ARTICLES ON TOSHU JUTSU & HAKUDA BY RENSHI SIMON KEEGAN
Simon Keegan is the chief instructor of Hakuda Kempo Toshu Jutsu and the headteacher of the Bushin Ryu
Martial Arts Illustrated May 2013 edition
Kata Study: Heian Shodan and Nidan
HISTORY
Heian Shodan and Nidan (alternatively Pinan Nidan and Shodan) are at least 100 years old but before that their origins start to become cloudy.
Yasutsune 'Anko' Azato was well renowned for teaching these forms and it is likely he formulated the 3rd, 4th and 5th kata in the series.
But did Itosu create Heian 1-2 and why and from what source?
The most likely anecdote comes from Choki Motobu who saw Itosu performing these kata and saw that they were familiar to him yet different. Motobu knew them as the Channan forms. Itosu simply replied that they were now called Pinan, and this was on the advice of his younger students.
Perhaps the word Channan had lost meaning in Okinawa and so the students felt the relatively similar sounding Pinan (peaceful mind) would be more apt.
Channan could be an Okinawan attempt at pronouncing the Mandarin words "chang chuan" which is a common term used to denote "long fist boxing", styles of Kung Fu which use stances very similar to those seen in these kata.
Another theory is that Itosu extracted the Pinan forms from the older kata, the most commonly cited being Kushanku (Kanku Dai).
Itosu had at least three teachers, but it seems likely that Pinan 1 and 2 were taught to him by Sokon Matsumura. They are present in styles not directly derived from Itosu's teachings that were derived from Matsumura's including Matsumura Seiot Shorin Ryu and Matsubayashi Ryu.
It is possible that the forms were brought to Okinawa in the 1750s when Matsumura's teachers Sakugawa and Yara trained with Wang Zong Yue and/or Kushanku.
TECHNIQUES
The form now known as Heian Nidan in Shotokan and known as Pinan Shodan elsewhere, was originally the first form of the two, so we can conjecture that its start was also the start of 'Channan'.
The first movement "the double block" is also taught as an armlock such as ude garami. Whether used as a block and strike or as a lock, it works well against a hook punch or straight punch alike. As a two handed "flinch" response it is an excellent technique to drill since double handed parries and covers are more effective and practical as well as being more intuitive.
This movement is also seen in very similar forms in various Koryu Jujutsu paired sets.
The forms include generous use of the Shuto technique. In these two short forms there are 11 shuto strikes. In the Shotokan versions these are delivered at "carotid artery height" - again an excellent, practical and intuitive place to strike. Of course they work as blocks against both hooking and straight punches especially when paired with the hikite movement. Personally I much prefer Shotokan's Kokutsu Dachi to the older use of Nekoashi Dachi.
There are lots of basics in these forms, including Gedan Barai, Jodan Age Uke, Uchi Ude Uke, Oi Tzuki, Gyaku Tzuki and Mae Geri and drilling these forms gives a good way of blending combinations. They also use Nukite, perhaps derived from the Chinese technique 'snake spits tongue' which is also seen in Kushanku, and Morote Uke which seemingly originated in the Okinawan guard position of 'husband and wife hand.'
CHARACTERISTICS
There is a somewhat counter-intuitive way of stepping in these forms. A front leg turn is used throughout Heian Shodan which seems to be the most clumsy way of turning 180 degrees. Similarly Heian Nidan uses a large turning circle following the Nukite.
If we view the forms in a 'kickboxing' context, these turning methods make little sense. But if we think of the foot movements as, what is known in Aikido as 'Tenkan', they start to make sense.
These foot movements teach evasive tactics and are also useful for generating hip power in takedowns. They also work well for weapons such as the katana and bo, perhaps a throwback to Matsumura's training in the Jigen Ryu.
Heian Shodan and Nidan (alternatively Pinan Nidan and Shodan) are at least 100 years old but before that their origins start to become cloudy.
Yasutsune 'Anko' Azato was well renowned for teaching these forms and it is likely he formulated the 3rd, 4th and 5th kata in the series.
But did Itosu create Heian 1-2 and why and from what source?
The most likely anecdote comes from Choki Motobu who saw Itosu performing these kata and saw that they were familiar to him yet different. Motobu knew them as the Channan forms. Itosu simply replied that they were now called Pinan, and this was on the advice of his younger students.
Perhaps the word Channan had lost meaning in Okinawa and so the students felt the relatively similar sounding Pinan (peaceful mind) would be more apt.
Channan could be an Okinawan attempt at pronouncing the Mandarin words "chang chuan" which is a common term used to denote "long fist boxing", styles of Kung Fu which use stances very similar to those seen in these kata.
Another theory is that Itosu extracted the Pinan forms from the older kata, the most commonly cited being Kushanku (Kanku Dai).
Itosu had at least three teachers, but it seems likely that Pinan 1 and 2 were taught to him by Sokon Matsumura. They are present in styles not directly derived from Itosu's teachings that were derived from Matsumura's including Matsumura Seiot Shorin Ryu and Matsubayashi Ryu.
It is possible that the forms were brought to Okinawa in the 1750s when Matsumura's teachers Sakugawa and Yara trained with Wang Zong Yue and/or Kushanku.
TECHNIQUES
The form now known as Heian Nidan in Shotokan and known as Pinan Shodan elsewhere, was originally the first form of the two, so we can conjecture that its start was also the start of 'Channan'.
The first movement "the double block" is also taught as an armlock such as ude garami. Whether used as a block and strike or as a lock, it works well against a hook punch or straight punch alike. As a two handed "flinch" response it is an excellent technique to drill since double handed parries and covers are more effective and practical as well as being more intuitive.
This movement is also seen in very similar forms in various Koryu Jujutsu paired sets.
The forms include generous use of the Shuto technique. In these two short forms there are 11 shuto strikes. In the Shotokan versions these are delivered at "carotid artery height" - again an excellent, practical and intuitive place to strike. Of course they work as blocks against both hooking and straight punches especially when paired with the hikite movement. Personally I much prefer Shotokan's Kokutsu Dachi to the older use of Nekoashi Dachi.
There are lots of basics in these forms, including Gedan Barai, Jodan Age Uke, Uchi Ude Uke, Oi Tzuki, Gyaku Tzuki and Mae Geri and drilling these forms gives a good way of blending combinations. They also use Nukite, perhaps derived from the Chinese technique 'snake spits tongue' which is also seen in Kushanku, and Morote Uke which seemingly originated in the Okinawan guard position of 'husband and wife hand.'
CHARACTERISTICS
There is a somewhat counter-intuitive way of stepping in these forms. A front leg turn is used throughout Heian Shodan which seems to be the most clumsy way of turning 180 degrees. Similarly Heian Nidan uses a large turning circle following the Nukite.
If we view the forms in a 'kickboxing' context, these turning methods make little sense. But if we think of the foot movements as, what is known in Aikido as 'Tenkan', they start to make sense.
These foot movements teach evasive tactics and are also useful for generating hip power in takedowns. They also work well for weapons such as the katana and bo, perhaps a throwback to Matsumura's training in the Jigen Ryu.
Kata Study: Heian Sandan, Yondan & Godan
Following on from my previous kata study (Heian Shodan and Nidan) the latest in the series looks at Heian Sandan, Yondan and Godan which in Bushinkai are required for orange, green and blue belts.
HISTORY
The third, fourth and fifth Heian Katas are thought to have been devised in around 1905 by Yasutsune Itosu.
Heian Sandan is a very unique kata and has a feel of being out of place with the rest of the Heian forms.
Where Heian Shodan and Nidan are the originals, and Heian Yondan is reminiscent of Kanku Dai and Heian Godan is reminiscent of Bassai Dai, Heian Sandan feels unique. It does however resemble Tekki Sandan but since this form is also a late addition to the canon, the question remains, which influenced which.
As I discussed in my previous study of Heian 1 & 2, the original name for the Heian/Pinan forms was Channan and this seems to suggest they originated in Chang Chuan (long fist boxing) but Heian Sandan which eschews typical Shotokan/long fist techniques like Zenkutsu Dachi seems to come from a different source all together.
The style Sandan most closely resembles is Pakua Zhang.
Pakua (Bagua) is the most circular of Chinese martial arts and look at Heian Sandan. Double blocks - circular, turn after Nukite - circular, turn after Oi Tzuki - circular. Fumikomi and Uraken - both circular. Heian Sandan includes more spins, twists and turns than any other kata.
I have theorised that the art Sokon Matsumura utilised to create Bassai Dai was Bazi Quan a style which includes forms Bazi Da and Bazi Xiao (Bassai Dai and Bassai Sho?)
Bazi Quan was the art from which Dong Hai Chuan created Pakua and it is possible that Matsumura and Dong Hai Chuan knew each other.
This may seem like a longshot, but considering Matsumura and Dong were about the same age and that at the time Matsumura was chief bodyguard to the Okinawan royal family while Dong was chief bodyguard to the Chinese royal family it is no less likely than today the British defence secretary meeting the US chief of defence. Mastumura went to Beijing on diplomatic trips. It is actually probable he met Dong. Would they have compared notes on martial arts? Perhaps. If the Bagua founder and the Bassai founder trained together maybe the twisting turning movements found in Heian Sandan were transmitted down that line. Matsumura probably never taught "Heian Sandan" but his student Itosu never invented the third form from thin air.
CHARACTERISTICS
In Bushinkai we practice Heian Sandan with Nunchaku. Because of its lack of longfist techniques it doesn't work as well as Shodan or Nidan with weapons like Sai and Bo. But because of its circles, figure 8s, two handed blocks and snapping strikes it works well with a Nunchaku.
Heian Yondan, carrying similarities with Kushanku (Kanku Dai) can also be performed with a wide variety of weapons including twin swords, tanto and tonfa.
Heian Godan which includes some of the same moves as Bassai Dai and therefore may also share its origin, can also be performed with a Bo.
Since it is believed Itosu extrapolated the five Heian/Pinan forms from perhaps two Channan forms it is possible that the first Channan, let's call it Channan Dai consisted of what we now call Heian Nidan and Shodan and that Channan Sho consisted largely of what we now call Heian Yondan. That way both Channan forms would begin with a double handed block and end with a Shuto.
This then would leave Heian Sandan and Heian Godan as later additions that may have come from the Bassai (Bazi Quan) lineage rather than the Kushanku/Channan lineage.
Notes:
Sokon Matsumura
Lived: 1798–1890
Occupation: Chief martial arts instructor and bodyguard for the Okinawan King
Created: Bassai Dai, a form likely derived from Bazi Quan.
Dong Hai Chuan
Lived: 1797-1882
Occupation: Bodyguard and tax collector for Prince Su of Chinese Imperial Court
Created: Bagua Zhang, a form likely derived from Bazi Quan.
HISTORY
The third, fourth and fifth Heian Katas are thought to have been devised in around 1905 by Yasutsune Itosu.
Heian Sandan is a very unique kata and has a feel of being out of place with the rest of the Heian forms.
Where Heian Shodan and Nidan are the originals, and Heian Yondan is reminiscent of Kanku Dai and Heian Godan is reminiscent of Bassai Dai, Heian Sandan feels unique. It does however resemble Tekki Sandan but since this form is also a late addition to the canon, the question remains, which influenced which.
As I discussed in my previous study of Heian 1 & 2, the original name for the Heian/Pinan forms was Channan and this seems to suggest they originated in Chang Chuan (long fist boxing) but Heian Sandan which eschews typical Shotokan/long fist techniques like Zenkutsu Dachi seems to come from a different source all together.
The style Sandan most closely resembles is Pakua Zhang.
Pakua (Bagua) is the most circular of Chinese martial arts and look at Heian Sandan. Double blocks - circular, turn after Nukite - circular, turn after Oi Tzuki - circular. Fumikomi and Uraken - both circular. Heian Sandan includes more spins, twists and turns than any other kata.
I have theorised that the art Sokon Matsumura utilised to create Bassai Dai was Bazi Quan a style which includes forms Bazi Da and Bazi Xiao (Bassai Dai and Bassai Sho?)
Bazi Quan was the art from which Dong Hai Chuan created Pakua and it is possible that Matsumura and Dong Hai Chuan knew each other.
This may seem like a longshot, but considering Matsumura and Dong were about the same age and that at the time Matsumura was chief bodyguard to the Okinawan royal family while Dong was chief bodyguard to the Chinese royal family it is no less likely than today the British defence secretary meeting the US chief of defence. Mastumura went to Beijing on diplomatic trips. It is actually probable he met Dong. Would they have compared notes on martial arts? Perhaps. If the Bagua founder and the Bassai founder trained together maybe the twisting turning movements found in Heian Sandan were transmitted down that line. Matsumura probably never taught "Heian Sandan" but his student Itosu never invented the third form from thin air.
CHARACTERISTICS
In Bushinkai we practice Heian Sandan with Nunchaku. Because of its lack of longfist techniques it doesn't work as well as Shodan or Nidan with weapons like Sai and Bo. But because of its circles, figure 8s, two handed blocks and snapping strikes it works well with a Nunchaku.
Heian Yondan, carrying similarities with Kushanku (Kanku Dai) can also be performed with a wide variety of weapons including twin swords, tanto and tonfa.
Heian Godan which includes some of the same moves as Bassai Dai and therefore may also share its origin, can also be performed with a Bo.
Since it is believed Itosu extrapolated the five Heian/Pinan forms from perhaps two Channan forms it is possible that the first Channan, let's call it Channan Dai consisted of what we now call Heian Nidan and Shodan and that Channan Sho consisted largely of what we now call Heian Yondan. That way both Channan forms would begin with a double handed block and end with a Shuto.
This then would leave Heian Sandan and Heian Godan as later additions that may have come from the Bassai (Bazi Quan) lineage rather than the Kushanku/Channan lineage.
Notes:
Sokon Matsumura
Lived: 1798–1890
Occupation: Chief martial arts instructor and bodyguard for the Okinawan King
Created: Bassai Dai, a form likely derived from Bazi Quan.
Dong Hai Chuan
Lived: 1797-1882
Occupation: Bodyguard and tax collector for Prince Su of Chinese Imperial Court
Created: Bagua Zhang, a form likely derived from Bazi Quan.
Kata Study: Tekki
In the previous Kata studies, I looked at the five Heian/Pinan kata which were standardised in around 1905 by Master Itosu to act as introductory forms for new students. Before the introduction of these forms, the first form students in Shuri and Tomari typically learnt was Naihanchi, which most styles now call Tekki.
It is not known whether the current Tekki Shodan, Nidan and Sandan were once part of a longer form called Naihanchi or whether there were originally two or three Naihanchi forms. But this form was and is a crucial part of training everywhere in Okinawa outside of Naha.
Infact Shoto founder Gichin Funakoshi spent the first nine years of his training with Master Azato learning only Naihanchi.
Tekki, as I will call it from this point on was in Shuri what Sanchin was in Naha - the fundamental form designed to strengthen the core and basic postural movement.
Both Itosu and Azato taught Tekki and therefore both probably learnt it from Sokon Matsumura.
I would now like to explore the origins of the form and how it was transmitted to Okinawa. I will do this with a number of theories.
HISTORY
Firstly we should point out that although the origins of this form are said to be Chinese, there is now current Chinese style that practices it. We cannot therefore say "Naihanchi is a Preying Mantis form" for example with any certainty. So instead I present these theories.
1) The Shorei theory
2) The inner claw theory
3) The hillock theory
4) The wall theory
1) The Shorei Theory
Karate forms are typically divided into two groups, Shorin Ryu and Shorei Ryu. On the surface this seems like a straightforward classification. Itosu's style was Shorin Ryu, Higaonna's style was Shorei Ryu. Therefore Shorin equals Shuri and Shorei equals Naha. But unfortunately it is not that simple because masters like Funakoshi and Mabuni applied that classification to all katas regardless of style. For example the Pinans are Shorin, Tekki is Shorei, Hangetsu is Shorei, Kanku Dai is Shorin and so on, despite all deriving from Shorin Ryu.
It is unlikely that if Shorin Ryu means "Shaolin Ryu", that the Shorei refers to some other temple somewhere.
It is even more confusing since some of the forms classified as Shorei (Jutte and Hangetsu for example) are the ones with the closest affinity to Shaolin.
