Training
Joetsu Narita Sensei began his Goju Ryu training in Rio de Janeiro in 1984, under Shihan Leonardo Carion — National Director of Seigokan in Brazil, whom Narita Sensei calls a father figure. From that foundation, he sought further training in Japan, where he was a direct disciple of Shinsaku Murata and Seigo Tada Sensei — the latter a direct disciple of Chojun Miyagi, the founder of Goju Ryu.
Beyond karate, Sensei Narita is a master of Acupuncture and Seitai — bringing a clinical eye on body, posture and recovery to the mat.
Current credentials
- 5th Dan in Karate-Do Goju Ryu — Seigokan lineage.
- Vice Director of Seigokan in Brazil (alongside Shihan Leonardo Carion, National Director, RJ).
- National Referee for the Brazilian Karate Confederation (CBK).
- Affiliated with the Paraná Karate Federation (FPrK).
His way of leading the mat
Narita Sensei leads the mat with patience: he sees the potential in each student and develops it without judgment or comparison. The emphasis is not on turning students into champions — it's on forming true karateka: people who understand the secrets, history and detail of each kata; who respond rather than react; who know that the art respects the practitioner, not the other way around.
This approach, shaped by decades of contact with Seigokan masters in Japan and Brazil, is what makes Gairinkai a distinctive place in Curitiba's karate scene: open, inclusive, respectful — without a purely competitive aesthetic, without concessions to trends, without losing martial coherence.
A philosophy about his own role
“The star of Gairinkai is not the sensei — it is the concept of an open, inclusive and respectful space for everyone.”
This phrase, from Narita Sensei himself, sums up the dojo's purpose. The sensei's personal relevance exists to serve that ideal — not to overshadow it.
Follow the Sensei