Introducing the Naha-te Lineage Historic Site in Matsuyama, Naha City:
**“Meitoku Yagi Commemorative Monument”** ｜ Okinawa Dento Karatedo Shinkokai
Naha
In a quiet corner of Matsuyama Park in Naha City stands a stone monument honoring a single karate master. This is the **Meitoku Yagi Commemorative Monument**.
Meitoku Yagi (1912–2003) was one of the leading figures of Okinawan Goju-ryu karate. He trained directly under Chojun Miyagi, the founder and head of Goju-ryu, and devoted his entire life to preserving and transmitting his teacher’s techniques and spirit.
From a young age, Yagi trained rigorously under Miyagi. What he learned from his teacher was not merely physical strength. He absorbed the importance of respect, the proper way of being as a human being, and the true essence of karate as a martial art. After his teacher’s passing, Yagi made it his mission to pass these teachings on to future generations without alteration.
Yagi later established a dojo in Naha City and named it **Meibukan**. At Meibukan, careful cultivation of both mind and body was emphasized. Training valued slow, deliberate movement and proper breathing, with the goal of fostering personal growth through courtesy and compassion. As a place where one could learn “authentic Okinawan karate,” the dojo attracted many visitors from both Japan and abroad.
Its reputation eventually spread far beyond Okinawa to Europe, the United States, and other parts of the world. Today, Meibukan karate continues to be passed down globally—centered on the International Meibukan Goju-ryu Karate-do Federation Headquarters Yagi Dojo—as a school that preserves the tradition and spirit of Okinawan karate.
Even after Meitoku Yagi’s passing in 2003, his legacy has been faithfully carried on. His son, second-generation head Meitatsu Yagi, succeeded the Meibukan and protected the karate path his father built. Today, leadership is carried forward primarily by Yagi’s grandson, current chairman Akihito Yagi, and vice chairman Akihiro Yagi, who actively promote and disseminate the art worldwide. The spirit of Meibukan, handed down through three generations, continues to live somewhere in the world at this very moment.
This commemorative monument was erected to honor the life and achievements of Meitoku Yagi. The path of a man who quietly safeguarded both the form and the spirit of karate is engraved in this stone.
When you visit Matsuyama Park, be sure to pause for a moment. You will surely be able to touch a part of the history of Okinawan karate as it spread to the world.