Funakoshi also contradicts himself. In one volume he will refer to Empi as Shorin, and in another as Shorei.
I suspect that Funakoshi may have intended to list all the traditional Shuri forms (Kanku Dai, Bassai Dai, Pinan) as Shorin and the Chinese forms imported to Naha and Tomari (Hangetsu, Sanchin) as Shorei but then he became confused when he reached forms where he did not know the origin and so oversimplified as "slow powerful forms are Shorei, fast light forms are Shorin."
Some of Funakoshi's writings imply he thought the two Okinawan schools (Shorin and Shorei) equated to the two Chinese schools Shaolin and Wutang but we know this is not the case. The speed of Shotokan and Shaolin may be comparable, as may the speed of Sanchin and Tai Chi but that's where the similarities end.
But if Funakoshi believed the Naha and Tomari forms to be Shorei, and the Shuri forms to be Shorin, why did he class Naihanchi, the cornerstone of Shuri Te and Tomari Te as Shorei?
Could it be that somewhere along the lines Funakoshi heard that Naihanchi was derived from Shaio Jao (Chinese wrestling) and translated this as Shorei?
As simpler explanation may just be that Funakoshi knew this form had been introduced in recent memory by a Chinese master from Fujian. It was, therefore, Shorei.
But the Chinese master was not from the famous Kojo Dojo where people like Aragaki and Higaonna learned the white crane based forms (Sanchin, Seishan, Jutte, Niseishi, Useishi) it was introduced by a master named Ason.
Ason was also a Japanese rank meaning a prince. Ason (朝臣) was a prestigious title (under the eight kabane system), initially conferred in the Nara period of the history of Japan, on princes who had been reduced to the commonalty.
Funakoshi writes that "a Chinese named Ason taught Zhao Ling Liu (Shorei-ryu) to Sakiyama, Gushi, Nagahama, and Tomoyori from Naha"
But it wasn't any of these men who created the Naihanchi form from their studies with Ason. It was Sokon Matsumura.
But from what style, Chinese wrestling or otherwise did Naihanchi derive?
2) One theory as to Tekki's origins is in its name. As well as Naihanchi, it was also written as Naifanchin, which may be translated as "inner claws."
This may suggest that Tekki was derived from one of the animal boxing forms such as lion boxing or tiger boxing. I have theorised elsewhere than one of the styles many of our forms derived from was lion boxing. The name lion cane be written in the Fujian dialect as Sai, and in Japanese as Shizhi. Could Naihanchi be some version of this? Perhaps Naihanshi, Saihanshi or Naihanshizhi
3) Another theory which seems to deserve serious consideration was presented in the 1960s after a kung fu practitioner, Daichi Kaneko, studied a form of Taiwanese White Crane Boxing, known as Dan Qiu Ban Bai He Quan (Half Hillock, Half White Crane Boxing). Kaneko, an acupuncturist who lived in Yonabaru, Okinawa, taught a form called Neixi (inside knee) in Mandarin.
This form includes the same sweeping action found in the nami-gaeshi (returning wave) technique of Naihanchi. Neixi is pronounced Nohanchi in Fuzhou dialect, which could indicate Neixi is the forerunner to Naihanchi.
4) The wall theory. The final theory is that Matsumura developed the form completely to suit his own purposes. As a bodyguard at Shuri castle he would likely spend much of his time standing with his back against a wall, surveying any dangers in the room. He would likely move about, surveying the room while keeping his back to the wall.
Some of the movements in Tekki also seem to represent holding the opponent as a "human shield" while moving laterally - exactly the kind of thing a bodyguard would value.
TECHNIQUES
After the liberating movement of the Heian forms, a student can be forgiven for thinking Tekki is boring. After all there are no jumps or twists and turns in it. Even Japanese masters are quoting as saying things like: "Tekki is only for training your horse stance so make sure you turn your head briskly to avoid the kata being boring."
Such an approach misses the point of Tekki.
This form is a close-in fighting masterpiece. Chokki Motobu who was a close-in streetfighter favoured this kata. In fact it is possible he knew only this kata and maybe Bassai Dai.
Tekki includes chokes, neckbreaks, elbow strikes, face smashes, keylocks, kneestrikes, fish-hooks, rips, stamps and much more. In Bushinkai we have also looked at applying the techniques as groundwork with throws and locks on the mat within the kata.
In Bushinkai, as in many styles in the Shotokan, Shoto Ryu, Shorin Ryu and Wado Ryu families, competance in Tekki is essential before the student can progress to brown belt.
It is not known whether the current Tekki Shodan, Nidan and Sandan were once part of a longer form called Naihanchi or whether there were originally two or three Naihanchi forms. But this form was and is a crucial part of training everywhere in Okinawa outside of Naha.
Infact Shoto founder Gichin Funakoshi spent the first nine years of his training with Master Azato learning only Naihanchi.
Tekki, as I will call it from this point on was in Shuri what Sanchin was in Naha - the fundamental form designed to strengthen the core and basic postural movement.
Both Itosu and Azato taught Tekki and therefore both probably learnt it from Sokon Matsumura.
I would now like to explore the origins of the form and how it was transmitted to Okinawa. I will do this with a number of theories.
HISTORY
Firstly we should point out that although the origins of this form are said to be Chinese, there is now current Chinese style that practices it. We cannot therefore say "Naihanchi is a Preying Mantis form" for example with any certainty. So instead I present these theories.
1) The Shorei theory
2) The inner claw theory
3) The hillock theory
4) The wall theory
1) The Shorei Theory
Karate forms are typically divided into two groups, Shorin Ryu and Shorei Ryu. On the surface this seems like a straightforward classification. Itosu's style was Shorin Ryu, Higaonna's style was Shorei Ryu. Therefore Shorin equals Shuri and Shorei equals Naha. But unfortunately it is not that simple because masters like Funakoshi and Mabuni applied that classification to all katas regardless of style. For example the Pinans are Shorin, Tekki is Shorei, Hangetsu is Shorei, Kanku Dai is Shorin and so on, despite all deriving from Shorin Ryu.
It is unlikely that if Shorin Ryu means "Shaolin Ryu", that the Shorei refers to some other temple somewhere.
It is even more confusing since some of the forms classified as Shorei (Jutte and Hangetsu for example) are the ones with the closest affinity to Shaolin.
Funakoshi also contradicts himself. In one volume he will refer to Empi as Shorin, and in another as Shorei.
I suspect that Funakoshi may have intended to list all the traditional Shuri forms (Kanku Dai, Bassai Dai, Pinan) as Shorin and the Chinese forms imported to Naha and Tomari (Hangetsu, Sanchin) as Shorei but then he became confused when he reached forms where he did not know the origin and so oversimplified as "slow powerful forms are Shorei, fast light forms are Shorin."
Some of Funakoshi's writings imply he thought the two Okinawan schools (Shorin and Shorei) equated to the two Chinese schools Shaolin and Wutang but we know this is not the case. The speed of Shotokan and Shaolin may be comparable, as may the speed of Sanchin and Tai Chi but that's where the similarities end.
But if Funakoshi believed the Naha and Tomari forms to be Shorei, and the Shuri forms to be Shorin, why did he class Naihanchi, the cornerstone of Shuri Te and Tomari Te as Shorei?
Could it be that somewhere along the lines Funakoshi heard that Naihanchi was derived from Shaio Jao (Chinese wrestling) and translated this as Shorei?
As simpler explanation may just be that Funakoshi knew this form had been introduced in recent memory by a Chinese master from Fujian. It was, therefore, Shorei.
But the Chinese master was not from the famous Kojo Dojo where people like Aragaki and Higaonna learned the white crane based forms (Sanchin, Seishan, Jutte, Niseishi, Useishi) it was introduced by a master named Ason.
Ason was also a Japanese rank meaning a prince. Ason (朝臣) was a prestigious title (under the eight kabane system), initially conferred in the Nara period of the history of Japan, on princes who had been reduced to the commonalty.
Funakoshi writes that "a Chinese named Ason taught Zhao Ling Liu (Shorei-ryu) to Sakiyama, Gushi, Nagahama, and Tomoyori from Naha"
But it wasn't any of these men who created the Naihanchi form from their studies with Ason. It was Sokon Matsumura.
But from what style, Chinese wrestling or otherwise did Naihanchi derive?
2) One theory as to Tekki's origins is in its name. As well as Naihanchi, it was also written as Naifanchin, which may be translated as "inner claws."
This may suggest that Tekki was derived from one of the animal boxing forms such as lion boxing or tiger boxing. I have theorised elsewhere than one of the styles many of our forms derived from was lion boxing. The name lion cane be written in the Fujian dialect as Sai, and in Japanese as Shizhi. Could Naihanchi be some version of this? Perhaps Naihanshi, Saihanshi or Naihanshizhi
3) Another theory which seems to deserve serious consideration was presented in the 1960s after a kung fu practitioner, Daichi Kaneko, studied a form of Taiwanese White Crane Boxing, known as Dan Qiu Ban Bai He Quan (Half Hillock, Half White Crane Boxing). Kaneko, an acupuncturist who lived in Yonabaru, Okinawa, taught a form called Neixi (inside knee) in Mandarin.
This form includes the same sweeping action found in the nami-gaeshi (returning wave) technique of Naihanchi. Neixi is pronounced Nohanchi in Fuzhou dialect, which could indicate Neixi is the forerunner to Naihanchi.
4) The wall theory. The final theory is that Matsumura developed the form completely to suit his own purposes. As a bodyguard at Shuri castle he would likely spend much of his time standing with his back against a wall, surveying any dangers in the room. He would likely move about, surveying the room while keeping his back to the wall.
Some of the movements in Tekki also seem to represent holding the opponent as a "human shield" while moving laterally - exactly the kind of thing a bodyguard would value.
TECHNIQUES
After the liberating movement of the Heian forms, a student can be forgiven for thinking Tekki is boring. After all there are no jumps or twists and turns in it. Even Japanese masters are quoting as saying things like: "Tekki is only for training your horse stance so make sure you turn your head briskly to avoid the kata being boring."
Such an approach misses the point of Tekki.
This form is a close-in fighting masterpiece. Chokki Motobu who was a close-in streetfighter favoured this kata. In fact it is possible he knew only this kata and maybe Bassai Dai.
Tekki includes chokes, neckbreaks, elbow strikes, face smashes, keylocks, kneestrikes, fish-hooks, rips, stamps and much more. In Bushinkai we have also looked at applying the techniques as groundwork with throws and locks on the mat within the kata.
In Bushinkai, as in many styles in the Shotokan, Shoto Ryu, Shorin Ryu and Wado Ryu families, competance in Tekki is essential before the student can progress to brown belt.
Kata Study: Gekisai
The next kata under the spotlight is Gekisai Dai Ichi, otherwise known as Fukyugata or Chokyugata. Contrary to popular belief this is not just a Goju Ryu kata - it has been a part of Shorin based systems such as Matsubayashi Ryu since 1941.
Gichin Funakoshi and Makoto Gima took Shoto Ryu to Tokyo in the 1920s and following its success styles like Shotokan, Wado Ryu and Shotokai emerged. Elsewhere in Kobe, Funakoshi's friend Kenwa Mabuni introduced Shito Ryu.
Meanwhile in Okinawa, the heads of the Okinawan styles like Shorin Ryu, Kobayashi Ryu and Goju Ryu seemed to have mixed feelings about the success of the Shoto movement. On one hand they seemed to resent Funakoshi's sweeping changes, like renaming kata and simplifying techniques - but on the other hand they seemed to admire his organised approach. Because by the 1930s, most if not all the Okinawan styles had adopted the name Karate Do (Empty Hand Way) rather than the old terms, Karate Jutsu, Toshu Jutsu, Tode Jutsu (Chinese Hand Way) and they had also followed Funakoshi's lead in adopting the Judogi and coloured belt system.
While masters like Matsumura (Shuri Te), Itosu (Shorin Ryu) and Higaonna (Naha Te) had died, the styles in Okinawa retained a link to the Chinese schools of Fujian with resident masters like Gokenki and Tang Daiji.
In the 1920s masters like Chosin Chibana (Kobayashi Ryu) and Chojun Miyagi, along with Gokenki worked together to form the Ryukyu Tode Kenkyukai (Okinawan Karate Research Society) and by the 1940s they were also working with the Chin Woo Society in China to better understand the Chinese origins of the kata.
In 1941 Chojun Miyagi (Goju Ryu) and Shoshin Nagamine (Matsubayashi Ryu) worked together to create a form called Fukyugata (fundamental form) which is also called Gekisai. The form is designed to be taught to relative beginners. In Bushinkai we learn it at around purple belt.
Hanshi Patrick McCarthy 9th Dan (Koryu Uchinadi) believes the origin of this kata are in Chinese Monk Fist Boxing.
Hanshi McCarthy writes: "During the years I was travelling to China and researching the origins of karate, I learned very unique two person trapping, seizing & joint manipulation qin-na set. The form contains many techniques as exampled in Goju's Gekki-sai futari-renzokugeiko (the two-person continuous drill supporting Gekki-sai dai ichi).
"Later, when I discovered that its origins were Monk Fist quanfa, I formed a working hypothesis believing that it may very well have been connected to that which Miyagi Chojun learned from Monk Fist boxer Miao Xin (1881-1939) at the Chin Wu/Jing Mo Association in 1936....
"It must have been the original source from which Miyagi (& Nagamine) drew upon when developing Gekkisai in 1941."
We must also look at the influence of Shoshin Nagamine, who unlike most Shorin Ryu stylists was not largely influenced by Itosu.
Nagamine's teachers were the bad-boys of Okinawa, Choki Motobu and Chotoku Kyan, two men who were at the other end of the spectrum to the peaceful Funakoshi.
Motobu only knew about three kata. He definitely knew Naihanchi (Tekki), he probably knew Bassai, he may have known a version of Seishan and he was familiar with Channan. Forms like Nijushiho, Unsu, Gankaku and Meikyo did not seem to be on the radar.
If we look at Gekisai it does share some traits with Tekki, including the almost horizontal Embusen of the first few moves, but it also resembles Seishan (Hangetsu) in some of its combinations as well.
So Gekisai brings together the Tomari Te and Shuri Te of Motobu with the Naha Te and Quan Fa of Miyagi.
I am not personally a fan of Goju Ryu forms in general, least of all Sanchin, but when I was first taught this kata (Gekisai) by Tadanori Nobetsu, I instantly liked it, perhaps because of its Motobu/Matsubayashi influences. Reiner and Derrick Parsons have since helped me to understand it but I still view it as the kata out of our syllabus I know the least, simply because I have only been practicing this form about 9 years.
As this kata is only 71 years old it is also our newest kata, but because of its links with Louhan Quan (Monk Fist) and Motobu-ha Te I feel it is worth exploring.
Gichin Funakoshi and Makoto Gima took Shoto Ryu to Tokyo in the 1920s and following its success styles like Shotokan, Wado Ryu and Shotokai emerged. Elsewhere in Kobe, Funakoshi's friend Kenwa Mabuni introduced Shito Ryu.
Meanwhile in Okinawa, the heads of the Okinawan styles like Shorin Ryu, Kobayashi Ryu and Goju Ryu seemed to have mixed feelings about the success of the Shoto movement. On one hand they seemed to resent Funakoshi's sweeping changes, like renaming kata and simplifying techniques - but on the other hand they seemed to admire his organised approach. Because by the 1930s, most if not all the Okinawan styles had adopted the name Karate Do (Empty Hand Way) rather than the old terms, Karate Jutsu, Toshu Jutsu, Tode Jutsu (Chinese Hand Way) and they had also followed Funakoshi's lead in adopting the Judogi and coloured belt system.
While masters like Matsumura (Shuri Te), Itosu (Shorin Ryu) and Higaonna (Naha Te) had died, the styles in Okinawa retained a link to the Chinese schools of Fujian with resident masters like Gokenki and Tang Daiji.
In the 1920s masters like Chosin Chibana (Kobayashi Ryu) and Chojun Miyagi, along with Gokenki worked together to form the Ryukyu Tode Kenkyukai (Okinawan Karate Research Society) and by the 1940s they were also working with the Chin Woo Society in China to better understand the Chinese origins of the kata.
