Shorin Goju

Shorin Goju Foundations

Robert Barton 

India

Dhanurveda (various Indian martial arts)

*          *

*          Northern Shaolin Kung Fu--------------------------------------------------

*          *          *                                                                                              *

*          *          Southern Shaolin Kung Fu---------------------------------------Various Kenpo

*          *                      *                                                                                  Okinawa &

*          *                      *                                                                                    Japan 

*          *                      *                                                                                              *         

*          *                      *------------------------Naha Te------------------------------------*

*          *                      *                                  *                                                          *

*          *                      *-------------------------Okinawan Goju Ryu--------------------*

*          *                      *                                  *                                                          *

*          *                      *                                   Japanese Goju Ryu                              *

*          *                      *                                  *              *                                          *

*          *                      *                         Goju USA           *                                           *

*          *                      *                                  ?               ?                                         *

*          *------------------*--------------------------Shaolin Goju---------------------------------*

*          *                      *                                  *                                                          *

*          *                      *                                  *                                                          *

*          *                      *                                  *                                                          *

*-------* ----------------*--------------------------Shorin Goju------------------------------------* 

Shorin Goju uses the standard Goju Kata as done in Okinawan Goju Ryu, we do not use the newer kata developed for Japanese Goju and we do not use the vast amount of non-Goju kata used in Shaolin Goju or the Goju USA kata used in Shaolin Goju. The choice was made to drop these newer or non-Goju kata in order to better focus on the actual kata of Goju and techniques of Southern Chinese systems. Along with these Goju kata we employ the Arhat (Monk) system of Shaolin which most likely originated in India. We also employ a selection of Chinese breathing exercises known as Chi-kung. We also employ many of the Shaolin methods for advanced conditioning and hand techniques. We also use some training methods and practices learned from a master from Malaysia who had lived in India for decades and studied Chinese, Malaysian and Indian martial arts. 

It should be noted that there are a couple of obscurities in this lineage mainly dealing with the sources for Shaolin Goju. Shaolin Goju has made no clear public acknowledgement of a direct link to Peter Urban or Goju USA, however some of the kata developed by Peter Urban are found in Shaolin Goju as is the black uniform and a few teaching characteristics. I have not established for certain that there is a direct link between Goju USA and Shaolin Goju and there may very well be a link through Nisei Goju or Chinese Goju but with the inclusion of Peter Urban originated kata and the black Goju uniform I think that it is realistic to suspect that Goju USA might be one of the sources for Shaolin Goju.