Our Peter Urban Lineage
A direct line.
The sign above the door says Urban Goju Hall #004. That number is most of the story.
Grandmaster Peter G. Urban
Peter G. Urban (1934–2004) learned Goju in Japan in the 1950s, returned to America at the end of that decade, and established U.S.A. Goju as his own organization in 1968.
Controversially, Urban Sensei created an American style of Gōjū-ryū without the permission of Yamaguchi Sensei; who did not allow Urban Sensei to represent The Goju-Kai in America as his head representative.
U.S.A. Goju Association · The History of Peter G. Urban
The Goju fist, as everyone calls it, is the system's emblem. It is on the awning at 2533 65th St and on the patches. Mostly it is in our hearts.
A great deal has been written about him elsewhere and we are not going to repeat it here. The system's own history of him is the fullest account, and Wikipedia has the short version.
- Confirm the era label. Our copy says he learned Goju in Japan in the 1950s and founded U.S.A. Goju in 1968 - which year heads this entry?
- A larger photograph. Ours is 192px wide, too small to show at any size here.
A line of warriors carrying the tradition
- 1934–2004
Grandmaster Peter Urban
Student of Yamaguchi, Kim and OhamaHe established U.S.A. Goju in 1968 and numbered the halls authorized to teach it. A single-digit hall number means this one was among the first.
- Dates needed
Shihan Vincent Merenda
Student of Peter G. UrbanShihan Merenda trained under Grandmaster Peter G. Urban and many of his black belts.
He trained in kumite before the invention of safety gear.
The workouts were brutal and the dojo was always full of warriors.
He led this dojo for decades and died on January 2, 2025, on his way home from the dojo.
Data missing · Shihan Vincent Merenda- The year he began training under Grandmaster Urban.
- The year he took Hall #004, and whether he founded it or inherited it.
- What he was known for teaching.
- 1972
Zen Goju Temple — Urban Goju Hall #004
Shihan Vincent MerendaThe system's headquarters keeps its own record of the halls at americangoju.com.
Data missing · The dojo- The month and day. A 45th-anniversary post dates it to October 1972, but that contradicts itself on the exact day.
- Whether anyone taught at this address before Shihan Merenda founded it.
- Today
Sensei Vladimir Ferdman
Student of Shihan Vincent MerendaSensei Vladimir Ferdman leads the dojo now, teaching what he learned from Shihan Vincent Merenda.
Data missing · Sensei Vladimir Ferdman- The year he began training here.
- How he wishes to be addressed. We have his rank on record and have kept the title as Sensei until he says otherwise - a form of address is given, not deduced from a rank.
- When he took over after Shihan Merenda died.
- Which classes and which material he teaches now.
Same line. New generations.
Every bow in the dojo, each kata we perform, and every correction we receive from our sensei are quiet tributes to the masters who came before us. Karate is not merely a martial art for self-defense. It is a philosophy, a way of life built upon humility, discipline, and the passing of knowledge across generations.
In every class, even as our practice evolves from the original teachings, we continue to pay homage to the senseis who paved the way. Explicitly to Senseis Urban, Merenda, and Gonzalez, who are no longer with us, and implicitly to all those mentors whose dedication and wisdom helped us become who we are today.
The dojo's own words, The dojo's own Facebook post, facebook.com/ZenGojuTemple, July 2025.
