The founder of the Dai Ni Gojuryu system was known to his students as Tukerii Sensei (pronounced as To Carry). This was the name U.S. Immigration officials gave him when he arrived in the United States. Based on his Chinese character signature his Chinese name was Tzi Ki Ri. For most of his life he was thought to be Chinese by his students. He, late in his life, told students he was born in Okinawa prefecture in 1893. His father, though born of a family who lived many generations on Okinawa, was of Chinese descent and his mother was from northern China. He was sent to China as a pre-teen to live with his mother's relatives and be educated. While there he studied his mother's family style of kenpo (kung fu) which is believed to have been a northern style, possibly a version of Hsing-I.
Upon returning to Okinawa in his teens he began to study with several Okinawan Tode Masters of the Naha-te, Shorin, and Shuri-te Schools, including Higgashionna Kanryo, and possibly Miyagi Chojun, Mabuni Kenwa, & Hanshiro Chomo. Yet Sensei taught techniques that he probably did not get from these teachers, such as Jujitsu, Aikijitsu, Kobudo, and Kenjutsu techniques. While in the interpretation of bunkai of the kata, it is possible that he attained knowledge of Jujitsu and Aikijitsu type techniques, the remaining ones cannot be accounted for in the above sensei. Exactly when and under whom he trained in these techniques is not known as he never mentioned the source of his knowledge in these disciplines. The Battojutsu he taught incorporated the 8 cutting forms of the Toyamaryu Batto Jutsu school as well as 5 cutting forms of Iai Jutsu, so perhaps at some point he studied these system. He continued to study Tode until approximately 1930.
Many people in Okinawa never accepted Japanese rule and considered Japan as foreign invaders. Many Okinawans of the period would have prefered Chinese rule to Japanese, as the Okinawan kingdom and China had long had good relations. In 1930 Tukerii Sensei left Okinawa and took residence in Southern China. He joined with Chinese nationalist forces in the war effort against Japan, and assumed a Chinese name and identity. During this period he was able to study a Southern style of kenpo, but the exact style is unknown, but evidence tends to point heavily towards a form of White Crane. As a result of his Chinese persona and fighting with nationalist forces he was able to immigrate to the U.S. following the War as a "friendly" and not a conquered "enemy."
He continued his Chinese persona throughout his life, first to avoid much of the post WWII anti Japanese sentiment, and because he feared if his real country of origin was discovered he would be deported. In the last few years of his life he revealed to a number of his students his real nationality.
Unfortunately his real Okinawan name is not really known to us. Tsukii Taizo, Tabara Taizo, or Tsubu Taizo were possibly his name. While he told a few students his name, they only vaguely remember what it sounded like, and never saw it written out. The first name of Taizo was what all the students remembered, but there is disagreement on what Sensei said his last name was. Equally, we continued to call him Tukerii Sensei, and another name was, at the time of little importance to us. His actual Chinese name would be properly pronounced as Tzi Ki Ri, based on characters of his written name, but when he signed things in English he signed "Tukerii". After his death in 1985 his senior students began to try to compile a history of his life from their mutual memory and experience.
His only child, a daughter, was born after he moved to China, and always thought she was Chinese. She was largely raised by a cousin of her mother, as her mother died shortly after immigrating to the U.S., who lived in San Francisco, and knew little of her father's family. It has been through her diligent efforts that we have been able to obtain much of the information on him we now have. Unfortunately, she was not able to verify his Okinawan name before her own death in early 1999.
Many Okinawan masters were killed during World War II, during the invasion of Okinawa (in which over a million civilian and military causalities were estimated), or during the extreme poverty that followed immediately after the War. Those who left and did not return were presumed killed in the War. Thus, the linages of many systems do not list these practitioners, unless they had managed to found a major school prior to the War which continued after the war. There is no way of predicting how the face of Okinawan karate might have been changed if more of these sensei survived. Only one name of the ones his students came up with is listed in any linage, and we, to date have not been able to verify whether or not this was Tukerii sensei. The name appears in a linage of students of Higashionna Kanryo Sensei.
Tukerii Sensei owned and operated a concrete contracting business and taught what he called "Tode" as a side. He initially only took orientals as students, but eventually began accepting some Americans whom he worked with at constructions sites and a few law enforcement officers. He never had large classes nor advertised them. His active student count was always under 15, as his training hall was very small. His training methods were very rigorous and physical and as such many students dropped out early in training, or were hesitant to join into such a physically demanding program. He ceased taking new students in the mid 1960's, entrusting new students to his students and continuing to instruct only his senior students. He returned to the Orient to live with his now married daughter and grand daughters in the early 1980's, but made annual trips back to the U.S. to visit students and friends. He died on November 19, 1985.
His senior most active student was specifically designated by him in his will as his heir,and all rights of the Association and use of the name of the system were bequeathed to him.
Tukerii Sensei trained in the period before a ranking system existed in Okinawan Martial Arts. He never claimed any particular rank. He did use a ranking system, initially just white belts, brown belts and Black Belts. Later he consented to expand the kyu grade ranks to a greater number of colored belts in order that his students schools could be competitive with the rapidly growing number of schools in America that used a greater number of colored belts.
His students tried to refer to
him as 10th Dan, and when the Association was created tried to bestow this
rank upon him. He expressed no desire for any rank, and as for his students
he said "eight degrees is enough." The grade of 8th
Dan - headmaster , a rank which was considered
higher than the other 8th Dans in the system, was the rank he awarded to
the current head of the system.
In late
January of 2000 a meeting of the Yudansha of the system was held at which
time it was decided by an overwhelming majority vote to simplify the various
ranking systems used within the Dai Ni Gojuryu system and comform to the
more universal 10 dan grade system.
It was Sensei's desire that a
board be created of senior Sensei both within and without the system to
aid the headmaster in development and advancement of the system.
Currently that board is composed of those individuals who have been licensed
as Kyoshi and Shihan by the system, all ranking 6th Dan and higher.