Peter George Urban (August 14, 1934 – April 7, 2004) was an American martial artist. Called "The George Washington of American Karate" by ''Kick Illustrated'' magazine, and "The Godfather of American Goju" by ''Official Karate'' magazine.{{Cite journal , last=Petras , first=Herman , date=Spring 1982 , title=Peter Urban: The Godfather of American Goju , journal=Official Karate Annual , pages=26-30 Urban was the founder of the karate style known as American GōJū Ryū Karate Do (USA GoJu Karate). He was one of only a small number of white students under Gōgen Yamaguchi, an early Japanese GōJū Ryū Sensei, Practitioner, and Instructor as well as the head of the style's organization, The GoJu Kai. Controversially, Urban created an American style of
Gōjū-ryū
, Japanese for "hard-soft style", is one of the main traditional Okinawan styles of karate, featuring a combination of hard and soft techniques. Both principles, hard and soft, come from the famous martial arts book used by Okinawan masters du ...
without the permission of Yamaguchi who would not allow Urban to represent Japanese Karate in America as head representative for the GoJu Kai.{{fact, date=March 2023
Early life
Urban was born in
Jersey City Medical Center
The Jersey City Medical Center is a hospital in Jersey City, New Jersey. The hospital has had different facilities in the city. It is currently located on a 15-acre campus at Grand Street and Jersey Avenue overlooking New York Harbor and Libe ...
Altoona, Pennsylvania
Altoona is a city in Blair County, Pennsylvania. It is the principal city of the Altoona Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). The population was 43,963 at the time of the 2020 Census, making it the eighteenth most populous city in Pennsylvania. T ...
, then was raised and educated in
Union City, New Jersey
Union City is a city in the northern part of Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. According to the 2020 United States Census the city had a total population of 68,589,The Hudson Dispatch''. At this point in his life he had shown an acute interest in the Martial Art Science of JiuJitsu and American boxing. He graduated from Emerson High School in Union City in 1952 and thereafter joined the
United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
.{{fact, date=March 2023
US Navy duty in Japan
Urban began studying the martial arts while serving in the
US Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
in
Yokohama, Japan
is the second-largest city in Japan by population and the most populous municipality of Japan. It is the capital city and the most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a 2020 population of 3.8 million. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of T ...
. He apprenticed with Richard Kim in 1953 and became his ''
Uchideshi
is a Japanese term for a live-in student/apprentice who trains under and assists a sensei on a full-time basis. The system exists in
''kabuki'', ''rakugo'', ''shogi'', '' igo'', ''aikido'', ''sumo'', ''karate'' and other modern Japanese martial ...
'' (house student). He was transferred to Tokyo in 1954 to continue his training with Kim, who introduced Urban to teachers
Masutatsu Oyama
, more commonly known as Mas Oyama, was a karate master who founded Kyokushin Karate, considered the first and most influential style of full contact karate. A Zainichi Korean, he spent most of his life living in Japan and acquired Japanese c ...
