Sosui Ichikawa

Written by Chris Clifford.

Fifty One years a disciple of The Late Grand Master Ichikawa Sosui, I would like make clear there are no amount of words that could possibly explain this most profound man or his teachings.

As a result of his many years of deep research and physical practice he found what he believed was the highest Philosophical, Metaphysical, Spiritual, Alchemy levels of Martial arts which he believed was missing from Goju Ryu.

Sosui Ichikawa’s extraordinary dedication and desire to Master Martial Arts would take him to new levels of knowledge.

As custodian of the Bubishi, his quest would be nothing less than complete mastery of the archaic Chinese characters concealed within this historical manuscript. During his analysis he discovered what he believed were the missing levels of karate-do found in the study of the metaphysical world. He realised the task that lay before him was enormous. His knowledge of the Chinese language proved invaluable in discovering the enigmatic truths.

Ichikawa sensei had a deep interest in studying the human body. He had a prestigious knowledge of physics, vibrational frequencies, universal energies, flowing though him like a river, his teachings and special lessons could go for hours revolving round the sciences aways connecting directly to the highest levels of his karate.

He studied deeply into human anatomy, physiology, blood circulatory and nervous systems, focusing on both internal and external healing arts. His interest and understanding of natural, physical, and universal sciences were extraordinary, and from his analysis he would come to integrate many of the findings into his own concept of Go (hard) and Ju (soft).

Sosui Ichikawa was truly a remarkable unique individual: A visionary, a perfectionist.

As a result of mastering his many discoveries he subsequently introduced this knowledge esoterically integrating it in to his teachings – Which makes it uniquely different.

Zen Buddhism was of great spiritual importance in Sosui Ichikawa’s teachings and he often quoted Buddhist philosophies.

Quote from within his Manuscripts:
“I would change the world a bit by my own karate.”