The IOGKF Logo | Our Family Symbol

The IOGKF logo is not a symbol representing Okinawan Goju-Ryu Karate as a style.

KEY POINTS

• IOGKF International administrative office is the global legal owner of the IOGKF logo, which is trademarked property.
• The logo represents IOGKF only. No other Goju-Ryu, Karate or martial art group is represented by the IOGKF logo.
• IOGKF Full Membership countries in good standing are granted the privilege to have sole control of the use of the IOGKF logo and name in that organization including the use thereof on any merchandise, literature or product within its organization.
• IOGKF Representative Membership countries in good standing are granted the privilege to display a sign bearing the name and logo of the IOGKF and traditional Okinawan Goju-Ryu karate.
• Non-IOGKF or former IOGKF members are never permitted to use the logo under any circumstances.

BRIEF HISTORY OF THE LOGO 

• The founder of IOGKF, Sensei Morio Higaonna, was inspired to have a logo created to represent the organisation he was creating.
• The outer design of the logo is part of a symbol formerly used by the Yoyogi Dojo.
• The inner design of the logo is Sensei Chojun Miyagi’s family crest.
• Note: IOGKF was given permission by Sensei Chojun Miyagi’s family to incorporate their family crest in the logo.
• Sensei Morio Higaonna presented the IOGKF logo for the first time in July 1979 at the IOGKF founding meeting in Poole, England.
• The logo represents the common goal shared by all IOGKF members to protect and preserve traditional Goju-Ryu Karate-do for generations to come.
• Since 1979 the logo has been the identifying symbol of the International Okinawan Goju-Ryu Karate-do Federation. It only represents IOGKF.

EXPLANATION OF THE LOGO

• The name Goju-Ryu means hard and soft style. Sensei Higaonna was inspired to include both a soft element (the round exterior) and a hard structure (the square Miyagi family crest) to help represent this.
• The logo can also be related to Heaven and Earth, which is known as ‘Kenkon’ in traditional Japanese language because Heaven is often represented as circular and Earth is represented as angular in Okinawan culture.
• For simplicity the logo is referred to as ‘the IOGKF logo’.

CURRENT STATUS OF THE LOGO

• IOGKF member country heads are given specific permissions on how to use the logo.
• IOGKF International administrative office has protected the IOGKF logo from numerous abuses and misuses of the logo made by non-IOGKF members.
• Failure to comply with requests to cease misuse of the IOGKF logo will see matter passed on to the IOGKF Logo Protection Taskforce. The Taskforce may also elect to involve IOGKF Legal in the proceedings.

Special Note:  The IOGKF logo is 1 of 4 trademarks created by and legally owned by IOGKF International administrative office.

1. The IOGKF Logo: 
2. The acronym: IOGKF
3. The full name (English): International Okinawan Goju-Ryu Karate-do Federation
4. The full name (Japanese): 国際沖縄剛柔流空手道連盟