Sport: Martial Arts
Born: August 14, 1934
Died: April 7, 2004
Town: Union City, New Jersey
Peter George Urban was born August 14, 1934 in Jersey City and grew up in Union City, NJ. Pete attended Emerson High School and joined the Navy after graduation in 1952. He was already interested in martial arts, so when he was assigned to duty in Yokohama, Japan, he was able to study karate more intensely. One of his teachers was Richard Kim, who had learned judo and karate during his career as a merchant marine in Asia. During eight years in Japan, Pete also studied with Gogen Yamaguchi and Masutatsu Oyama. He was the first American ever to compete in the All-Japan College Karate Championships.
Pete returned to the US in 1959 with a fifth-degree black belt. He opened a Dojo on Summit Avenue in Union City and then in New York’s Chinatown soon after. Pete taught an American version of GoJu Ryu karate, but did so without the blessing of Yamaguchi, which created many years of bad feelings between the two. GoJu differs from traditional karate, which features hard strikes and blocks, in that it also encompasses open hands and circular movements. That made it ideal for students who sought the spirituality and fitness components of karate without the pain and violence. GoJu translates to “Hard-Soft” in Japanese.
Pete reconnected with Richard Kim in the mid-1960s and attained a sixth-degree black belt. In 1967, Pete published The Karate DoJo: Traditions and Tales of a Martial Art. He graced the covers of many martial arts magazines and demonstrated his brand of GoJu on several TV talk shows, including The Merv Griffin Show. During the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, Pete authored two more popular books and trained dozens of karate champions. He attained the distinction of Grand Master and was hailed as the “Godfather of American Goju.”
Over the years, Pete made several additions to his system, including the use of everyday objects as defensive weapons. His most noteworthy innovations were the Empi Ha, Urban Taiyoku and Urban Kururunfa. He passed away in Massachusetts at the age of 69.