History

Kaizen Ryu has evolved over many years in to the style that it is today. It mainly incorporates Karate, Arnis, Judo, Jujitsu, Kickboxing, Muay Thai but takes anything of use from any martial art so techniques used in styles other then these are also practiced, this is what makes Kaizen Ryu so effective, its ability to adapt.

The main history of Kaizen Ryu is its karate heritage this can be traced easily back to the late 1800’s, Chojun Miyagi (Pictured right) and Goju-Ryu from Okinawa. His mentor was a well-known instructor Kanyro Higaonna. Kanyro Higaonna had studied Chinese boxing in Fukien province in 1873.

Master Miyagi’s skill became well known throughout the islands and in demonstrations he displayed his unique strength and skill by his squeezing of a bamboo and breaking it and using his fingertips thrust into a side of beef hanging and penetrating the flesh. The benefits of karate were recognized by the Department of Education and became part of the physical education and a cultural activity curriculum.

In 1931 Master Miyagi visited the Japanese mainland as karate’s popularity had grown. This expansion had been assisted by the propagation of the art in the universities. On this trip he visited Retsumeikan University in Kyoto and instructed Gogen Yamaguchi a student of Goju Ryu. Gogen Yamaguchi would go onto to become the leader of Goju Ryu on the Japanese mainland. In his youth Yamaguchi sensei trained in several martial arts, and it was during this period he was introduced to Karate by a family friend a carpenter, Master Murata. This involvement was to change the course of Yamaguchi’s future development as a martial artist. After World War 2 Yamaguchi sensei returned as a former prisoner of war from the Manchurian campaign to find the Goju school nonexistence as many of the instructors and students were casualties of the war. Secondly the Allied occupational forces restricted the practice of martial arts.

Yamaguchi sensei was instrumental in the reconstruction of the Goju School. He traveled throughout Japan reorganizing Goju. He consolidated the Goju School in Japan and created the Goju-Kai. Initially training was conducted in secret; but his persistence and efforts were rewarded with not only a successful organization in Japan but also an organization that has spread worldwide propagating the ideals of Master Miyagi.

Tino Ceberano, an Hawaiian who was a dedicated student of Gogen Yamaguchi, was given permission to open another dojo. In the mid 1960’s Ceberano migrated to Australia where he established his own dojo in Melbourne, Victoria, in 1966. Tino Ceberano is recognised as having been one of the main influences upon the martial arts scene in Australia.

Bob Jones, who is also acknowledged as a pioneer in Australian martial arts, became a student of Tino Ceberano. Jones utilized his knowledge as a street fighter to improve some of the more traditional techniques that did not appear to be as effective in western society. Bob Jones founded Zen Do Kai in Melbourne in June 1970, and revolutionized martial arts by incorporating traditional philosophies with the more practical dynamics of modern self-defence. Bob later added the techneques of western kick-boxing and Maui Thai to the mix giving Zen-Do-Kai a powerful arsenel of techniques.

In 1993 a small group of students left the tuition of Bob jones’s Zen-Do-Kai to from there own style Kaizen Ryu, this group become lead by Peter Kirkwood in Newcaslte New South Walse. Kaizen Ryu’s philosophy is if it works use it for this reason over the next 10 years Judo, Ju-jitsu and Arnis were added to the style. Kaizen Ryu means the school of constant improvement and dose exactly that adding more techniques for other styles of martial arts as it continues to evolve and grow.