+61 412366324
Our Chief Instructor
Masaji Taira (Taira Masaji, 平良 正次) Hanshi is a 9th Dan and Chairman of the Okinawa Goju Ryu Kenkyukai, and one of the world’s leading authorities on traditional Okinawan Goju Ryu Karate as taught through the Jundokan lineage of his teacher, Ei’ichi Miyazato Sensei. Raised on Kume Island and later in Naha, Taira Sensei began Goju Ryu training at 16, balancing intense karate study with a career in the Japanese riot police, where his background in Okinawan Sumo helped him rapidly achieve black belt rank in Judo.
Renowned for his lifelong, meticulous research into kata bunkai, he is especially respected for teaching kata as complete, unaltered fighting systems with logical, sequential application rather than isolated techniques, openly sharing this knowledge to preserve its effectiveness. Since his first overseas seminar in 1997, he has taught internationally across Australia, New Zealand, the United States, and Europe, with his work consistently emphasising practical self-defence grounded in authentic Goju Ryu principles; he was promoted to 9th Dan by Kishaba Chogi, a direct student of Chojun Miyagi Sensei.
Why is this Karate different?
Okinawan Goju-Ryu Karate Kenkyukai Dojo
96A Hoddle Street, Abbotsford.
We teach Okinawan Goju-Ryu Karate. Our mission is to develop and discipline the human spirit. This Dojo is a Shibu (Branch) of the Goju-Ryu Karate Kenkyukai in Okinawa, Japan.
Open Class for beginners and advanced martial artists of any system. Class focus is on Kata application and Karate.
Open mat - simply come and join. Structured classes plus enjoy training with other serious martial artists in a fun environment.
Okinawan Goju-Ryu Karate. Goju-Ryu (剛柔流), (Japanese for "hard-soft style"), is one of the main traditional Okinawan styles of karate, featuring a combination of hard and soft techniques.
• THIS IS NOT ABOUT FIGHTING, sparring, or competition.
It’s about understanding your body, your mind, and your movement at a deeper level.
• If you’ve had a tough experience with martial arts in general before, you may have been rushed, pushed, or judged.
Our training is structured, patient, and respectful of where you are now.
• You don’t need to be fast, flexible, or aggressive.
Goju-Ryu Kenkyukai develops strength through correct structure, breathing, and awareness — not force.
• This is not “hard style” karate as many remember it.
It is hard and soft, power balanced with control, effort balanced with calm.
• If sparring or being hit has put you off training in the past,
You’ll be relieved to know this system prioritises internal strength, posture, and self-mastery.
• For those who have trained before and felt something was missing, Goju-Ryu Kenkyukai offers depth, meaning, and intellectual engagement, not just repetition.
• Progress here isn’t measured by trophies or belts alone,
but by how you move, breathe, focus, and carry yourself in daily life.
• This is karate for adults who think,
who want to understand why they train, not just how.
What Are We?
An Okinawan Martial Arts School Rooted in Tradition. A Unique System Which Cultivates the Health and Character of Its Participants. A Friendly and Professionally Run Karate School For The Serious Student. Our mission is to help you “Be the Best You can be”.
Instructor - Vincent Busuttil Sensei
Try our First FREE class Offer.