Latino Hofileña Gonzalez

From Facebook: Latino Hofileña Gonzalez (1911-1994) was the father of Philippine karate.

Born in Jaro, Iloilo on 13 July 1911 to Alejandro Gonzalez and Lutgarda Hofileña, Gonzalez began studying kali, specifically redonda stick fighting, when he was 14.

By the early 50s, he was teaching kali, arnis and escrima at the Araneta University and the National Bureau of Investigation headquarters in Manila.

In the late 50s, Gonzalez was introduced to shorin-ryu, and from that time on he spent his life studying and teaching the karate style. [His dojo in Sta. Mesa was called the Commando Karate Club.]

He even travelled to Okinawa to train under shorin-ryu expert Katsuya Miyahira.

His endeavor to spread shorin-ryu karate in the Philippines in the 1960s and the 1970s earned him the title “father of Philippine karate.”

Gonzalez moved to San Francisco in 1978, founded the Philippine Okinawa Karate Association and began propagating shorin-ryu throughout the United States and Canada.

He continued to train on a makiwara (punching board) and worked with dumbbells into his 70s.

In 1990, Gonzalez was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and succumbed to it on 23 April 1994. He was 82.

His sons, Rolando and Roberto, were also karate instructors, had published martial arts books and had appeared in several movies in the 70s. [His daughter Magda Gonzalez was also a karate movie star.]

Gonzalez was a nephew of Dr. Tranquilino Gonzalez (1865-1927), the first eye doctor in Iloilo who served as lieutenant mayor of Jaro, and a classmate of national hero Dr. Jose Rizal.

Sources: Black Belt Magazine (December 1980, May 1992 and September 1994 issues)

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History of Karate-do (from the Team Safetyfirst website): Karate-do was originated in Okinawa, Japan. There are two types of karate in Japan. In Mainland Japan, they teach sports karate while in Okinawa they teach traditional karate. The difference between sports karate and traditional karate, Sports karate, the essence of the art and the moves taught by the Okinawa masters are changed. It focuses on winning the competition. Traditional karate, it focuses on self-defense that are useful in real life and death situations, it also teaches it’s students how to be humble and to be socialize with other people and also helps the person to be mentally and physically fit. In training of karate, it strengthens the stamina of the person.

 The instructor of karate is called sensei, and the students are called karate-kas. They also have colored-belts, white, orange, green, blue, brown, and black.

 Karate was first introduced in the Philippines in 1954, by Latino Gonzales, his teacher is Kaksuya Miyahira, and the karate that has been taught here in the Philippines is shorin-ryu.

 As time pass Latino Gonzales has three successors, Rolando and Roberto Gonzales and Master Manny Duran. Master Manny Duran had passed his knowledge and authority in his successor Kyushi Marcelo Monte Navaroza.

Their Headquarters is in Garden Villa, Sta.Rosa. The representatives of Shorin-ryu is Kyushi Marcelo Monte Navaroza, member of the World Shorin-ryu Kyudokan Federation, and the only representative of PUKKO ( Philippines Union Karate-do Kobudo Organization and National Federation.