Mr Miyagi
Encyclopedia
also known as Mr. Miyagi, is a fictional
karate
master, played by Japanese-American
actor Pat Morita
, who mentor
s the characters Daniel LaRusso and Julie Pierce in the Karate Kid films. Morita earned an Academy Award
nomination for his performance in the first film.
Robert Mark Kamen stated that Mr. Miyagi was named after Chōjun Miyagi
, the founder of Goju Ryu
Karate-Do.
, Keisuke Miyagi learned karate originally from his father, who had been a fisherman. Miyagi initially had a job working for the father of his best friend, Sato, who was also taught karate by Miyagi's father. When Miyagi fell in love with a young woman named Yukie, who was arranged to marry Sato, Sato felt dishonored by this, and challenged Miyagi to a fight to the death. To avoid the fight, Miyagi left Okinawa and emigrated to the United States.
After leaving Los Angeles he attended the University of California Santa Barbara, was interned in the Manzanar Japanese internment camp in California during World War II
. During this time, Miyagi joined the U.S. Army
and received the Medal of Honor
(he was a member of the real and much-storied 442nd Infantry Regiment, in fact the most highly decorated regiment in the history of the United States Armed Forces, including 21 Medal of Honor recipients). He also taught his former Army commanding officer, Lt. Pierce. During his service, Mrs. Miyagi and their son died in the Manzanar camp due to complications during childbirth, a loss that has been haunting him for decades.
What Miyagi did in the interim between the war and the first movie is not revealed in much detail. At the start of the first movie, he works as a maintenance man in Daniel's apartment building.
In 1985, Miyagi learns his father is dying, and returns to Okinawa, where he is reunited with Yukie. Sato relentlessly tries to goad Miyagi into a fight, but after Miyagi saves Sato from death during a typhoon, Sato renounces his hate and the two make peace.
In the third movie, he and Daniel begin a business of growing bonsai trees.
of The Karate Kid, the custodian-turned-sensei ("sifu
" in Chinese martial arts training) is a Chinese man named Mr. Han (portrayed by Jackie Chan
). Like Miyagi, Han is quirky, yet humble and kind, though somewhat less friendly and more conflicted. He is a maintenance man in Beijing
's Beverly Hills Luxury Apartment complex, where Dre Parker lives. Unlike Miyagi, Han is a practitioner of kung fu who uses fire cupping
in lieu of Miyagi's pain suppression technique, and elements of his backstory differ from Miyagi's, such as the circumstances surrounding his wife's and son's death.
In this version, Han's wife was an amateur singer named Zhang, and their 10-year-old son was named Gong Gong. While driving on a steep hill during a rainstorm, Han was distracted by an argument with his wife, and he crashed, killing her and Gong Gong. He becomes a recluse
following their deaths, and he copes with the loss by annually repairing his car and dismantling it every June 8, the anniversary of their death. Like Miyagi to Daniel, Han acts as a father figure
to Dre, and he trains him to win the kung fu "Tournament of Champions."
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
karate
Karate
is a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Islands in what is now Okinawa, Japan. It was developed from indigenous fighting methods called and Chinese kenpō. Karate is a striking art using punching, kicking, knee and elbow strikes, and open-handed techniques such as knife-hands. Grappling, locks,...
master, played by Japanese-American
Japanese American
are American people of Japanese heritage. Japanese Americans have historically been among the three largest Asian American communities, but in recent decades have become the sixth largest group at roughly 1,204,205, including those of mixed-race or mixed-ethnicity...
actor Pat Morita
Pat Morita
Noriyuki "Pat" Morita was an American actor of Japanese descent who was well-known for playing the roles of Matsuo "Arnold" Takahashi on Happy Days and Mr. Miyagi in the The Karate Kid movie series, for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1984.-Early life:Pat...
, who mentor
Mentor
In Greek mythology, Mentor was the son of Alcimus or Anchialus. In his old age Mentor was a friend of Odysseus who placed Mentor and Odysseus' foster-brother Eumaeus in charge of his son Telemachus, and of Odysseus' palace, when Odysseus left for the Trojan War.When Athena visited Telemachus she...
s the characters Daniel LaRusso and Julie Pierce in the Karate Kid films. Morita earned an Academy Award
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor
Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry. Since its inception, however, the...
nomination for his performance in the first film.
Robert Mark Kamen stated that Mr. Miyagi was named after Chōjun Miyagi
Chojun Miyagi
was an Okinawan martial artist who founded the Goju-ryu school of karate.-Early life and training:Miyagi was born in Higashimachi, Naha, Okinawa on April 25, 1888, the adopted son of a wealthy businessman. He began his study in Karate-do at the age of nine . He first learned martial arts from Ryuko...