, founder of the Kyokushin Kai and Gogen Yamaguchi, founder of Zen Nippon GoJu Kai. In 1954, Yamaguchi accepted Urban as his student. Urban trained with Oyama in 1955. When he left Japan in 1959 he had advanced to 5th degree black belt, which was granted by Yamaguchi.{{cite web, url= http://www.gojujitsu.org/Bios/G4EPUrban.pdf, title= Grandmaster, Peter George Urban, PhD, last1= Urban-Kimmerley, first1= Julia L., date= , publisher= Nisei GoJu-Jitsu, access-date= 2015-02-21
, archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160304141230/http://www.gojujitsu.org/Bios/G4EPUrban.pdf, archive-date= 2016-03-04, url-status= dead{{Cite web , url=http://www.mainstreetdojos.com/history/history.aspx , title=History of GoJu , access-date=2011-12-24 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181005002651/http://www.mainstreetdojos.com/history/history.aspx , archive-date=2018-10-05 , url-status=dead
Return to the US
In 1959, Urban moved to America and introduced GōJu Ryū to the east coast of U.S. He opened his first GōJu Ryū DoJo on 14th Street and Summit Avenue in Union City, N.J. The following year he shared a school in Manhattan which was owned and operated by the Lephofker brothers before moving his classes to 20 E. 17th street in NYC. By 1964, Urban relocated to downtown locations in NYC’s Chinatown; Canal Street, Crosby Street, Wooster Street and Williams Street in the Financial District, respectively. Urban was also responsible for establishing structured tournaments with the use of a point system in America. The first of these was the 1st North American Karate Championships held at Madison Square Garden in 1962.GoJu Ryu History /ref>
1964 visit to Japan
In 1963-64, Urban traveled back to Japan to seek Yamaguchi’s consent to create an official GoJu Ryu club in America and planned to remain for several years hoping to obtain higher rank. Yamaguchi refused his request and the relationship between the men fell apart. Urban quoted: “The feudal system still exists in Japan, they have lost the true spirit, their system builds blind followers and I believe karate should build seekers not followers.” Urban returned to San Francisco and spent time training with Richard Kim; who promoted Urban to 6th degree black belt.{{fact, date=March 2023
in 1967, Peter Urban published his now famous, "The Karate DoJo: Traditions and Tales of a Martial Art," and by the beginning of the following year he would incorporate as, "Peter Urban Karate Inc." and would establish "USA GoJu Karate," as his DBA.{{fact, date=March 2023
Back in the US
Urban continued to work under Richard Kim and the BuTokuKai but later went on to form his own U.S.A. GoJu Association (U.S.A.G.A) which is still in operation. Several students have been given permission by Urban to teach and continue to propagate the Urban System. Urban trained hundreds of well-known martial artists such as: Frank Ruiz, founder of Nisei GoJu-Ryu, Alberto Gotay, founder of World Goju, Sekwii Sha, founder of Goju Shanando, William Louie, founder of Chinese American Goju, Leon Wallace, founder of Harlem Goju, John Kuhl, founder of Combat Karate, Ron Van Clief, founder of Chinese Goju, Harry Rosenstein, founder of Kanzen Goju-Ryu, Ronald Taganashi, founder of American-Te Goju-Ryu, Manny Saavedra, founder of Sansei Goju-Ryu, Chaka Zulu, founder of ZuJitsu-Ryu, Carlos Paris, founder of Yoshi Goju-Ryu, Anthony Lau, founder of Ying Yee Kwoon, Arcelio Rullan, founder of Rullan Goju-Ryu, Raymond A. Fitzpatrick, founder of Nisei Goju-Jitsu, Lou Angel, founder of Tenshi Goju-Ryu, Ric Pascetta, founder of American Goju Karate Association International, Joseph Hess, founder of Tactical GoJu, Dayton Guinee, founder of American Heritage Goju Karate-Do, James Chellemi, founder of New York Goju Karate Association , Frederick "Skipper" Ingham, founder of Bermuda Goju, Orlando Soto, Sr. founder of Golden Fist Goju-Ryu, Joseph Kelljchian, founder of USA GoJu Federation and more.
Notables who trained with Urban are: Khemforia Padu, David McConnell, Gerald Orange, Robert Jones, Edward Verycken, Edward Doyle, Thomas Boddie, Ulysses Edwards, George Matthews, Earl Monroe, Louis Delgado, John Giordano, John Waples, Owen Watson, Earl Woodbury, Hanni Sakas, Gianfranco Giacometti, Walter Parks, John Hooker, Keith Teller, Kevin McGrath, James Price, William Myers, Rick Diaz, Barry Hankerson, Walter Tigner, Sheldon Wilkens, Thomas Bennett, James Zeno, Wilfredo Roldan, Michael Robinson, William Grady, Kevin Grady, Henry “Butch” Williams, Balfour Wright, Ray Hermann, Sinclair Throne, Sensei Montalban, Claudio Gonzalez, Joe Lopez, Joe Hess, Garry Gascoyne, Aaron Banks, Chuck Merriman, Kevin Nordlande, Walter Platt, Joseph Kelljchian, GJ Torres, Steven Malanoski and more.
Awards
Urban received several awards, including Black Belt Magazines 2003 Hall of Fame Man of the Year.{{Cite journal , last=Morse , first=Ella , date=January 2004 , title=Man of the Year , journal=Black Belt , pages=146