In 1941 Chojun Miyagi (Goju Ryu) and Shoshin Nagamine (Matsubayashi Ryu) worked together to create a form called Fukyugata (fundamental form) which is also called Gekisai. The form is designed to be taught to relative beginners. In Bushinkai we learn it at around purple belt.
Hanshi Patrick McCarthy 9th Dan (Koryu Uchinadi) believes the origin of this kata are in Chinese Monk Fist Boxing.
Hanshi McCarthy writes: "During the years I was travelling to China and researching the origins of karate, I learned very unique two person trapping, seizing & joint manipulation qin-na set. The form contains many techniques as exampled in Goju's Gekki-sai futari-renzokugeiko (the two-person continuous drill supporting Gekki-sai dai ichi).
"Later, when I discovered that its origins were Monk Fist quanfa, I formed a working hypothesis believing that it may very well have been connected to that which Miyagi Chojun learned from Monk Fist boxer Miao Xin (1881-1939) at the Chin Wu/Jing Mo Association in 1936....
"It must have been the original source from which Miyagi (& Nagamine) drew upon when developing Gekkisai in 1941."
We must also look at the influence of Shoshin Nagamine, who unlike most Shorin Ryu stylists was not largely influenced by Itosu.
Nagamine's teachers were the bad-boys of Okinawa, Choki Motobu and Chotoku Kyan, two men who were at the other end of the spectrum to the peaceful Funakoshi.
Motobu only knew about three kata. He definitely knew Naihanchi (Tekki), he probably knew Bassai, he may have known a version of Seishan and he was familiar with Channan. Forms like Nijushiho, Unsu, Gankaku and Meikyo did not seem to be on the radar.
If we look at Gekisai it does share some traits with Tekki, including the almost horizontal Embusen of the first few moves, but it also resembles Seishan (Hangetsu) in some of its combinations as well.
So Gekisai brings together the Tomari Te and Shuri Te of Motobu with the Naha Te and Quan Fa of Miyagi.
I am not personally a fan of Goju Ryu forms in general, least of all Sanchin, but when I was first taught this kata (Gekisai) by Tadanori Nobetsu, I instantly liked it, perhaps because of its Motobu/Matsubayashi influences. Reiner and Derrick Parsons have since helped me to understand it but I still view it as the kata out of our syllabus I know the least, simply because I have only been practicing this form about 9 years.
As this kata is only 71 years old it is also our newest kata, but because of its links with Louhan Quan (Monk Fist) and Motobu-ha Te I feel it is worth exploring.
Kata Study: Bassai Dai
Bassai is one of the most important kata in the Shoto Ryu family. It is almost always a requirement for blackbelt. I also know of nobody who cites it as their least favourite kata.
ETYMOLOGY
When looking at Bassai, we will begin with the name. When Bassai was introduced to these shores in the 1950s-1970s, everybody translated the name as "Penetrate the Fortress" when actually the Kanji seem to read nothing of the sort.
Bassai is comprised of the characters Batsu (also pronounced Nukitsu) which means withdraw (a drawing cut in Iaido is called Nukitsuke); and Sai which means obstruct.
Bassai therefore means to withdraw and obstruct. However, Funakoshi uses the character Chai (fortress) rather than Sai and it has been argued that "to blockade a fortress" is a reasonable translation.
However it is possible that in the days when few martial artists could read or write, it is possible Bassai meant nothing of the sort.
In Tai Chi the move Lan Za Yi (lazily tying the coat) was misheard in another region of the country as Lan que wei (grasp sparrow's tail) - thereby completely changing the meaning of the move. Likewise with Dao Jun Hao and Dao Jun Hong - changing the meaning of the move from "repulse the monkey" to "whirl the arms".
As I have pointed out in previous articles, there is a style in China called Baji Quan (originally Bazi Quan which has forms called Baji Da and Baji Xiao. An Okinawan like Matsumura could have easily misheard Baji as Bassai.
In previous articles I have also presented my theory that this art, Bazi Quan, originally meant White Lion Boxing. Okinawan Karate researcher Akio Kinjo pointed out that Bassai shares techniques with Lion Boxing.
The Chinese word for white is pai or bai and in the Fujian dialect "lion" is "sai" so Baisai or Paisai would mean White Lion.
In my Kata study of Heian Sandan I pointed out that it was likely Matsumura was aquainted with Baji Quan practitioner Dong Hai Chuan - perhaps this is the root of Bassai.
In the 1600s a Japanese physician named Akiyama went to China and studied a fighting art which, depending on how the Kanji is translated, can be called Hakuda, Hakushi, Shubaku or Baida.
The syllables are:
Haku/Baku/Bai - meaning white
Da/Shu - meaning hand (the same as Te)
Shi - meaning lion
So what was this Te that Akiyama studied? My money is on White Lion Boxing. The Shi in Hakushi is the same as the Fujian Sai (lion).
The syllables "Bai shi da" seen in "baida, hakushi, hakuda" are the same as Bassai Dai (white lion hand - rather than blockade the fortress major).
HISTORY
According to my calculations Bushi Matsumura of Shuri and Bushi Kojo of Kume went to Fujian in 1828. Matsumura was already a formidable fighter in his prime (aged about 30). He had been taught Toshu Jutsu and Bojutsu by Sakugawa and also taught some Quan Fa by Chatan Yara who we will meet in my study of Kanku Dai. He had also studied the Japanese style Jigen Ryu which meant he was a master of the sword.
At the "Kojo Dojo" in Fujian, Matsumura and his friend were exposed to various Chinese forms, which we now think included the following forms:
Sanchin
Seishan (Hangetsu)
Jutte
Useishi (Gojushiho)
Peichurin (Suparimpei)
While it is likely Matsumura studied Hangetsu, Jutte and Gojushiho while staying at the Kojo Dojo it would appear that something else inspired him more.
That something was the form we now know as Bassai.
When Matsumura returned to Okinawa he was not a professional Karate instructor. There was no Shuri Te, no Naha Te and no Tomari Te. Instead there were civilians, and there were professional fighters.
Matsumura was the latter.
Bushi Matsumura was the KIng's bodyguard. He organised the defences to Shuri Castle. Therefore his approach was not "self defence." Matsumura's priorities were:
1) Keeping the king alive by protecting him and guarding him
2) Keeping the king alive by hand picking and training all the staff at the castle
3) Keeping the king alive by teaching him to defend himself
4) Identifying any threats to the king and destroying them
It is interesting that the two forms we most closely associate with Matsumura are Tekki and Bassai.
In Tekki we imagine the imposing bodyguard with his back to the wall grabbing a hostage, knocking them out with victious knee strikes and breaking their neck.
Now in Bassai we see Matsumura cutting his way through a crowd impatiently and decimating enemy threats. In Bassai the kata is one of relentless aggression.
Bassai's opening movement sees Matsumura slam all of his bodyweight into the opponent. The first Kiai point sees him spin and opponent round and finish him with a rear naked choke. At the end of the kata Matsumura bombards and opponent with three powerful Yamazukis before dumping them to the ground and then knifing through a crowd with a final devastating strike. Bassai is not like Sanchin - it is not an exercise in isometric tension. Bassai is perhaps Shoto Ryu's most aggressive kata.
VERSIONS
It is likely that the oldest version of Bassai is the one we call Matsumura Bassai. Another version probably authored by Matsumura's friend Kokan Matsumora is Tomari Bassai.
However it is also possible that the oldest of all is the form we call Bassai Guwa (Passai Gwa) and that this was the original way Matsumura taught it.
It is thought Master Itosu took Matsumura's original Bassai to create Bassai Dai and drew on Passai Gwa to create Bassai Sho.
In Bushinkai we learn Bassai Dai at around 3rd Kyu brown belt and Bassai Sho after 4th Dan blackbelt. I will look at Bassai Sho in a future article.
ETYMOLOGY
When looking at Bassai, we will begin with the name. When Bassai was introduced to these shores in the 1950s-1970s, everybody translated the name as "Penetrate the Fortress" when actually the Kanji seem to read nothing of the sort.
Bassai is comprised of the characters Batsu (also pronounced Nukitsu) which means withdraw (a drawing cut in Iaido is called Nukitsuke); and Sai which means obstruct.
Bassai therefore means to withdraw and obstruct. However, Funakoshi uses the character Chai (fortress) rather than Sai and it has been argued that "to blockade a fortress" is a reasonable translation.
However it is possible that in the days when few martial artists could read or write, it is possible Bassai meant nothing of the sort.
In Tai Chi the move Lan Za Yi (lazily tying the coat) was misheard in another region of the country as Lan que wei (grasp sparrow's tail) - thereby completely changing the meaning of the move. Likewise with Dao Jun Hao and Dao Jun Hong - changing the meaning of the move from "repulse the monkey" to "whirl the arms".
As I have pointed out in previous articles, there is a style in China called Baji Quan (originally Bazi Quan which has forms called Baji Da and Baji Xiao. An Okinawan like Matsumura could have easily misheard Baji as Bassai.
In previous articles I have also presented my theory that this art, Bazi Quan, originally meant White Lion Boxing. Okinawan Karate researcher Akio Kinjo pointed out that Bassai shares techniques with Lion Boxing.
The Chinese word for white is pai or bai and in the Fujian dialect "lion" is "sai" so Baisai or Paisai would mean White Lion.
In my Kata study of Heian Sandan I pointed out that it was likely Matsumura was aquainted with Baji Quan practitioner Dong Hai Chuan - perhaps this is the root of Bassai.
In the 1600s a Japanese physician named Akiyama went to China and studied a fighting art which, depending on how the Kanji is translated, can be called Hakuda, Hakushi, Shubaku or Baida.
The syllables are:
Haku/Baku/Bai - meaning white
Da/Shu - meaning hand (the same as Te)
Shi - meaning lion
So what was this Te that Akiyama studied? My money is on White Lion Boxing. The Shi in Hakushi is the same as the Fujian Sai (lion).
The syllables "Bai shi da" seen in "baida, hakushi, hakuda" are the same as Bassai Dai (white lion hand - rather than blockade the fortress major).
HISTORY
According to my calculations Bushi Matsumura of Shuri and Bushi Kojo of Kume went to Fujian in 1828. Matsumura was already a formidable fighter in his prime (aged about 30). He had been taught Toshu Jutsu and Bojutsu by Sakugawa and also taught some Quan Fa by Chatan Yara who we will meet in my study of Kanku Dai. He had also studied the Japanese style Jigen Ryu which meant he was a master of the sword.
At the "Kojo Dojo" in Fujian, Matsumura and his friend were exposed to various Chinese forms, which we now think included the following forms:
Sanchin
Seishan (Hangetsu)
Jutte
Useishi (Gojushiho)
Peichurin (Suparimpei)
While it is likely Matsumura studied Hangetsu, Jutte and Gojushiho while staying at the Kojo Dojo it would appear that something else inspired him more.
That something was the form we now know as Bassai.
When Matsumura returned to Okinawa he was not a professional Karate instructor. There was no Shuri Te, no Naha Te and no Tomari Te. Instead there were civilians, and there were professional fighters.
Matsumura was the latter.
Bushi Matsumura was the KIng's bodyguard. He organised the defences to Shuri Castle. Therefore his approach was not "self defence." Matsumura's priorities were:
1) Keeping the king alive by protecting him and guarding him
2) Keeping the king alive by hand picking and training all the staff at the castle
3) Keeping the king alive by teaching him to defend himself
4) Identifying any threats to the king and destroying them
It is interesting that the two forms we most closely associate with Matsumura are Tekki and Bassai.
In Tekki we imagine the imposing bodyguard with his back to the wall grabbing a hostage, knocking them out with victious knee strikes and breaking their neck.
Now in Bassai we see Matsumura cutting his way through a crowd impatiently and decimating enemy threats. In Bassai the kata is one of relentless aggression.
Bassai's opening movement sees Matsumura slam all of his bodyweight into the opponent. The first Kiai point sees him spin and opponent round and finish him with a rear naked choke. At the end of the kata Matsumura bombards and opponent with three powerful Yamazukis before dumping them to the ground and then knifing through a crowd with a final devastating strike. Bassai is not like Sanchin - it is not an exercise in isometric tension. Bassai is perhaps Shoto Ryu's most aggressive kata.
VERSIONS
It is likely that the oldest version of Bassai is the one we call Matsumura Bassai. Another version probably authored by Matsumura's friend Kokan Matsumora is Tomari Bassai.
However it is also possible that the oldest of all is the form we call Bassai Guwa (Passai Gwa) and that this was the original way Matsumura taught it.
It is thought Master Itosu took Matsumura's original Bassai to create Bassai Dai and drew on Passai Gwa to create Bassai Sho.
In Bushinkai we learn Bassai Dai at around 3rd Kyu brown belt and Bassai Sho after 4th Dan blackbelt. I will look at Bassai Sho in a future article.
Kata Study: Empi
Empi or Wansu is an anomaly in the Shoto Ryu family. It looks like no other kata, there is no "Empi Nidan" or Wansu Dai." It is a singular and unique kata.
ORIGINS
Depending on some research it may also be the oldest kata in Okinawa, and even old by the standards of Japanese and Chinese martial arts.
The oldest date I have seen for the introduction of Wansu/Empi (I will refer to it as Empi from herein for simplicity) is 1683.
If this date is true it raises a scenario.
1) Empi means "flying swallow." It is said to be named after the Chinese soldier Wang-Ji.
2) It is likely therefore that the "swallow" related to the style of Wang-Ji.
3) The most common Chinese style that uses the swallow is Hsing-I
4) If Wang Ji studied Hsing-I, he did so in the lifetime of Hsing-I founder Ji Ji Ke.
5) Wang Ji may therefore have been a relative of Ji Ji Ke.
If this scenario is the case, we can consider Hsing-I Quan to be the ancestor of Empi.
The potential candidates for who Wang-Ji taught his style to can be counted on the fingers of one hand. In the 1680s, there were not a multitude of Karateka. The ones we know the names of are very few. They may include:
1) Hama Higa (not to be confused with the later Matsu Higa) a Kobudo specialist
2) Members of the Motobu family
3) Members of the Kojo family or others living in the Chinese community of Kume
A generation later we meet Takahara Peichin, a map-maker, astrologer and fighter of Shuri Castle.
Takahara seems to have taught the first generation of Shuri and Tomari based Karateka, including Tode Sakugawa and Chatan Yara who were studying in the early to mid 1700s.
Remember at this point in Okinawa there were none of the Fujian forms that were introduced in 1828 (Sanchin, Seishan, Jutte, Gojushiho), none of the 'Aragaki' forms (Nijushiho, Unsu, Sochin), none of the Tomari forms (Chinte, Gankaku, Meikyo), none of the Shuri Te forms (Kushanku, Bassai, Pinan) and definitely none of the Goju Ryu forms.
Simply put, kata were not a big deal in Okinawa in 1700. So apart from the solitary kata, Empi, what did the Okinawans practice that related to today's Karate?
1) Jigen Ryu. The Japanese sword art of Satsuma was practiced by various Okinawans, later including Matsumura and Azato. Interestingly one of its kata is called Empi.
2) Kobudo or Emono Jutsu. Not just the Sai, Tonfa and Bo. Okinawan weapons included the katana, Surujin (bolas), eku (boat oar) and the Tinbei and Rochin (a short sword/spear similar to a Roman Gladius and a shield sometimes made from a tortoise shell).
3) Tegumi wrestling, Okinawan Sumo and tug-of-war. There also seems to have been a form of arm wrestling done in mid-air.
4) Okinawan folk dances
5) Motobu Udun-di. The palace art of the privileged Motobu clan which resembled Aikido.
The point I am making is that we do not know what Empi looked like in 1700. Its present embusen may have been changed to reflect the later trend in kata. For all we know, the original Empi may have been done on the spot.
TECHNIQUES
Funakoshi's Empi differs from the Wansu practised in styles like Matsubayashi Ryu. Although it is possible that Funakoshi made arbitrary changes, it is more likely the differences are because Funakoshi was primarily taught by Azato. And what do we know about Azato? He was a master of Jigen Ryu. And what have we already cited about Jigen Ryu? It includes a kata called Empi.
Therefore in Empi we will look at both influences, Hsing-I and Jigen Ryu.
