcement that Tetsuji Nakamura Sensei would be stepping down from his position as lead instructor of the IOGKF and that his teacher, 83-year old Morio Higaonna, would be taking back over as lead instructor after something like 10 years.

Then the IOGKF senior instructors decided to reverse the decision and reinstate Nakamura Sensei as lead instructor. Shortly after that was when Sensei Higaonna announced that he was starting his own organization.

Here is a copy/paste from their official announcement on Facebook:

"At meetings on September 3rd and 4th, the IOGKF's Executive Committee has, together with the majority of chief instructors and senior members of the IOGKF, chosen not to approve the transfer of the chief instructor post and to move the administration office to Okinawa.

Sensei Tetsuji Nakamura remains our Chief Instructor and the administration office, with Adrienne Langgartner as administrative director/secretary, remains in Canada. Sensei Morio Higaonna is the “Supreme Master / Saiko Shihan”.

In other words, nothing has changed"


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## Jimmythebull (Sep 16, 2022)

punisher73 said:


> Supreme Master / Saiko Shihan”.


Quite a title


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## _Simon_ (Sep 16, 2022)

Yeah have been looking into it lately too... all sounds very sad.. I still honestly don't understand it all, but apparently some instructors have been trying to shift things for their own gain, and lies and misinformation of some sort have been spread for that purpose. Can't figure it out still.. but all political nonsense from the sounds of things. Very unfortunate..


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## Buka (Sep 16, 2022)

_Simon_ said:


> Yeah have been looking into it lately too... all sounds very sad.. I still honestly don't understand it all, but apparently some instructors have been trying to shift things for their own gain, and lies and misinformation of some sort have been spread for that purpose. Can't figure it out still.. but all political nonsense from the sounds of things. Very unfortunate..


Wait, what? Martial people trying to shift things for their own gain? Say it ain't so!


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## punisher73 (Sep 16, 2022)

Seems a lot of politics follow Higaonna.  

I remember a few years ago there was a big controversy because Morio Higaonna was claiming that his teacher was Aniichi Miyagi and said that he was a direct student of Chojun Miyagi (no relation between the two).  Eiichi Miyazato was Higaonna's teacher and promoted him to 7th degree.  Higaonna was never ranked by Aniichi Miyagi.  According to Miyazato, this was well known in Okinawa and Higaonna was not respected by them.

You can track down the info on the internet if you look for Eiichi Miyazato's last interview.


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## isshinryuronin (Sep 16, 2022)

Hard to believe that a faction in Okinawa/Japan would have enough clout to undermine Higaonna Morio.  The many honors he has received from both the Japanese national and Okinawan prefecture governments (including his official designation as an "Intangible Cultural Treasure") as well as by quasi-gov't karate/kobuto organizations would seem to make him untouchable. 

What is unsaid is what part Higaonna Sensei played in the Federation structure discussion.  Maybe things went just as he wanted.  Perhaps his health is reflecting his advanced age.  Maybe national considerations exerted influence over prefectural ones.  Rarely in that culture is a major decision made without a general consensus of the major players looking at the big picture.  I suspect, due to his standing, this picture includes Higaonna Sensei's legacy.


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