, the founder of Goju Ryu
Goju Ryu
, 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 Bubishi , used by Okinawan masters during the 19th and 20th centuries...
Karate-Do.
Fictional biography
An ethnic Okinawan immigrant to the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Keisuke Miyagi learned karate originally from his father, who had been a fisherman. Miyagi initially had a job working for the father of his best friend, Sato, who was also taught karate by Miyagi's father. When Miyagi fell in love with a young woman named Yukie, who was arranged to marry Sato, Sato felt dishonored by this, and challenged Miyagi to a fight to the death. To avoid the fight, Miyagi left Okinawa and emigrated to the United States.
After leaving Los Angeles he attended the University of California Santa Barbara, was interned in the Manzanar Japanese internment camp in California during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. During this time, Miyagi joined the U.S. Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
and received the Medal of Honor
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...
(he was a member of the real and much-storied 442nd Infantry Regiment, in fact the most highly decorated regiment in the history of the United States Armed Forces, including 21 Medal of Honor recipients). He also taught his former Army commanding officer, Lt. Pierce. During his service, Mrs. Miyagi and their son died in the Manzanar camp due to complications during childbirth, a loss that has been haunting him for decades.
What Miyagi did in the interim between the war and the first movie is not revealed in much detail. At the start of the first movie, he works as a maintenance man in Daniel's apartment building.
In 1985, Miyagi learns his father is dying, and returns to Okinawa, where he is reunited with Yukie. Sato relentlessly tries to goad Miyagi into a fight, but after Miyagi saves Sato from death during a typhoon, Sato renounces his hate and the two make peace.
In the third movie, he and Daniel begin a business of growing bonsai trees.
Karate style
Mr. Miyagi has a deep philosophical knowledge of life and has extraordinary martial arts skill. In the second film, Mr. Miyagi explains that he is descended from Shimpo Miyagi, who was very fond of both fishing and sake. One day in 1625 while fishing and very drunk, he passed out on his fishing boat off the coast of Okinawa and ended up on the coast of China. Ten years later, Shimpo returned to Okinawa with his wife, his two kids, and the secret of Miyagi family karate.2010 remake
In the 2010 remakeThe Karate Kid (2010 film)
The Karate Kid is a 2010 American martial arts film and remake of the 1984 film of the same name. Directed by Harald Zwart, produced by Will and Jada Pinkett Smith, the film stars Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan...
of The Karate Kid, the custodian-turned-sensei ("sifu
Sifu
Shifu is the identical pronunciation of two Chinese terms for a master. The character 師 means “teacher”. The meaning of 傅 is “tutor”, and of 父, “father”. Both characters are read fu with the same tones in Cantonese and Mandarin, creating some ambiguity...
" in Chinese martial arts training) is a Chinese man named Mr. Han (portrayed by Jackie Chan
Jackie Chan
Jackie Chan, SBS, MBE is a Hong Kong actor, action choreographer, comedian, director, producer, martial artist, screenwriter, entrepreneur, singer and stunt performer. In his movies, he is known for his acrobatic fighting style, comic timing, use of improvised weapons, and innovative stunts...
). Like Miyagi, Han is quirky, yet humble and kind, though somewhat less friendly and more conflicted. He is a maintenance man in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
's Beverly Hills Luxury Apartment complex, where Dre Parker lives. Unlike Miyagi, Han is a practitioner of kung fu who uses fire cupping
Fire cupping
Cupping therapy is an ancient form of alternative medicine in which a local suction is created on the skin; practitioners believe this mobilizes blood flow in order to promote healing. Suction is created using heat or mechanical devices...
in lieu of Miyagi's pain suppression technique, and elements of his backstory differ from Miyagi's, such as the circumstances surrounding his wife's and son's death.
In this version, Han's wife was an amateur singer named Zhang, and their 10-year-old son was named Gong Gong. While driving on a steep hill during a rainstorm, Han was distracted by an argument with his wife, and he crashed, killing her and Gong Gong. He becomes a recluse
Recluse
A recluse is a person who lives in voluntary seclusion from the public and society, often close to nature. The word is from the Latin recludere, which means "shut up" or "sequester." There are many potential reasons for becoming a recluse: a personal philosophy that rejects consumer society; a...
following their deaths, and he copes with the loss by annually repairing his car and dismantling it every June 8, the anniversary of their death. Like Miyagi to Daniel, Han acts as a father figure
Father Figure
"Father Figure" is the U.S. number-one song written and performed by George Michael and released on Columbia Records in 1988 as the third single from the album Faith.-History:...
to Dre, and he trains him to win the kung fu "Tournament of Champions."