HSING-I
The characteristic move of Empi resembles the principle behind the Hsing-I swallow form - float high and then swoop low.
Empi also includes the Shuto, shuffling into a Gyaku Tzuki. A "splitting" strike and reverse punch are fundamental "fists" of Hsing-I.
Hsing-I also includes a stance very similar to Kokutsu Dachi (San Ti) and uses a technique very similar to Jodan Age Uke.
JIGEN RYU
The opening move of Empi is textbook "swordsmanship" as it uses a diagonal sweep with the right hand from a kneeling position. By looking at forms such as the Chinese Jian form Wutang Jian (a precurser to the Yang style Taiji sword form) I have demonstrated how Empi can be performed using a sword.
Jigen Ryu is a very unusual sword style in that it uses a makiwara. Jigen Ryu practitioners literally strike a hard wooden post with their bokkens. Did this practice come to Karate via Jigen Ryu?
ORIGINS
Depending on some research it may also be the oldest kata in Okinawa, and even old by the standards of Japanese and Chinese martial arts.
The oldest date I have seen for the introduction of Wansu/Empi (I will refer to it as Empi from herein for simplicity) is 1683.
If this date is true it raises a scenario.
1) Empi means "flying swallow." It is said to be named after the Chinese soldier Wang-Ji.
2) It is likely therefore that the "swallow" related to the style of Wang-Ji.
3) The most common Chinese style that uses the swallow is Hsing-I
4) If Wang Ji studied Hsing-I, he did so in the lifetime of Hsing-I founder Ji Ji Ke.
5) Wang Ji may therefore have been a relative of Ji Ji Ke.
If this scenario is the case, we can consider Hsing-I Quan to be the ancestor of Empi.
The potential candidates for who Wang-Ji taught his style to can be counted on the fingers of one hand. In the 1680s, there were not a multitude of Karateka. The ones we know the names of are very few. They may include:
1) Hama Higa (not to be confused with the later Matsu Higa) a Kobudo specialist
2) Members of the Motobu family
3) Members of the Kojo family or others living in the Chinese community of Kume
A generation later we meet Takahara Peichin, a map-maker, astrologer and fighter of Shuri Castle.
Takahara seems to have taught the first generation of Shuri and Tomari based Karateka, including Tode Sakugawa and Chatan Yara who were studying in the early to mid 1700s.
Remember at this point in Okinawa there were none of the Fujian forms that were introduced in 1828 (Sanchin, Seishan, Jutte, Gojushiho), none of the 'Aragaki' forms (Nijushiho, Unsu, Sochin), none of the Tomari forms (Chinte, Gankaku, Meikyo), none of the Shuri Te forms (Kushanku, Bassai, Pinan) and definitely none of the Goju Ryu forms.
Simply put, kata were not a big deal in Okinawa in 1700. So apart from the solitary kata, Empi, what did the Okinawans practice that related to today's Karate?
1) Jigen Ryu. The Japanese sword art of Satsuma was practiced by various Okinawans, later including Matsumura and Azato. Interestingly one of its kata is called Empi.
2) Kobudo or Emono Jutsu. Not just the Sai, Tonfa and Bo. Okinawan weapons included the katana, Surujin (bolas), eku (boat oar) and the Tinbei and Rochin (a short sword/spear similar to a Roman Gladius and a shield sometimes made from a tortoise shell).
3) Tegumi wrestling, Okinawan Sumo and tug-of-war. There also seems to have been a form of arm wrestling done in mid-air.
4) Okinawan folk dances
5) Motobu Udun-di. The palace art of the privileged Motobu clan which resembled Aikido.
The point I am making is that we do not know what Empi looked like in 1700. Its present embusen may have been changed to reflect the later trend in kata. For all we know, the original Empi may have been done on the spot.
TECHNIQUES
Funakoshi's Empi differs from the Wansu practised in styles like Matsubayashi Ryu. Although it is possible that Funakoshi made arbitrary changes, it is more likely the differences are because Funakoshi was primarily taught by Azato. And what do we know about Azato? He was a master of Jigen Ryu. And what have we already cited about Jigen Ryu? It includes a kata called Empi.
Therefore in Empi we will look at both influences, Hsing-I and Jigen Ryu.
HSING-I
The characteristic move of Empi resembles the principle behind the Hsing-I swallow form - float high and then swoop low.
Empi also includes the Shuto, shuffling into a Gyaku Tzuki. A "splitting" strike and reverse punch are fundamental "fists" of Hsing-I.
Hsing-I also includes a stance very similar to Kokutsu Dachi (San Ti) and uses a technique very similar to Jodan Age Uke.
JIGEN RYU
The opening move of Empi is textbook "swordsmanship" as it uses a diagonal sweep with the right hand from a kneeling position. By looking at forms such as the Chinese Jian form Wutang Jian (a precurser to the Yang style Taiji sword form) I have demonstrated how Empi can be performed using a sword.
Jigen Ryu is a very unusual sword style in that it uses a makiwara. Jigen Ryu practitioners literally strike a hard wooden post with their bokkens. Did this practice come to Karate via Jigen Ryu?
History of Jigen Ryu
Many Karate masters, including Matsumura and Azato studied a Japanese art called Ko-Jigen Ryu. Here is a timeline I have put together on the early days of that art:
1540 Higashi Shinnoji is born in Satsuma Japan, he will become a master of Taisha Ryu
1561 Togo Hizen no Kami Shigetada is born in Satsuma
1569 Shigetada studies under Higashi
1578 Shigetada fights his first battle
1581 Shigetada is awarded Menkyo Kaiden certificate of mastery
1588 Shigetada studies in Kyoto in the art of Tenshinsho Jigen Ryu with Zenkitsu
1604 Shigetada defeats his former teacher Higashi. The same year his son Togo Shigemasa is born.
1604 Shigetada becomes founder of Jigen Ryu.
1609 The Japanese Satsuma clan invade Okinawa and become overlords
1620 Shigemasa implements a syllabus of “makeshift weapons” in Jigen Ryu including the staff, oar, flute, sickle, spade and axe
1623 Shigetada’s grandson (Shigemasa’s son) Togo Shigetoshi is born
1624 Shigetada writes Enpi no Shidai (using the same characters for Enpi/Empi that Funakoshi used when renaming Wansu)
1632 Ijuin Mondo Hisaaki is born.
1645 Hisaaki studies Jigen Ryu under Shigemasa and Shigetoshi.
1650 Hisaaki introduces the art to the Ijuin clan. The branch is called Ko-Jigen Ryu.
1672 Shigetoshi’s son Shigeharu is born.
1680 Shigetoshi suffers a fit, so Hisaaki becomes caretaker head0aster
1680 Haebaru Ueikata is born in around 1680 in Onaka, Okinawa.
1695 Haebaru Ueikata begins to study Jigen Ryu and later takes it to Okinawans. He is thought to be the first recorded Okinawan practitioner of Ko-Jigen Ryu.
1540 Higashi Shinnoji is born in Satsuma Japan, he will become a master of Taisha Ryu
1561 Togo Hizen no Kami Shigetada is born in Satsuma
1569 Shigetada studies under Higashi
1578 Shigetada fights his first battle
1581 Shigetada is awarded Menkyo Kaiden certificate of mastery
1588 Shigetada studies in Kyoto in the art of Tenshinsho Jigen Ryu with Zenkitsu
1604 Shigetada defeats his former teacher Higashi. The same year his son Togo Shigemasa is born.
1604 Shigetada becomes founder of Jigen Ryu.
1609 The Japanese Satsuma clan invade Okinawa and become overlords
1620 Shigemasa implements a syllabus of “makeshift weapons” in Jigen Ryu including the staff, oar, flute, sickle, spade and axe
1623 Shigetada’s grandson (Shigemasa’s son) Togo Shigetoshi is born
1624 Shigetada writes Enpi no Shidai (using the same characters for Enpi/Empi that Funakoshi used when renaming Wansu)
1632 Ijuin Mondo Hisaaki is born.
1645 Hisaaki studies Jigen Ryu under Shigemasa and Shigetoshi.
1650 Hisaaki introduces the art to the Ijuin clan. The branch is called Ko-Jigen Ryu.
1672 Shigetoshi’s son Shigeharu is born.
1680 Shigetoshi suffers a fit, so Hisaaki becomes caretaker head0aster
1680 Haebaru Ueikata is born in around 1680 in Onaka, Okinawa.
1695 Haebaru Ueikata begins to study Jigen Ryu and later takes it to Okinawans. He is thought to be the first recorded Okinawan practitioner of Ko-Jigen Ryu.
The Swedish in Okinawa in the 1700s.
In previous blogs I have talked about how my great uncle Bill Nelson began his Jujutsu study in 1945, having previously been taught unarmed combat (boxing) by his father and grandfather, a Swedish sailor named August Nilsson. Even before August, the Nilssons were intrepid sailors and one group of the family even made it to Okinawa which is the subject of my ongoing research.
August Nilsson was born in Mönsterås, Kalmor county, Sweden in 1867. In the 1880s he joined the Swedish Royal Navy and became a bosun. As part of his training in the navy he studied what was called boxing but was actually a form of unarmed combat unburdened by rules or gloves. They also studied weapons, from the rifle to the sabre which was simulated by single stick fighting.
The Swedish sailors were an intrepid bunch and there are historical records of Skandinavian sailors making it as far as Okinawa. The famous Karate master Itoman Bunkichi was fathered by one such European and master Richard Kim talks about a technique known as the Danish Kiss (headbutt) entering the Karate repertoir.
August who moved to Liverpool from Sweden where he became a docker, was a very big man, well over six feet tall (estimated by my grandfather to be around 6'4") which was very tall for the 1800s when the average for a man was maybe about 5'7" he was also well known for his toughness in his youth but mellowed after falling off the roof of his house after which he "saw the light" about his aggressive ways.
One Nilsson family patriarch who visited Okinawa before August's time was Nils Bengtsson (born 1762) , whose children included Johan Nilsson, Bengt Nilsson, Olof Nilsson, Anna Nilsdotter and Maria Nilsdotter. He was born and died in Sweden but married in Okinawa, where his children were born. (see here for source)
Nils Bengtsson, born 1762, Jönköping, Sweden. Married Torborg Jonsdotter in Okinawa, August 17, 1785
Johan Nilsson, born June 26, 1788 in Okinawa
Nilsson 3rd generation, born circa 1830, Kalmar, Sweden
My line:
August Nilsson, born 1867 in Monsteras, Kalmar, Sweden
William Henry Nelson, born 1895, Liverpool
Karate master Richard Kim refers to Skandinavian immigrants in Okinawa fathering some of the Karate masters including Itoman Bunkichi, and introducing the Danish Kiss (headbutt) to Okinawa.
However even Nils in circa 1780 was not the first Nilsson to visit Okinawa, in 1585 Anders Nilsson Läsö was born in Okinawa. See source.
I can't help wonder if some of the hand to hand combat August knew was influenced by the fighting men of Okinawa.
August's son William Henry Nelson (my great grandfather) was also a tough man, who was known for his toughness on the Liverpool docks. A small man (unlike his father) his friends called him the Mighty Elmo after the Lancashire wrestler who was in turn inspired by the 1919 silent movie of that name about a scrapping cowboy. William Henry used to say, don't measure a gun by the size of the chamber but by "the strength of the gunpowder."
William Henry Nelson was a decorated infantry soldier in World War I (1914-1918) and received medals for active combat.
My grandfather Jim Nelson and his brother Bill were born in 1923 and 1925 and as children their father and grandfather taught them to box. I remember my grandad telling me: "My dad had boxing gloves hanging up in his shed. All my friends used to come round and we'd spar in the back yard. One day me and my dad were sparring and he hit me so hard he broke my nose."
My grandad was smart, disciplined and gentle and when WWII broke out he joined the army. His brother Billy was the exact opposite - rough, rebellious, slightly scruffy. He joined the merchant navy aged 14. My grandad said he never wanted to join the Navy because he would be made fun of as "Admiral Nelson" - his brother however would stand for no such jibes.
While my grandad was firing a mortar on Sword Beach, his brother Bill was travelling the world in the Navy getting into scrapes. His ship was torpeedoed and he spent days in the water.
After the war finished and my grandad finished his service in Egypt and Palestine, he and his two brothers and brother-in-law joined the territorial army.
Bill also wanted to continue his study of unarmed combat and so he joined Skyner's Jujutsu Club in Liverpool and our family Jujutsu tradition begun.
TIMELINE
16th and 17th century
1543: Portuguese become the first westerners to reach Japan.
1585: Anders Nilsson Laso is born in Sweden. 1609: Nilsson Laso travels to Okinawa around this time (Source) perhaps coinciding with the Dutch 'East India Trading Company' opening a factory in Japan
1609: The Japanese Satsuma clan invade Okinawa.
1616: Japan bans trade with foreigners except China confined to Nagasaki.
1634: An artificial island near Okinawa called Dejima is created for trading
1683: A Chinese envoy named Wang Ji (Wansu) arrives in Okinawa.
1680s: Okinawans Hama Higa and Takahara learn the Wansu method of boxing.
18th century
1731: The Swedish East India Trading Company is created, inspired by the likes of the Dutch East India Company to trade with the Far East as far as Japan and Guangzhou.
1733: Tode Sakugawa is born in Shuri, Okinawa, he studies under Takahara.
1745: The Swedish Ship Gotheborg is sunk on the way back from China.
1750: Sakugawa begins study under Chinese master Kushanku in Okinawa.
1759: Anders Ljungstedt is born in Sweden, he later works for the Swedish East India and in 1820 is appointed Sweden's first consul in China. He was well loved in Macao where he was called Long Sital 龍思泰.
1762: Nils Bengtsson is born in Jonkoping, southern Sweden.
1774: 90% of tea in Sweden is imported from China.
1775: Swedish physician Carl Thunberg moves to Dejima near Okinawa. Did the Nils family come with him? Source. In 1776 he met the Shogun in Edo, and in 1779 he returned to Sweden. Thunberg was a student of the earlier Swedish physician Carl Nilsson Linnaeus.
1785: Nils is in Okinawa and marries Torborg Jonsdotter. Source. This year the Swedish East India Company have four ships in China and the following year was the the second charter of the company - Source. The arrival of Nils predates the first whaling ship in the Pacific (the British ship Amelia in 1788) and the first to reach Okinawa was in 1822.
1788: The Nilsson family are born in Okinawa to Nils and Torborg.
Nils and Torborg's children are:
- Ingeborg Nilsdotter (born August 3 1785, Okinawa)
- Johann Nilsson (born June 26 1788, Okinawa)- Bengt Nilsson (born December 9 1790, Okinawa)
- Olof Nilsson (born April 13, 1794, Okinawa)Source
Sokon Matsumura was born in Okinawa in 1798. The Nilssons therefore were the same generation as the great Karate master.
1794: Nils moves back to Sweden around this time. He likely left Okinawa to get away from his first wife who evidently stayed there with her children, since she died in Okinawa in 1826. Nils remarried twice to Marit Jonsdotter (source) in 1794 and Sarah Helena Jonsdotter (source) in 1799. His daughters Anna (born 1795) and Maria (born 1797) were born in Sweden. Nils' third wife Sarah was from Kalmar, southern Sweden. He died in 1830 and she moved back to Kalmar, where she died in on May 5 1842.
Nils' grandchildren (the second generation of Nilssons) would have also been born in around 1830 in the Kalmar area.
1797: The HMS Providence arrives in Naha.
19th century
1867: My great great grandfather August Nilsson is born in Koping (now Monsteras) in Kalmar, Southern Sweden. He has brothers called Johann and Carl Johann and sisters called Anna and Marie, which following family naming traditions suggests he may be a grandson of the Okinawa Nilssons.
1860s-1870s: Itoman Bunkichi is born in Okinawa, the son of a Skandinavian immigrant and an Okinawan woman. The "Danish Kiss" is recorded in Okinawa as a fighting technique (headbutt). Source.
1868: The Meiji Restoration. The end of the Samurai class in Japan and Okinawa
1880s: August serves in the Swedish Navy and would have been taught hand to hand combat and single stick, a type of stickfighting designed to replicate the cutlass.1890s: August and his brother Carl Johann move to Liverpool and change their name to Nelson. They marry two sisters, Bessie and Alice Wood.
