Ei'ichi Miyazato
| Eiichi Miyazato | |
|---|---|
| Born |
July 5, 1922 Naha, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan |
| Died | December 11, 1999 (aged 77) Naha, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan |
| Style | Goju-ryu Karate, Judo |
| Teacher(s) | Chōjun Miyagi |
| Rank | 10th dan karate, 8th dan judo |
| Notable students | Teruo Chinen, Morio Higaonna, Chuck Merriman, An'ichi Miyagi |
Eiichi Miyazato (宮里 栄一 Miyazato Eiichi?, July 5, 1922 – December 11, 1999) was a leading Okinawan master of Goju-ryu karate. He was a senior post-war student of Chōjun Miyagi, founder of the Goju-ryu style. Miyazato held the rank of 10th dan in karate and 7th dan in judo; on his death, he was honoured with the degree of 8th dan in judo.
Miyazato was born on July 5, 1922, in I-Chome, 13 Banchi, Higashi-machi, Naha, Okinawa, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. Some sources indicate that Miyazato began training under Miyagi at the age of 13, while others state that Miyazato first trained under his own father and only began training under Miyagi at the age of 15. Miyazato's father had been a student of Kanryo Higaonna, who had been Miyagi's teacher, so Miyagi accepted the young Miyazato as his student. Except for an interrupted period due to World War II, Miyazato learned from Miyagi continuously until the death of the latter in 1953. Apart from his karate training, he also studied judo under Shoko Itokazu.
Miyazato joined the Ryukyu Police Department on Miyagi's recommendation in 1946. He served as physical education instructor at the police academy, and assisted Miyagi (then an instructor at the academy), teaching karate and judo there. Upon Miyagi's death in 1953, Miyazato inherited his teacher's training equipment, and the family also passed on Miyagi's gi (uniform) and obi (belt) to him. Miyazato took up the position of teaching at the 'Garden dojo,' which had been Miyagi's dojo.
In 1957, Miyazato opened his own dojo, the Jundokan, in Asato, Naha. The building had three levels, with Miyazato's dwelling located on the top level. In 1972, he retired from the police force and devoted the rest of his life to teaching karate. Through the early 1970s, he served as Vice-President of the Okinawan Judo Federation and President of the Okinawa Prefecture Karate-do Federation.
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