Welcome to the Elora Gorge Karate Dojo, established in 1984 and now in our 34th year of service, we are proud to be a member of the International Meibukan Gojyu-Ryu Karate-Do Association (IMGKA). We are an educational institution teaching traditional Okinawa Meibukan Gojyu-Ryu Karate-do. We trust the training undertaken will be both exciting and rewarding, as you and/or your child, embrace karate-do – “the way of karate”.
At our Dojo, instruction is provided in the traditional art of karate, which is viewed as “a way of life”, as well as a method of self-defense. This specific style named “Gojyu” translates as “Go”, meaning hard and “Jyu”, meaning soft. Gojyu-Ryu is one of the first three styles of karate formally recognized as such. It was the first to be officially named. This style of karate emphasizes the importance of personal development and the self-defense aspects of martial arts in a non-competitive, non-sport environment, as opposed to the competitive styles which have proliferated in North America. We do not teach “how to fight”, but rather “how not to lose”.
Karate is an excellent activity for students of all ages. For children and youth it is effective in countering peer pressure and low self-esteem just to name a few. Respect for others is only one facet of how karate training can build positive life habits. Karate is a means of instilling self-confidence and self-discipline, improving the mind and body, as well as creating a positive sense of being as a member of the Meibukan family. For adults the benefits are plenty, it improves overall physical and mental health, increasing endurance through cardiovascular, flexibility and strength training. Karate is a great stress reliever from your day to day work and grids of life. Finally the benefits of self defense and being able to defend against an attacker will build your confidence and improve your character.
What makes us different from many dojos is that we offer authentic karate direct from the birthplace of karate: Okinawa, Japan. This ensures that what you or your child is being taught is authentic and pure karate right from the source. We are officially registered with the IMGKA in Okinawa, Japan to teach Meibukan Gojyu-Ryu Karate-Do and our instructors attend IMGKA seminars on a regular basis to ensure that the curriculum being taught is authentic and pure. We are proud to have 7 of our instructors internationaly certified by the IMGKA.
“Do not put your main purpose in mastering the Karate techniques themselves, you should instead study the way of life through Karate”
Grand Master Dai Sensei Meitoku Yagi, founder of Meibukan