1893: August and Bessie's eldest sons are born, Charles John (1893) and William Henry Nelson (1895)
Early 20th Century
1906: Jujutsu is introduced to Liverpool by Gunji Koizumi.
1914: The First World War begins. William Henry Nelson serves with the King's (Liverpool) regiment and is awarded four medals. He is taught unarmed combat and rifle marksmanship. The war ends in 1918
1920s: William Henry becomes a docker and is considered the toughest man on the docks. His nickname is The Mighty Elmo, from the 1919 action film of that name. He marries Violet Stephens, a Cornish girl descended from the Welsh (Celtic) Royal family.
1923: Charles James Nelson (Jim) is born on June 6.
1924: William Henry Nelson (Billy) is born on Christmas Day
1920s-1930s: Jim and Billy are taught 'boxing' by their father and grandfather
1939: The Second World War begins. Jim serves in the East Yorkshire Regiment and Billy in the Merchant Navy, following in the sea-faring tradition of his ancestors.
1945: The war ends, Bill Nelson begins studying Jujutsu with Gerald Skyner at Cathrine Street Liverpool, a student of Mikonosuke Kawaishi who as well as Judo, studied Daito Ryu Aikijujutsu under Yoshida Kotaro (student of Sokaku Takeda). Bill achieves black belt.
1950s: Bill leaves the Kawaishi Ryu and joins another Jujutsu club at Arnott St School, Walton.
August Nilsson was born in Mönsterås, Kalmor county, Sweden in 1867. In the 1880s he joined the Swedish Royal Navy and became a bosun. As part of his training in the navy he studied what was called boxing but was actually a form of unarmed combat unburdened by rules or gloves. They also studied weapons, from the rifle to the sabre which was simulated by single stick fighting.
The Swedish sailors were an intrepid bunch and there are historical records of Skandinavian sailors making it as far as Okinawa. The famous Karate master Itoman Bunkichi was fathered by one such European and master Richard Kim talks about a technique known as the Danish Kiss (headbutt) entering the Karate repertoir.
August who moved to Liverpool from Sweden where he became a docker, was a very big man, well over six feet tall (estimated by my grandfather to be around 6'4") which was very tall for the 1800s when the average for a man was maybe about 5'7" he was also well known for his toughness in his youth but mellowed after falling off the roof of his house after which he "saw the light" about his aggressive ways.
One Nilsson family patriarch who visited Okinawa before August's time was Nils Bengtsson (born 1762) , whose children included Johan Nilsson, Bengt Nilsson, Olof Nilsson, Anna Nilsdotter and Maria Nilsdotter. He was born and died in Sweden but married in Okinawa, where his children were born. (see here for source)
Nils Bengtsson, born 1762, Jönköping, Sweden. Married Torborg Jonsdotter in Okinawa, August 17, 1785
Johan Nilsson, born June 26, 1788 in Okinawa
Nilsson 3rd generation, born circa 1830, Kalmar, Sweden
My line:
August Nilsson, born 1867 in Monsteras, Kalmar, Sweden
William Henry Nelson, born 1895, Liverpool
Karate master Richard Kim refers to Skandinavian immigrants in Okinawa fathering some of the Karate masters including Itoman Bunkichi, and introducing the Danish Kiss (headbutt) to Okinawa.
However even Nils in circa 1780 was not the first Nilsson to visit Okinawa, in 1585 Anders Nilsson Läsö was born in Okinawa. See source.
I can't help wonder if some of the hand to hand combat August knew was influenced by the fighting men of Okinawa.
August's son William Henry Nelson (my great grandfather) was also a tough man, who was known for his toughness on the Liverpool docks. A small man (unlike his father) his friends called him the Mighty Elmo after the Lancashire wrestler who was in turn inspired by the 1919 silent movie of that name about a scrapping cowboy. William Henry used to say, don't measure a gun by the size of the chamber but by "the strength of the gunpowder."
William Henry Nelson was a decorated infantry soldier in World War I (1914-1918) and received medals for active combat.
My grandfather Jim Nelson and his brother Bill were born in 1923 and 1925 and as children their father and grandfather taught them to box. I remember my grandad telling me: "My dad had boxing gloves hanging up in his shed. All my friends used to come round and we'd spar in the back yard. One day me and my dad were sparring and he hit me so hard he broke my nose."
My grandad was smart, disciplined and gentle and when WWII broke out he joined the army. His brother Billy was the exact opposite - rough, rebellious, slightly scruffy. He joined the merchant navy aged 14. My grandad said he never wanted to join the Navy because he would be made fun of as "Admiral Nelson" - his brother however would stand for no such jibes.
While my grandad was firing a mortar on Sword Beach, his brother Bill was travelling the world in the Navy getting into scrapes. His ship was torpeedoed and he spent days in the water.
After the war finished and my grandad finished his service in Egypt and Palestine, he and his two brothers and brother-in-law joined the territorial army.
Bill also wanted to continue his study of unarmed combat and so he joined Skyner's Jujutsu Club in Liverpool and our family Jujutsu tradition begun.
TIMELINE
16th and 17th century
1543: Portuguese become the first westerners to reach Japan.
1585: Anders Nilsson Laso is born in Sweden. 1609: Nilsson Laso travels to Okinawa around this time (Source) perhaps coinciding with the Dutch 'East India Trading Company' opening a factory in Japan
1609: The Japanese Satsuma clan invade Okinawa.
1616: Japan bans trade with foreigners except China confined to Nagasaki.
1634: An artificial island near Okinawa called Dejima is created for trading
1683: A Chinese envoy named Wang Ji (Wansu) arrives in Okinawa.
1680s: Okinawans Hama Higa and Takahara learn the Wansu method of boxing.
18th century
1731: The Swedish East India Trading Company is created, inspired by the likes of the Dutch East India Company to trade with the Far East as far as Japan and Guangzhou.
1733: Tode Sakugawa is born in Shuri, Okinawa, he studies under Takahara.
1745: The Swedish Ship Gotheborg is sunk on the way back from China.
1750: Sakugawa begins study under Chinese master Kushanku in Okinawa.
1759: Anders Ljungstedt is born in Sweden, he later works for the Swedish East India and in 1820 is appointed Sweden's first consul in China. He was well loved in Macao where he was called Long Sital 龍思泰.
1762: Nils Bengtsson is born in Jonkoping, southern Sweden.
1774: 90% of tea in Sweden is imported from China.
1775: Swedish physician Carl Thunberg moves to Dejima near Okinawa. Did the Nils family come with him? Source. In 1776 he met the Shogun in Edo, and in 1779 he returned to Sweden. Thunberg was a student of the earlier Swedish physician Carl Nilsson Linnaeus.
1785: Nils is in Okinawa and marries Torborg Jonsdotter. Source. This year the Swedish East India Company have four ships in China and the following year was the the second charter of the company - Source. The arrival of Nils predates the first whaling ship in the Pacific (the British ship Amelia in 1788) and the first to reach Okinawa was in 1822.
1788: The Nilsson family are born in Okinawa to Nils and Torborg.
Nils and Torborg's children are:
- Ingeborg Nilsdotter (born August 3 1785, Okinawa)
- Johann Nilsson (born June 26 1788, Okinawa)- Bengt Nilsson (born December 9 1790, Okinawa)
- Olof Nilsson (born April 13, 1794, Okinawa)Source
Sokon Matsumura was born in Okinawa in 1798. The Nilssons therefore were the same generation as the great Karate master.
1794: Nils moves back to Sweden around this time. He likely left Okinawa to get away from his first wife who evidently stayed there with her children, since she died in Okinawa in 1826. Nils remarried twice to Marit Jonsdotter (source) in 1794 and Sarah Helena Jonsdotter (source) in 1799. His daughters Anna (born 1795) and Maria (born 1797) were born in Sweden. Nils' third wife Sarah was from Kalmar, southern Sweden. He died in 1830 and she moved back to Kalmar, where she died in on May 5 1842.
Nils' grandchildren (the second generation of Nilssons) would have also been born in around 1830 in the Kalmar area.
1797: The HMS Providence arrives in Naha.
19th century
1867: My great great grandfather August Nilsson is born in Koping (now Monsteras) in Kalmar, Southern Sweden. He has brothers called Johann and Carl Johann and sisters called Anna and Marie, which following family naming traditions suggests he may be a grandson of the Okinawa Nilssons.
1860s-1870s: Itoman Bunkichi is born in Okinawa, the son of a Skandinavian immigrant and an Okinawan woman. The "Danish Kiss" is recorded in Okinawa as a fighting technique (headbutt). Source.
1868: The Meiji Restoration. The end of the Samurai class in Japan and Okinawa
1880s: August serves in the Swedish Navy and would have been taught hand to hand combat and single stick, a type of stickfighting designed to replicate the cutlass.1890s: August and his brother Carl Johann move to Liverpool and change their name to Nelson. They marry two sisters, Bessie and Alice Wood.
1893: August and Bessie's eldest sons are born, Charles John (1893) and William Henry Nelson (1895)
Early 20th Century
1906: Jujutsu is introduced to Liverpool by Gunji Koizumi.
1914: The First World War begins. William Henry Nelson serves with the King's (Liverpool) regiment and is awarded four medals. He is taught unarmed combat and rifle marksmanship. The war ends in 1918
1920s: William Henry becomes a docker and is considered the toughest man on the docks. His nickname is The Mighty Elmo, from the 1919 action film of that name. He marries Violet Stephens, a Cornish girl descended from the Welsh (Celtic) Royal family.
1923: Charles James Nelson (Jim) is born on June 6.
1924: William Henry Nelson (Billy) is born on Christmas Day
1920s-1930s: Jim and Billy are taught 'boxing' by their father and grandfather
1939: The Second World War begins. Jim serves in the East Yorkshire Regiment and Billy in the Merchant Navy, following in the sea-faring tradition of his ancestors.
1945: The war ends, Bill Nelson begins studying Jujutsu with Gerald Skyner at Cathrine Street Liverpool, a student of Mikonosuke Kawaishi who as well as Judo, studied Daito Ryu Aikijujutsu under Yoshida Kotaro (student of Sokaku Takeda). Bill achieves black belt.
1950s: Bill leaves the Kawaishi Ryu and joins another Jujutsu club at Arnott St School, Walton.
What is Bunkai? (分解)
Well bunkai is to analyse something to understand how it works. Bunkai is the Haynes Manuel of kata.
Some techniques in kata have obvious applications, sometimes a punch is just a punch and a kick is just a kick.
But other times kata have more abstract applications.
In many Chinese styles the techniques are so flowery and unusual looking, that on a superficial level they seem to not resemble any martial arts technique. For example look at "white crane spreads wings" in Tai Chi - it doesn't look much like a punch, kick or block.
Another problem for Karate is "labelling disease". Many of the Japanese styles such as Shotokan and Wado Ryu allocated names to techniques that meant they had to be pidgeon-holed as strikes.
For example the third/fourth move of Heian Godan used to be called Mizuno Nagure no Kamae (flowing water posture) but now most Shotokan practitioners call it Kage Tzuki (hook punch).
The technique we now call Morote Uke (supported or augmented block) was a favourite position of Choki Motobu - but he never used it as a supported block, it has just evolved that way.
Originally kata contained every type of technique in the art's repertoire. Masters such as Funakoshi are quoted as saying katas contain throws but few people practice them in this way because the technique that was meant to be a throw was burdened by a name which suggests it is a punch, kick or block.
So once we have liberated ourselves from the shackles of these labels, we are able to see a vast array of possibilities within the kata. Throws, locks, chokes, trips, breaks, even some groundwork.
Identifying these techniques through Bunkai gives us our Oyo (application).
Bunkai/Oyo should be learnt in a structured way. I have spent many years cataloguing Bunkai/Oyo for every technique in each of our first 14 kata. I can't do it for every kata yet, but I'm not interested in accumulating 30 kata I'm more interested in understanding the ones we've got.
Then we have the Oyo we look at Henka (variations) depending on the level of advancement within the syllabus.
Of course part of our Bunkai includes performing the katas with weapons, something that has been largely lost.
Most Shotokan practitioners will have heard that Jutte includes Bo defences, and some will have heard that the Matsumura family used to perform Kushanku while holding hairpins in their hands.
Studying the weapons along with the kata helps us peel another layer off the onion.
Finally the Bunkai study is taught according to the Three Sciences, otherwise known as the Three Treasures. Some might call this "mind, body and spirit" I call it the Science of Violence, the Science of Technique and the Science of Learning.
Within Bunkai the Science of Violence means the Bunkai has to work against realistic attacks. No Ninjas jumping off horseback throwing spears. These applications must be against real attacks. They also must work under pressure.
The Science of Technique means effectiveness of the Bunkai. Using the lessons within the kata to generate efficient power.
The Science of Learning means making the Bunkai part of our repertoire by drilling and practice.
Many times an advanced student will see a technique - let's say they see a technique from Judo - and recognise where it fits as a Karate application. The principles are the same, whether they are principles of efficiency (using the waist, breathing, moving in two directions etc) or principles of physics (fulcrum, lever, pulley etc).
Bunkai breathes life into Karate kata and makes it a never ending study. The more you understand Kata, the more the kata helps you to understand.
Wansu Kata
If we take the Kata of Shorin Ryu and Shotokan, (or indeed Wado Ryu, Kobayashi Ryu, Budokan etc) we find the forms fit into groups.
The Taikyoku (Kihon) forms are relatively recent innovations to be taught to beginners. The five Heian (Pinan) forms can be fairly reliably traced back to Master Itosu.
Kanku Dai has its little brother Kanku Sho; as Bassai Dai has Bassai Sho.
These are the forms typical of the Shorin (Shuri) school with big stances, powerful movement and movement in all directions.
Then we have the "Aragaki" forms, oweing more to Chinese White Crane and Monk Fist. These include Nijushiho (Niseishi), Unsu, Wankan and Sochin.
We have the "Temple forms" of Jutte, Jion and Jin and the Tomari forms of Chinte, Meikyo and Gankaku (Chinto) which again pay homage to Chinese Crane and Monk boxing.
We have the Naha Te form Hangetsu (Seishan) which has siblings like Sanchin and Suparimpei in styles like Goju Ryu and Uechi Ryu.
We have the three Tekki (Naihanchi) forms which have some hallmarks of white crane but also seem to owe to grappling drills.
And finally we have Gojushiho (Useishi) Dai and Sho, advance forms which seem to tie together all the Shotokan forms in a style remeniscent of Tiger boxing, drunken boxing and - according to master Funakoshi - of the woodpecker.
But one form remains - Empi. It has no siblings and its parents are unknown.
Empi (flying swallow) was previously known as Wansu in Okinawa. Some suggest it means "dumping kata" and that the characteristic jump at the end symbolises a "fireman's carry" and body slam, dumping the opponent to the ground.
I first learnt this kata in about 1997 from Sensei Stephen Bullough in the Bushido Academy. He taught me the form very similar to the Shotokan version but with a front kick as part of the characteristic "stepping in" sequence. Interestingly in the 1970s master Kanazawa also put a kick in this sequence (a roundhouse kick) but later abandoned the idea.
Empi became one of my favourite forms and I performed it as my Tokui Kata for both my 1st Dan and 2nd Dan gradings.
I later learned two versions of this form from Sensei Bob Carruthers. The first was the Shotokan version, the second was a form called Wansu, the origin of which I'm not sure except to say he was taught it by Sensei Joe Carslake and it most closely resembles the Kobayashi Ryu version.
I attended an excellent Empi seminar with a Slovenian Karateka named Nejc Sever, a student of master Kase. The interesting thing was that Nejc was also a Tai Chi student (as was I) and he demonstrated relating Tai Chi relaxation to this form.
It would be a while before I learnt to do this (see my previous Blog post about learning Goju Ryu) but I came to realise that Empi had a real internal power about it.
As luck would have it my Tai Chi teacher began teaching us another internal martial art called Hsing-I. I found this art strange at first, because although it was grouped together with Tai Chi and Bagua, its "five fists" (the basic forms) seemed to move rather like Shotokan Karate. A coincidence I thought.
