Peter Urban and USA Goju Karate.
Grandmaster Peter Urban was born at the Magaret Hague Maternity Hospital now known as the Jersey City Medical Center, on August 14, 1934, in Jersey City, New Jersey.
While serving in the Navy in Yokohama, Peter Urban Sensei met Richard Kim Sensei at a boxing gym. Richard Kim suggested that Peter try karate, and he began studying with him in 1953 in Yokohama, Japan. Through Richard Kim, he was later introduced to Gogen Yamaguchi in Tokyo, Japan. During his time in Japan, Urban Sensei also had the distinction of studying with Mas Oyama, the founder of Kyokushin Karate.
USA Goju Karate
USA Goju karate is mainly based on Gogen Yamaguchi’s Goju-kai style, along with Mas Oyama’s powerful Kyokushin, and incorporates the teachings and philosophy of Richard Kim.
Translated literally, Goju-ryu means “hard and soft style.” Its founder, Chojun Miyagi, was inspired by the third line of the Kempo Hakku Poem in the Bubishi when choosing this name.
“Ho wa goju wo tondo su” – Breathing in and out involves both hardness and softness.
After six years of studying Karate, Sensei Urban returned to the states to share his Karate knowledge. Peter Urban Sensei was not just an American Karate pioneer; he had many accomplishments during his lifetime. Some of these accomplishments include:
In 1958, he competed in the All Japan Collegiate Championships in Tokyo for Yamaguchi Sensei while in Japan. He returned to America with his wife, Meiko.
1959 was a very busy year for Urban Sensei. He established the first Goju-Kai Dojo in Union City, N.J. at the North Hudson Judo and Karate Club. That same year he expanded to the Hoboken YMCA, on Washington Street in N.J., and he also made the jump across the river to New York City. It was here that he started teaching out of the Judo Twins Dojo in Manhattan.
In 1962, he served as the chief referee at Mas Oyama’s tournament, which was possibly the first major tournament in the USA.
In 1963, he appeared on the Tonight Show, The Merv Griffin Show, and the Long John Nebel Show. Being the first karate practitioner in America to do so.
In 1964, he opened his most famous school location, the “Chinatown Dojo,” at 232 Canal Street in Manhattan.
In 1966, he wrote his first book, “The Karate Dojo,” which he initially self-published. This rare first edition is highly prized by karate book collectors. Later, Charles E. Tuttle Company picked it up to publish and it remains in print to this day. The book gained international recognition and quickly became a martial arts classic.
Links to Urban Sensei’s books:
The Karate Dojo (softcover)
The Karate Dojo (hardcover)
The book the Karate Sensei, DVD’s and Sensei’s biography are available here:
https://www.warrenerentertainment.com/search.php?search_query=peter+urban
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