As you will notice, the fist is half open and half closed. This is to symbolize that the
Goju-Ryu is neither totally hard nor totally soft, but a balance between the two. The fist was
designed by Master Chojun Maiagi, the founder of Goju-ryu karate. It is a drawing of his right
hand, and it is slightly crooked, because of an injury he suffered.
The fist has three colors-
Red
Symbolizes the highest level of proficiency - that of a master.
Black
This symbolize stands for the ideals that come with being a black belt.
White
This stands for the beginner.
Basically, one could say that white belt equals beginner, black equals black belt, and red
equals master.