In 2001, I left the Bushido Academy and attended about four lessons with another instructor. I must emphasise I only attended four classes (or perhaps three or five) but they were very thought-provoking to this day. The style was based on Malaysian Budokan Karate.
Budokan in turn (founded by Chew Choo Soot) was based on Kanken Toyama's Tomari Te Karate.
The interesting thing was, this Karate method performed its Shuto quite like Hsing-I's "splitting fist", and its Gyaku tsuki like Hsing-I's "pounding fist."
I discovered something else one of the "12 animals" of Hsing-I was the Swallow. Remember Empi means "Flying Swallow."
I looked into the history of Empi and found a reference to it being introduced to Okinawa in 1683. This would make it the first extant kata in Okinawa - and explain its lack of "siblings."
The master who introduced this form to Okinawa was named Wang Ji (Wan Su in the Ryukyu dialect). Wang Ji was a contemporary of the founder of Hsing-I Quan, Ji Ji Ke. Perhaps he was even a relative.
I no longer have the opportunity to learn Hsing-I Quan, and I never made it past the first few "fists" but when I practice Empi I keep in mind the internal qualities of this kata. Although I teach it to my students the "Shotokan way" when I practice it for myself I substitute the Shuto with Splitting Fist and the punches with Pounding Fist.
My other discovery is the Chinese weapon that works beautifully with this form, and it also includes an excellent groundwork armlock (oh you didn't know?) but that's another story for another Blog.
When I think about Empi, I remember how over the last 14 years I have been taught versions of this kata by about six different instructors (some I have not mentioned in this Blog post), I have looked into its possible relationship with Hsing-I Quan, I have looked into performing it with weapons and I experiment with its postures as Zhan Zuang (standing meditation) - and still I find this kata has much more to give me. It amuses me then when I hear people say "I know 20 kata" when all they really know is how to perform the kata as a dance routine.
The Taikyoku (Kihon) forms are relatively recent innovations to be taught to beginners. The five Heian (Pinan) forms can be fairly reliably traced back to Master Itosu.
Kanku Dai has its little brother Kanku Sho; as Bassai Dai has Bassai Sho.
These are the forms typical of the Shorin (Shuri) school with big stances, powerful movement and movement in all directions.
Then we have the "Aragaki" forms, oweing more to Chinese White Crane and Monk Fist. These include Nijushiho (Niseishi), Unsu, Wankan and Sochin.
We have the "Temple forms" of Jutte, Jion and Jin and the Tomari forms of Chinte, Meikyo and Gankaku (Chinto) which again pay homage to Chinese Crane and Monk boxing.
We have the Naha Te form Hangetsu (Seishan) which has siblings like Sanchin and Suparimpei in styles like Goju Ryu and Uechi Ryu.
We have the three Tekki (Naihanchi) forms which have some hallmarks of white crane but also seem to owe to grappling drills.
And finally we have Gojushiho (Useishi) Dai and Sho, advance forms which seem to tie together all the Shotokan forms in a style remeniscent of Tiger boxing, drunken boxing and - according to master Funakoshi - of the woodpecker.
But one form remains - Empi. It has no siblings and its parents are unknown.
Empi (flying swallow) was previously known as Wansu in Okinawa. Some suggest it means "dumping kata" and that the characteristic jump at the end symbolises a "fireman's carry" and body slam, dumping the opponent to the ground.
I first learnt this kata in about 1997 from Sensei Stephen Bullough in the Bushido Academy. He taught me the form very similar to the Shotokan version but with a front kick as part of the characteristic "stepping in" sequence. Interestingly in the 1970s master Kanazawa also put a kick in this sequence (a roundhouse kick) but later abandoned the idea.
Empi became one of my favourite forms and I performed it as my Tokui Kata for both my 1st Dan and 2nd Dan gradings.
I later learned two versions of this form from Sensei Bob Carruthers. The first was the Shotokan version, the second was a form called Wansu, the origin of which I'm not sure except to say he was taught it by Sensei Joe Carslake and it most closely resembles the Kobayashi Ryu version.
I attended an excellent Empi seminar with a Slovenian Karateka named Nejc Sever, a student of master Kase. The interesting thing was that Nejc was also a Tai Chi student (as was I) and he demonstrated relating Tai Chi relaxation to this form.
It would be a while before I learnt to do this (see my previous Blog post about learning Goju Ryu) but I came to realise that Empi had a real internal power about it.
As luck would have it my Tai Chi teacher began teaching us another internal martial art called Hsing-I. I found this art strange at first, because although it was grouped together with Tai Chi and Bagua, its "five fists" (the basic forms) seemed to move rather like Shotokan Karate. A coincidence I thought.
In 2001, I left the Bushido Academy and attended about four lessons with another instructor. I must emphasise I only attended four classes (or perhaps three or five) but they were very thought-provoking to this day. The style was based on Malaysian Budokan Karate.
Budokan in turn (founded by Chew Choo Soot) was based on Kanken Toyama's Tomari Te Karate.
The interesting thing was, this Karate method performed its Shuto quite like Hsing-I's "splitting fist", and its Gyaku tsuki like Hsing-I's "pounding fist."
I discovered something else one of the "12 animals" of Hsing-I was the Swallow. Remember Empi means "Flying Swallow."
I looked into the history of Empi and found a reference to it being introduced to Okinawa in 1683. This would make it the first extant kata in Okinawa - and explain its lack of "siblings."
The master who introduced this form to Okinawa was named Wang Ji (Wan Su in the Ryukyu dialect). Wang Ji was a contemporary of the founder of Hsing-I Quan, Ji Ji Ke. Perhaps he was even a relative.
I no longer have the opportunity to learn Hsing-I Quan, and I never made it past the first few "fists" but when I practice Empi I keep in mind the internal qualities of this kata. Although I teach it to my students the "Shotokan way" when I practice it for myself I substitute the Shuto with Splitting Fist and the punches with Pounding Fist.
My other discovery is the Chinese weapon that works beautifully with this form, and it also includes an excellent groundwork armlock (oh you didn't know?) but that's another story for another Blog.
When I think about Empi, I remember how over the last 14 years I have been taught versions of this kata by about six different instructors (some I have not mentioned in this Blog post), I have looked into its possible relationship with Hsing-I Quan, I have looked into performing it with weapons and I experiment with its postures as Zhan Zuang (standing meditation) - and still I find this kata has much more to give me. It amuses me then when I hear people say "I know 20 kata" when all they really know is how to perform the kata as a dance routine.
Hakuda
Jujutsu is defined as unarmed (or lightly armed) combat methods of Japan, the name of which suggests using suppleness and pliancy to subdue rather than brute force.
Judo developed from Jujutsu, Kendo from Kenjutsu, Aikido from Aikijutsu... right? Well only sort of.
Although nowadays we often think of any Japanese grappling system prior to 1860 as being Jujutsu, that term itself is often retrospectively applied.
It's a bit like living in the Dark Ages or living in Medieval times. People didn't actually say: "So how do you like medieval times?" or "These dark ages are rough aren't they?" The terms were applied afterwards.
And so with Jujutsu. Hardly any of the schools that we now think of as Jujutsu actually used that term.
Some used the term "Yoroi Kumiuchi" meaning "fighting in armour".
Others used "Torite" meaning "attacking hands"
Some schools used "Kogusoku" meaning "lightly armed."
Others used "Taijutsu" meaning "body techniques"
These terms were all common across Japan prior to the 1600s.
Then Japan began to observe Chinese influences in its styles. The Chinese concept of the soft overcoming the hard was expressed in the word "Yawara" in Japanese or "Ju" in Chinese, meaning softness. This is the root of the phrase Jujutsu.
Other Chinese concepts were Koppo (destroying the bones) and Kosshi (tearing the flesh).
One Japanese master named Akiyama from Nagasaki learned a style called "White Hand" (Baida) in China. In Japanese this becomes Haku Da (white hand) or Shu Baku (Hand white). It has been suggested the origin of this phrase is "to strike without impurity.
Another is Kempo, a direct translation of the Chinese "Chuan Fa" meaning Fist Law.
So we have seen the following phrases used to express Japanese hand-to-hand combat:
Kumiuchi
Kogusoku
Torite
Tai Jutsu
Yawara
Jujutsu
Koppo
Kosshi
Hakuda
Shubaku
Kempo
So why did the phrase "Jujutsu" become a catch-all for Japanese grappling?
One reason is that wrestling resonates with the Japanese psyche better than pugilism. Japanese gods wrestled, the national sport is Sumo, the Japanese teach Judo in schools, Puroresu (pro wrestling) is popular in Japan.
Now name a famous Japanese boxer...
Kempo, Koppo Jutsu and Hakuda were percussive methods of fighting and may be considered the sister of Okinawan Karate. They were viewed in most of Japan as rather undignified.
Whereas "Jujutsu" expressed the par excellance of wrestling. Subduing another wrestler using gentleness. What skill could be greater?
While Kagoshima prefecture (uncoincidently the bit of Japan nearest to Okinawa and China) enjoyed Hakuda, northern Japan especially around Tokyo wanted to learn Yawara or Jujutsu.
The Kito Ryu school took this concept one further and called its art "Ju-Do" - softness as The Way. That's right - the phrase Judo was used before Jigoro Kano created Kodokan Judo.
Kano's writings talked about how Judo was developed of Jujutsu.
In 1887 Kano told the Asiatic Society of Japan: "In feudal times in Japan, there were various military arts and exercises which the samurai classes were trained and fitted for their special form of warfare. Amongst these was the art of jujutsu, from which the present judo has sprung up. The word jujutsu may be translated freely as "the art of gaining victory by yielding or pliancy." Originally, the name seems to have been applied to what may best be described as the art of fighting without weapons, although in some cases short weapons were used against opponents fighting with long weapons. Although it seems to resemble wrestling, yet it differs materially from wrestling as practiced in England, its main principle being not to match strength with strength, but to gain victory by yielding to strength."
Of Hakuda he stated: "There once lived in Nagasaki a physician named Akiyama, who went to China to study medicine. There he learned an art called hakuda which consisted of kicking and striking, differing, we may note, from jujutsu, which is mainly seizing and throwing."
The name of my system is "Hakuda Kempo Toshu Jutsu". My senior students are graded in both Karate and Nihon-den Jujutsu. Our system name includes the phrase "Hakuda Kempo" rather than "Jujutsu" since our school most strongly owes its origins to the percussive methods of Okinawa and Kagoshima, rather than the softer wrestling of Tokyo Jujutsu.
I will discuss the phrase Toshu Jutsu in a future article.
Judo developed from Jujutsu, Kendo from Kenjutsu, Aikido from Aikijutsu... right? Well only sort of.
Although nowadays we often think of any Japanese grappling system prior to 1860 as being Jujutsu, that term itself is often retrospectively applied.
It's a bit like living in the Dark Ages or living in Medieval times. People didn't actually say: "So how do you like medieval times?" or "These dark ages are rough aren't they?" The terms were applied afterwards.
And so with Jujutsu. Hardly any of the schools that we now think of as Jujutsu actually used that term.
Some used the term "Yoroi Kumiuchi" meaning "fighting in armour".
Others used "Torite" meaning "attacking hands"
Some schools used "Kogusoku" meaning "lightly armed."
Others used "Taijutsu" meaning "body techniques"
These terms were all common across Japan prior to the 1600s.
Then Japan began to observe Chinese influences in its styles. The Chinese concept of the soft overcoming the hard was expressed in the word "Yawara" in Japanese or "Ju" in Chinese, meaning softness. This is the root of the phrase Jujutsu.
Other Chinese concepts were Koppo (destroying the bones) and Kosshi (tearing the flesh).
One Japanese master named Akiyama from Nagasaki learned a style called "White Hand" (Baida) in China. In Japanese this becomes Haku Da (white hand) or Shu Baku (Hand white). It has been suggested the origin of this phrase is "to strike without impurity.
Another is Kempo, a direct translation of the Chinese "Chuan Fa" meaning Fist Law.
So we have seen the following phrases used to express Japanese hand-to-hand combat:
Kumiuchi
Kogusoku
Torite
Tai Jutsu
Yawara
Jujutsu
Koppo
Kosshi
Hakuda
Shubaku
Kempo
So why did the phrase "Jujutsu" become a catch-all for Japanese grappling?
One reason is that wrestling resonates with the Japanese psyche better than pugilism. Japanese gods wrestled, the national sport is Sumo, the Japanese teach Judo in schools, Puroresu (pro wrestling) is popular in Japan.
Now name a famous Japanese boxer...
Kempo, Koppo Jutsu and Hakuda were percussive methods of fighting and may be considered the sister of Okinawan Karate. They were viewed in most of Japan as rather undignified.
Whereas "Jujutsu" expressed the par excellance of wrestling. Subduing another wrestler using gentleness. What skill could be greater?
While Kagoshima prefecture (uncoincidently the bit of Japan nearest to Okinawa and China) enjoyed Hakuda, northern Japan especially around Tokyo wanted to learn Yawara or Jujutsu.
The Kito Ryu school took this concept one further and called its art "Ju-Do" - softness as The Way. That's right - the phrase Judo was used before Jigoro Kano created Kodokan Judo.
Kano's writings talked about how Judo was developed of Jujutsu.
In 1887 Kano told the Asiatic Society of Japan: "In feudal times in Japan, there were various military arts and exercises which the samurai classes were trained and fitted for their special form of warfare. Amongst these was the art of jujutsu, from which the present judo has sprung up. The word jujutsu may be translated freely as "the art of gaining victory by yielding or pliancy." Originally, the name seems to have been applied to what may best be described as the art of fighting without weapons, although in some cases short weapons were used against opponents fighting with long weapons. Although it seems to resemble wrestling, yet it differs materially from wrestling as practiced in England, its main principle being not to match strength with strength, but to gain victory by yielding to strength."
Of Hakuda he stated: "There once lived in Nagasaki a physician named Akiyama, who went to China to study medicine. There he learned an art called hakuda which consisted of kicking and striking, differing, we may note, from jujutsu, which is mainly seizing and throwing."
The name of my system is "Hakuda Kempo Toshu Jutsu". My senior students are graded in both Karate and Nihon-den Jujutsu. Our system name includes the phrase "Hakuda Kempo" rather than "Jujutsu" since our school most strongly owes its origins to the percussive methods of Okinawa and Kagoshima, rather than the softer wrestling of Tokyo Jujutsu.
I will discuss the phrase Toshu Jutsu in a future article.
My naming of Toshu Jutsu
In previous blogs I've introduced the phrase "Hakuda Kempo" which is representative of the "Jujutsu" part of our school. Now I would like to talk about my use of the phrase "Toshu Jutsu" as distinct from Karate.
In the written Japanese language words can be written in either of three "alphabets" Hiragana, katakana or Kanji. The latter is the "last resort" and is a classical Chinese pictographic "alphabet" which is what we know as "Chinese writing."
Kanji can be pronounced in two ways in either Onyumi or Kunyumi, or in Japanese or Chinese therefore the Kanji for the surname Minamoto can also be pronounced "Genji" and the Kanji for the surname Taira can also be pronounced "Heike." And Ju (as in Judo or Goju Ryu) can also be pronounced Yawara.
Gichin Funakoshi changed the Kanji for Karate from "Chinese Hand" to "Empty Hand"
The Kanji for "Chinese hand" can either be pronounced Kara Te (Kunyomi), Toshu (Onyumi), To te (On & Kun) or Tang su (Korean).
The Kanji for "Hand" can be either Shu/Su or te/ti/de/di
The various translations are:
KARA TE (Empty hand)
KARA TE [Chinese hand - in Kunyumi]
TO SHU [Chinese hand - in Onyumi]
TO TE [Chinese hand in On & Kun]
TANG SU [Chinese hand in Korean]
The word Toshu (Chinese hand) is therefore the same as Karate but I use Toshu Jutsu (Chinese hand combat techniques) to differentiate betweenthe practical Toshu Jutsu and the more sporting Karate Do (Empty hand Way).
Interestingly in 2009 my uncle John went to Gyokusendo, Okinawa and there a local Dojo was teaching "Toshu Jutsu."
Hakuda Kempo Toshu Jutsu means is fully expressed as meaning "White Lion Fist Law method of Chinese Boxing"
A bit of a mouthful! So I understand when students just call it "Toshu Jutsu" or "Bushinkai Karate"
In the written Japanese language words can be written in either of three "alphabets" Hiragana, katakana or Kanji. The latter is the "last resort" and is a classical Chinese pictographic "alphabet" which is what we know as "Chinese writing."
Kanji can be pronounced in two ways in either Onyumi or Kunyumi, or in Japanese or Chinese therefore the Kanji for the surname Minamoto can also be pronounced "Genji" and the Kanji for the surname Taira can also be pronounced "Heike." And Ju (as in Judo or Goju Ryu) can also be pronounced Yawara.
Gichin Funakoshi changed the Kanji for Karate from "Chinese Hand" to "Empty Hand"
The Kanji for "Chinese hand" can either be pronounced Kara Te (Kunyomi), Toshu (Onyumi), To te (On & Kun) or Tang su (Korean).
The Kanji for "Hand" can be either Shu/Su or te/ti/de/di
The various translations are:
KARA TE (Empty hand)
KARA TE [Chinese hand - in Kunyumi]
TO SHU [Chinese hand - in Onyumi]
TO TE [Chinese hand in On & Kun]
TANG SU [Chinese hand in Korean]
The word Toshu (Chinese hand) is therefore the same as Karate but I use Toshu Jutsu (Chinese hand combat techniques) to differentiate betweenthe practical Toshu Jutsu and the more sporting Karate Do (Empty hand Way).
Interestingly in 2009 my uncle John went to Gyokusendo, Okinawa and there a local Dojo was teaching "Toshu Jutsu."
Hakuda Kempo Toshu Jutsu means is fully expressed as meaning "White Lion Fist Law method of Chinese Boxing"
A bit of a mouthful! So I understand when students just call it "Toshu Jutsu" or "Bushinkai Karate"
Karate and Jujutsu
When I was a child, I viewed martial arts as very easy to define. Karate was about striking, Judo was about throws and Aikido was about wristlocks! Little did I know there were strikes in Judo, and throws in Karate. Today the martial arts are not so easy to define, and really, any effective martial art should teach a full range of attacks and defences at different ranges.
The two martial arts I have trained in the most are Karate and Jujutsu. Both include strikes, throws, locks, grappling and weapons. So if this is the case, what is the difference between the two?
I will attempt to answer this with a number of comparative points. There will of course be a grey area and that grey area is literally where Japan and Okinawa meet. Okinawa is an island off the coast of Kagoshima, and so the Jujutsu of Kagoshima (often termed Hakuda) has much in common with Karate. Similarly the weapons of Kagoshima (ie Jigen Ryu) has much in common with the weapons of Okinawa. Both of these regions also had influences from Fujian, China more so than the rest of the quite literally insular Japan.
So I will ignore this grey area, so please assume I am refering to, for example the Jujutsu of Tokyo, contrasted with the Karate of the Okinawan capital Shuri.
1) Karate is Okinawan; Jujutsu is Japanese
2) Karate uses prescribed stances (ie Zenkutsu Dachi), Jujutsu uses prescribed hand positions (ie Ichimonji no Kamae)
3) Karate uses solo forms, Jujutsu uses paired kata
4) Karateka were primarily empty-handed; Samurai were primarily armed
5) Karate kata hides its applications within the form; Jujutsu applications are seen and are self evident
6) Karate uses many hand shapes (knife hand, single knuckle punch etc); Jujutsu does not (because Samurai wore restrictive gauntlets)
7) Karate was practiced by bodyguards, officials and civilians; Jujutsu was practiced by professional warriors/knights
8) Karate was developed by a handful (maybe a dozen) pioneers across a few hundred years; Jujutsu was developed by thousands of warriors over a thousand years. Karate was taught by individuals on an informal basis; Jujutsu was taught by professional instructors within each warrior clan and taught in a formal arranged fashion
9) Jujutsu was developed almost solely in Japan. Perhaps around 99% of Jujutsu schools were developed purely by Japanese teachers in an isolated fashion within their Ryu; whereas Karate was developed with direct influences from Okinawa, Japan, China, Thailand, Vietnam and Taiwan. Japan was a nationalistic cultural art; Karate was a mixing pot of influences
10) Jujutsu was designed to be practiced in restrictive clothing from full armour to sandles, riding hakama, kimono, while wearing weapons; Karate may be freely executed in a minimal attire, not much different from today's gi.
The two martial arts I have trained in the most are Karate and Jujutsu. Both include strikes, throws, locks, grappling and weapons. So if this is the case, what is the difference between the two?
I will attempt to answer this with a number of comparative points. There will of course be a grey area and that grey area is literally where Japan and Okinawa meet. Okinawa is an island off the coast of Kagoshima, and so the Jujutsu of Kagoshima (often termed Hakuda) has much in common with Karate. Similarly the weapons of Kagoshima (ie Jigen Ryu) has much in common with the weapons of Okinawa. Both of these regions also had influences from Fujian, China more so than the rest of the quite literally insular Japan.
So I will ignore this grey area, so please assume I am refering to, for example the Jujutsu of Tokyo, contrasted with the Karate of the Okinawan capital Shuri.
1) Karate is Okinawan; Jujutsu is Japanese
2) Karate uses prescribed stances (ie Zenkutsu Dachi), Jujutsu uses prescribed hand positions (ie Ichimonji no Kamae)
3) Karate uses solo forms, Jujutsu uses paired kata
4) Karateka were primarily empty-handed; Samurai were primarily armed
5) Karate kata hides its applications within the form; Jujutsu applications are seen and are self evident
6) Karate uses many hand shapes (knife hand, single knuckle punch etc); Jujutsu does not (because Samurai wore restrictive gauntlets)
7) Karate was practiced by bodyguards, officials and civilians; Jujutsu was practiced by professional warriors/knights
8) Karate was developed by a handful (maybe a dozen) pioneers across a few hundred years; Jujutsu was developed by thousands of warriors over a thousand years. Karate was taught by individuals on an informal basis; Jujutsu was taught by professional instructors within each warrior clan and taught in a formal arranged fashion
9) Jujutsu was developed almost solely in Japan. Perhaps around 99% of Jujutsu schools were developed purely by Japanese teachers in an isolated fashion within their Ryu; whereas Karate was developed with direct influences from Okinawa, Japan, China, Thailand, Vietnam and Taiwan. Japan was a nationalistic cultural art; Karate was a mixing pot of influences
10) Jujutsu was designed to be practiced in restrictive clothing from full armour to sandles, riding hakama, kimono, while wearing weapons; Karate may be freely executed in a minimal attire, not much different from today's gi.
The Life of Kanken Toyama
Kanken Toyama is of great interest to us since he was one of the last masers to study authentic Hakuda, Toshu Jutsu and make study of Chinese Lion Boxing.
The late great martial arts grandmaster, Kanken Toyama, was born in Shuri, Okinawa on the 21st year of Meiji, September 24, 1888. His given name was Kanken Oyadamari and he born into to a noble family.
In 1897 Toyama Kanken began his formal training in Toshukuken (Toshu Jutsu or Karate) under Master Itarashiki. Later, he apprenticed himself to Anko Itosu, who then became his primary teacher and was his inspirational guide. He continued studying under Itosu until Itosu's death in 1915.
Itosu was of course the founder of Shorin Ryu Karate with many famous students including Gichin Funakoshi (founder of Shotokan) and Kenwa Mabuni (founder of Shito Ryu.)
Toyama was a school teacher by profession, and his chosen field of instruction was karate-do. In 1907 Toyama was named Shihandai (assistant) to Itosu at the Okinawa Teacher's College in Shuri City, and in 1914 he held a high office at the Shuri First Elementary School. Toyama was one of only two students to be granted the title of Shihanshi (protege); Gichin Funakoshi was the other to receive this title from Itosu.
In 1924 Toyama Kanken moved his family to Taiwan where he taught elementary school and studied related systems of Chinese Ch'uan Fa (Kempo). This included Taku (Hakuda), Makaitan, Rutaobai, and Ubo.
Taku is one of central China's Hotsupu (northern school) Ch'uan Fa and is further classified as Neikung Ch'uan Fa (Shorei Kempo), that is, an internal method.
In previous blogs I have suggested that Taku (Hakuda) is synonymous with the Chinese Lion schools and of Bazi Quan.
Makaitan and Rutaobai, which the techniques of nukite (spear hand) came, and Ubo, all belong to the Nampa (southern school) Ch'uan Fa and are external methods or Waikung Ch'uan Fa (Shorei Kempo).
These later three styles hail primarily from Taiwan and Fukuden, China. Toyama sensei was also known to have studied and taught Tai Chi. Koyasu sensei learned Tai Chi from Toyama.
Early in 1930 Toyama moved again from Taiwan to mainland Japan and on 20 March 1930 he opened his first dojo in Tokyo. He called his dojo Shu Do Kan meaning "The Hall for the Study of the Way" (in this case the karate-way). Toyama sensei did not claim to originate a new style, system or school of thought, nor did he combine the different styles he had learned. Those who studied under him basically learned Itosu's Shorin Ryu and the related ch'uan fa.
In 1946, Toyama Kanken, now a Dai Shihan, founded the All Japan Karate-Do Federation (AJKF). There is some evidence that the AJKF actually got its start in 1930s, however the federation evolved into a full fledged organization when it was officially documented and sanctioned in 1946.
Toyama's intention when establishing the AJKF organisation was to unify the karates of Japan and Okinawa into one governing organization, providing a forum for the exchange of ideas and technique.
Toyama's specialties in karate-do were strong gripping methods, Useishi No Kata [Gojushiho] and the Aku Ryoku Ho of Itosu and Itarashiki and similar Chinese methods of finger and hand strengthening. He was the author of books Karate-do Taihokan and Karate-do.
In 1949 Toyama was awarded a special title of honor by the Governor of Okinawa, Mr. Shikioku Koshin. Aside from learning Shorin-Ryu from Itosu, Toyama studied and mastered other styles of karate from other notable masters of Naha-te and Tomari-te which also included Okinawan Kobudo. A few of his other teachers were Aragaki, Azato, Chibana, Oshiro, Tana, and Yabu.
It is also thought that when the Korean (Ch'uan fa) master, Yoon Byung-In came to train at his gymnasium, he also studied Northern Manchurian Kwan-bop with him. It is alleged that Toyama Kanken said that he and Yoon Byung-In should share techniques.
Toyama wrote of Lion Boxing, saying: "If you are seized from behind by a thug, the most exquisite technique is the Lion Method. Although there are many different techniques when being seized from the rear, the Lion Method is the only method in which to repel and opponent and deliver a mortal blow."
Although Toyama never really created his own school, he taught many masters, some of whom have influenced our school. These include:
1) Makoto Gima, founder of Shoto Ryu
2) Masanao Takazawa, founder of Keishikan, teacher of Malaysian Budokan founder Chew Choo Soot
3) Hideo Tsuchiya, Karate Jutsu master
4) Kinjo Hiroshi, Koryu Uchinadi master
The late great martial arts grandmaster, Kanken Toyama, was born in Shuri, Okinawa on the 21st year of Meiji, September 24, 1888. His given name was Kanken Oyadamari and he born into to a noble family.
In 1897 Toyama Kanken began his formal training in Toshukuken (Toshu Jutsu or Karate) under Master Itarashiki. Later, he apprenticed himself to Anko Itosu, who then became his primary teacher and was his inspirational guide. He continued studying under Itosu until Itosu's death in 1915.
Itosu was of course the founder of Shorin Ryu Karate with many famous students including Gichin Funakoshi (founder of Shotokan) and Kenwa Mabuni (founder of Shito Ryu.)
Toyama was a school teacher by profession, and his chosen field of instruction was karate-do. In 1907 Toyama was named Shihandai (assistant) to Itosu at the Okinawa Teacher's College in Shuri City, and in 1914 he held a high office at the Shuri First Elementary School. Toyama was one of only two students to be granted the title of Shihanshi (protege); Gichin Funakoshi was the other to receive this title from Itosu.
In 1924 Toyama Kanken moved his family to Taiwan where he taught elementary school and studied related systems of Chinese Ch'uan Fa (Kempo). This included Taku (Hakuda), Makaitan, Rutaobai, and Ubo.
Taku is one of central China's Hotsupu (northern school) Ch'uan Fa and is further classified as Neikung Ch'uan Fa (Shorei Kempo), that is, an internal method.
In previous blogs I have suggested that Taku (Hakuda) is synonymous with the Chinese Lion schools and of Bazi Quan.
Makaitan and Rutaobai, which the techniques of nukite (spear hand) came, and Ubo, all belong to the Nampa (southern school) Ch'uan Fa and are external methods or Waikung Ch'uan Fa (Shorei Kempo).
These later three styles hail primarily from Taiwan and Fukuden, China. Toyama sensei was also known to have studied and taught Tai Chi. Koyasu sensei learned Tai Chi from Toyama.
Early in 1930 Toyama moved again from Taiwan to mainland Japan and on 20 March 1930 he opened his first dojo in Tokyo. He called his dojo Shu Do Kan meaning "The Hall for the Study of the Way" (in this case the karate-way). Toyama sensei did not claim to originate a new style, system or school of thought, nor did he combine the different styles he had learned. Those who studied under him basically learned Itosu's Shorin Ryu and the related ch'uan fa.
In 1946, Toyama Kanken, now a Dai Shihan, founded the All Japan Karate-Do Federation (AJKF). There is some evidence that the AJKF actually got its start in 1930s, however the federation evolved into a full fledged organization when it was officially documented and sanctioned in 1946.
Toyama's intention when establishing the AJKF organisation was to unify the karates of Japan and Okinawa into one governing organization, providing a forum for the exchange of ideas and technique.
Toyama's specialties in karate-do were strong gripping methods, Useishi No Kata [Gojushiho] and the Aku Ryoku Ho of Itosu and Itarashiki and similar Chinese methods of finger and hand strengthening. He was the author of books Karate-do Taihokan and Karate-do.
In 1949 Toyama was awarded a special title of honor by the Governor of Okinawa, Mr. Shikioku Koshin. Aside from learning Shorin-Ryu from Itosu, Toyama studied and mastered other styles of karate from other notable masters of Naha-te and Tomari-te which also included Okinawan Kobudo. A few of his other teachers were Aragaki, Azato, Chibana, Oshiro, Tana, and Yabu.
It is also thought that when the Korean (Ch'uan fa) master, Yoon Byung-In came to train at his gymnasium, he also studied Northern Manchurian Kwan-bop with him. It is alleged that Toyama Kanken said that he and Yoon Byung-In should share techniques.
Toyama wrote of Lion Boxing, saying: "If you are seized from behind by a thug, the most exquisite technique is the Lion Method. Although there are many different techniques when being seized from the rear, the Lion Method is the only method in which to repel and opponent and deliver a mortal blow."
Although Toyama never really created his own school, he taught many masters, some of whom have influenced our school. These include:
1) Makoto Gima, founder of Shoto Ryu
2) Masanao Takazawa, founder of Keishikan, teacher of Malaysian Budokan founder Chew Choo Soot
3) Hideo Tsuchiya, Karate Jutsu master
4) Kinjo Hiroshi, Koryu Uchinadi master
Emono Jutsu
Within the Bushinkai school we train in various weapons. We begin with Jo (four foot staff), then move on to Sai, then Nunchaku. Next we learn the tonfa.
Before brown belt we introduce bladed weapons, either Japanese knives (Tanta - dagger, or Aikuchi - knife) or Chinese knives (Dip Dao).
Finally we revisit the staff, but this time using the Rokushaku Bo (six foot staff).
Once students attain black belt they may also specialise in a sword. Either Japanese (Katana) or Chinese (Dao, or Jian).
Throughout the syllabus we also study Tanjo (Escrima stick) as a generic weapon.
Before I proceed, there are a few FAQs or myths I would like to clear up.
MYTH 1: You shouldn't be teaching Japanese weapons and Chinese weapons together.
RESPONSE: These weapons have always been taught together in Okinawa, since the Ryukyu kingdom was influenced and governed by both China and Japan.
MYTH 2: The Chinese Dip Dao (butterfly swords) belong in Wing Chun, not Karate.
RESPONSE: Read Richard Kim's "The Weaponless Warriors" particularly the account of Chatan Yara studying the Chinese Twin Swords. Also read Okinawan Karate by Mark Bishop, reference the Kojo family studying the Chinese curved sword and introducing them to Okinawa.
MYTH 3: The Japanese sword has nothing to do with Karate since swords were banned in Okinawa.
RESPONSE: Two of the most influential Karate masters ever, Bushi Matsumura and Anko Azato were both masters of Jigen Ryu, a school of Japanese sword. And they were by no means the only Karate masters to train in this school. In particular the Motobu Ryu was based on the katana.
MYTH 4: The Jian (Chinese straight sword) was never taught in Okinawa
REPONSE: The Chinese straight sword was taught in Okinawa, together with a shield (usually made from a giant turtle shell) the weapons were called Timbei and Rochin. The sword was used almost like a spear in a stabbing fashion across the shield, in the same way Roman legionnaires used their gladius swords and spears in their shield formations.
Now these cultural points are addressed we can approach more technical points.
HOW DO THE WEAPONS FIT IN WITH THE SYLLABUS?
Firstly they add a wonderful new dimension to kata. Of course we explore (bunkai) kata for its myriad of grappling applications (oyo) but the forms may also be performed with weapons. My preferred forms with each weapon are:
Heian Shodan: Sai or Jo
Heian Nidan and Sandan: Nunchaku
Heian Yondan: Tanto or Dip Dao
Heian Godan: Bo
They also add a new dimension to self defence - that of weapons defences.
HOW ARE ARCHAIC WEAPONS RELEVENT TO SELF DEFENCE?
Easy. Substitute "Jo" for "pool cue", "Tonfa" for "police truncheon", Sai for "crow bar" - it doesn't take much imagination. And depending on where you live, you may be surprised how often machettes and katanas are still used in violent crime.
BUT I DON'T CARRY A WEAPON AROUND WITH ME. SO WHAT'S THE POINT IN BE ABLE TO FIGHT WITH ONE?
You probably do carry a weapon. Have you ever carried an umbrella, a rolled up magazine, a bunch of keys, a handful of coins, a cup of coffee, a pen. Have you worn a leather belt? Maybe you have carried a walking stick or even a dog lead.
And as for the contents of a woman's handbag... I once taught a group of women self defence and some of the potential weapons in their bags would put a Ninja to shame! One even carried a can of mace with her at all times.
A stick weapon is a stick weapon, a chain weapon is a chain weapon. Of course in the Dojo we use nice laquered oak Tonfa, but it could just as easily be a rolled up Daily Telegraph. Don't believe me? Take a broadsheet newspaper, roll it up as tightly as you can and hit a table or tree with it. It's like carrying a truncheon. (Or fold it again and you have, what back in the 80s, football hooligans termed a "Millwall brick"
Am I encouraging people to carry weapons? No. I'm encouraging people to think laterally about their surroundings and to improvise.
A FINAL WORD...
Most of what we learn is practical-application based but there is also something to be said for self expression and gaining a skill is self improvement and confidence building in itself. Choose a weapon, make it part of you, specialise in it. Know it back to front, inside out. And then come to realise what you have learnt could be applied to any weapon.
When I was 18 I was in the Territorial Army, a cavalry regiment with a particular pedigree for riflemanship. That weapon, the SA80, went everywhere with us. We slept with it in our sleeping bags (very cold), you take it to the toilet with you. It goes under your seat when you're in the canteen and when you get up for another slice of toast, you pick it up and take it with you. Now I don't have any fondness for guns. But part of that discipline stayed with me. I always know where my weapons are.
I am also reminded of the time a very senior Jujutsu teacher named Brian Dossett turned up to a weapons kata competition with a gardening fork wrapped in tinfoil. He was told "that's not a weapon, it's a gardening implement." He pointed at the Nunchaku and Kama that other competitors had and said: "So are they!" This tale struck me as apocryphal, until I asked his then-uke Jo Biggs if it was true and he said: "Yeah, but only because he couldn't fit a lawnmower into the back of my Mini!"
Before brown belt we introduce bladed weapons, either Japanese knives (Tanta - dagger, or Aikuchi - knife) or Chinese knives (Dip Dao).
Finally we revisit the staff, but this time using the Rokushaku Bo (six foot staff).
Once students attain black belt they may also specialise in a sword. Either Japanese (Katana) or Chinese (Dao, or Jian).
Throughout the syllabus we also study Tanjo (Escrima stick) as a generic weapon.
Before I proceed, there are a few FAQs or myths I would like to clear up.
MYTH 1: You shouldn't be teaching Japanese weapons and Chinese weapons together.
RESPONSE: These weapons have always been taught together in Okinawa, since the Ryukyu kingdom was influenced and governed by both China and Japan.
MYTH 2: The Chinese Dip Dao (butterfly swords) belong in Wing Chun, not Karate.
RESPONSE: Read Richard Kim's "The Weaponless Warriors" particularly the account of Chatan Yara studying the Chinese Twin Swords. Also read Okinawan Karate by Mark Bishop, reference the Kojo family studying the Chinese curved sword and introducing them to Okinawa.
MYTH 3: The Japanese sword has nothing to do with Karate since swords were banned in Okinawa.
RESPONSE: Two of the most influential Karate masters ever, Bushi Matsumura and Anko Azato were both masters of Jigen Ryu, a school of Japanese sword. And they were by no means the only Karate masters to train in this school. In particular the Motobu Ryu was based on the katana.
MYTH 4: The Jian (Chinese straight sword) was never taught in Okinawa
REPONSE: The Chinese straight sword was taught in Okinawa, together with a shield (usually made from a giant turtle shell) the weapons were called Timbei and Rochin. The sword was used almost like a spear in a stabbing fashion across the shield, in the same way Roman legionnaires used their gladius swords and spears in their shield formations.
Now these cultural points are addressed we can approach more technical points.
HOW DO THE WEAPONS FIT IN WITH THE SYLLABUS?
Firstly they add a wonderful new dimension to kata. Of course we explore (bunkai) kata for its myriad of grappling applications (oyo) but the forms may also be performed with weapons. My preferred forms with each weapon are:
Heian Shodan: Sai or Jo
Heian Nidan and Sandan: Nunchaku
Heian Yondan: Tanto or Dip Dao
Heian Godan: Bo
They also add a new dimension to self defence - that of weapons defences.
HOW ARE ARCHAIC WEAPONS RELEVENT TO SELF DEFENCE?
Easy. Substitute "Jo" for "pool cue", "Tonfa" for "police truncheon", Sai for "crow bar" - it doesn't take much imagination. And depending on where you live, you may be surprised how often machettes and katanas are still used in violent crime.
BUT I DON'T CARRY A WEAPON AROUND WITH ME. SO WHAT'S THE POINT IN BE ABLE TO FIGHT WITH ONE?
You probably do carry a weapon. Have you ever carried an umbrella, a rolled up magazine, a bunch of keys, a handful of coins, a cup of coffee, a pen. Have you worn a leather belt? Maybe you have carried a walking stick or even a dog lead.
And as for the contents of a woman's handbag... I once taught a group of women self defence and some of the potential weapons in their bags would put a Ninja to shame! One even carried a can of mace with her at all times.
A stick weapon is a stick weapon, a chain weapon is a chain weapon. Of course in the Dojo we use nice laquered oak Tonfa, but it could just as easily be a rolled up Daily Telegraph. Don't believe me? Take a broadsheet newspaper, roll it up as tightly as you can and hit a table or tree with it. It's like carrying a truncheon. (Or fold it again and you have, what back in the 80s, football hooligans termed a "Millwall brick"
Am I encouraging people to carry weapons? No. I'm encouraging people to think laterally about their surroundings and to improvise.
A FINAL WORD...
Most of what we learn is practical-application based but there is also something to be said for self expression and gaining a skill is self improvement and confidence building in itself. Choose a weapon, make it part of you, specialise in it. Know it back to front, inside out. And then come to realise what you have learnt could be applied to any weapon.
When I was 18 I was in the Territorial Army, a cavalry regiment with a particular pedigree for riflemanship. That weapon, the SA80, went everywhere with us. We slept with it in our sleeping bags (very cold), you take it to the toilet with you. It goes under your seat when you're in the canteen and when you get up for another slice of toast, you pick it up and take it with you. Now I don't have any fondness for guns. But part of that discipline stayed with me. I always know where my weapons are.
I am also reminded of the time a very senior Jujutsu teacher named Brian Dossett turned up to a weapons kata competition with a gardening fork wrapped in tinfoil. He was told "that's not a weapon, it's a gardening implement." He pointed at the Nunchaku and Kama that other competitors had and said: "So are they!" This tale struck me as apocryphal, until I asked his then-uke Jo Biggs if it was true and he said: "Yeah, but only because he couldn't fit a lawnmower into the back of my Mini!"
Hakugen Ryu: the original Bujutsu of Satsuma
In my previous blog post, I talked about my great uncle first studying Jujutsu in 1945. His teacher's teacher was a practitioner of Daito Ryu which traces its origins back to the famous Minamoto clan.
The original art of the Minamoto clan was called Hakugen Ryu which I would like to talk more about.
One of the first Japanese martial arts schools was Kashima no Tachi Shinmyoken, which was founded by Kunima Masato in 400 AD. From this style Jigensai Kazutou Jiichibou created a school called HAKUGEN RYU in 931AD.
Hakugen Ryu was passed to the Minamoto clan (Genji) which held its secrets in a set of two scrolls, “Ryuko Nikan no Hidensho (the two secret scrolls of Dragon and Tiger).
The art was passed to Minamoto no Yoshiie (1039 – 1106) who decoded the secrets and created a system which he called “Ten Chi Jin In Yo Godan no Houkei” (the form of the Five Techniques of Heaven, Earth, Human, Darkness and Light).
Yoshiie's younger brother Minamoto Yoshimitsu (1045 – 1127) created a branch of the tradition later known as Daito Ryu, famed for its Aikijujutsu.
Minamoto Yoshiie passed Hakugen Ryu to Kiichi Hougan and he to Minamoto Yoshitsune (1159 – 1189) who was the brother of the shogun Minamoto Yoritomo.
Yoshitsune passed the art on to Shunjobu Jugen who taught it to Yaobettoh Kenko.
Yaobettoh passed the art to Tose Nagamune who also mastered Tenshin Shōden Katori Shintō Ryu and called his teachings Tenshinsho Jigen Ryu. Nagamune moved to Satsuma and changed the name Jiken to 'Jigen' and changed his own name to Setoguchi Masamoto.
He explained: "The origin of my style traces back its roots to Jouko Ryu Kashima no Tachi Hakugen Ryu. The style has incorporated many other different styles by the past successors. “Gen” also contains several meanings like; the source of everything in the world, the war strategy (Heiho) of the Minamoto (Genji) clan. I hereby name my style as Tenshinsho Jigen Ryu Hyoho with absolute certainty and confidence.”
Setoguchi died in 1519 but left behind hidden in Satsuma all the secrets of his art, that was passed down to only one disciple of each generation and royal guards of the Shimazu clan for about 500 years.
Within Satsuma the art of Jigen Ryu was further developed by Togo Chui (1561-1643) in Satsuma Province, now Kagoshima prefecture, Kyushu, Japan.
This branch of the art was passed through to Togo family and then a branch of it, called Kojigen Ryu was taught to Toshu Jutsu masters from Okinawan including Sokon Matsumura and Yoshitsune Azato.
Matsumura created numerous forms that are used in Toshu Jutsu and Karatedo including Bassai Dai and Bassai Sho, the latter includes some resemblance to Jigen Ryu sword movements and the kata Empi shares its name with a Jigen Ryu form.
Hakugen Ryu is the ultimate ancestor of Daito Ryu (from where the Bushin Ryu family tradition of Nihon-den Jujutsu derives).
Hakugen Ryu is also the ultimate ancestor of Kojigen Ryu which was studied by the masters of Toshu jutsu who influenced our school.
Hakugen Ryu was also an influenced on the original Yoshin Ryu school of Hakuda which influenced much of our Jujutsu.
The original art of the Minamoto clan was called Hakugen Ryu which I would like to talk more about.
One of the first Japanese martial arts schools was Kashima no Tachi Shinmyoken, which was founded by Kunima Masato in 400 AD. From this style Jigensai Kazutou Jiichibou created a school called HAKUGEN RYU in 931AD.
Hakugen Ryu was passed to the Minamoto clan (Genji) which held its secrets in a set of two scrolls, “Ryuko Nikan no Hidensho (the two secret scrolls of Dragon and Tiger).
The art was passed to Minamoto no Yoshiie (1039 – 1106) who decoded the secrets and created a system which he called “Ten Chi Jin In Yo Godan no Houkei” (the form of the Five Techniques of Heaven, Earth, Human, Darkness and Light).
Yoshiie's younger brother Minamoto Yoshimitsu (1045 – 1127) created a branch of the tradition later known as Daito Ryu, famed for its Aikijujutsu.
Minamoto Yoshiie passed Hakugen Ryu to Kiichi Hougan and he to Minamoto Yoshitsune (1159 – 1189) who was the brother of the shogun Minamoto Yoritomo.
Yoshitsune passed the art on to Shunjobu Jugen who taught it to Yaobettoh Kenko.
Yaobettoh passed the art to Tose Nagamune who also mastered Tenshin Shōden Katori Shintō Ryu and called his teachings Tenshinsho Jigen Ryu. Nagamune moved to Satsuma and changed the name Jiken to 'Jigen' and changed his own name to Setoguchi Masamoto.
He explained: "The origin of my style traces back its roots to Jouko Ryu Kashima no Tachi Hakugen Ryu. The style has incorporated many other different styles by the past successors. “Gen” also contains several meanings like; the source of everything in the world, the war strategy (Heiho) of the Minamoto (Genji) clan. I hereby name my style as Tenshinsho Jigen Ryu Hyoho with absolute certainty and confidence.”
Setoguchi died in 1519 but left behind hidden in Satsuma all the secrets of his art, that was passed down to only one disciple of each generation and royal guards of the Shimazu clan for about 500 years.
Within Satsuma the art of Jigen Ryu was further developed by Togo Chui (1561-1643) in Satsuma Province, now Kagoshima prefecture, Kyushu, Japan.
This branch of the art was passed through to Togo family and then a branch of it, called Kojigen Ryu was taught to Toshu Jutsu masters from Okinawan including Sokon Matsumura and Yoshitsune Azato.
Matsumura created numerous forms that are used in Toshu Jutsu and Karatedo including Bassai Dai and Bassai Sho, the latter includes some resemblance to Jigen Ryu sword movements and the kata Empi shares its name with a Jigen Ryu form.
Hakugen Ryu is the ultimate ancestor of Daito Ryu (from where the Bushin Ryu family tradition of Nihon-den Jujutsu derives).
Hakugen Ryu is also the ultimate ancestor of Kojigen Ryu which was studied by the masters of Toshu jutsu who influenced our school.
Hakugen Ryu was also an influenced on the original Yoshin Ryu school of Hakuda which influenced much of our Jujutsu.
Channan and Pinan
The Heian katas are often said to have been developed by master Itosu. They were called Pinan and the name was changed by Gichin Funakoshi to make it more appealing to the Japanese.
The problem with the theory about Itosu creating the Pinan forms is that at least two of them (Nidan and Shodan) seem to predate Itosu.
Styles, seemingly derived from Itosu's teacher Matsumura also include these forms and Chokki Motobu also related a story about them.
Motobu said he saw Itosu practicing the Channan kata - but practicing it differently - and when he asked about it, Itosu said: "This is the way we do it now, the young people tell me Pinan is better than Channan."
So from this we can conclude that the five Pinan forms were derived from the previous Channan form. Or where they?
Another story states that the Pinans were derived from the kata Kushanku (Kanku Dai) and certainly there are similarities. But for every similarities there are many differences. For instance the opening moves of Nidan, Sandan and Yondan are nowhere to be seen in Kushanku.
Perhaps Pinan were derived from both Channan and Kushanku.
So where did Itosu and his teacher Matsumura learn these forms?
It is unlikely that Matsumura learnt these forms on his excursions to China. His training with Iwah alongside the Kojo family and Aragaki seems to have yielded forms which still have counterparts in the Shaolin tradition like Useishi (Gojushiho), Seishan (Hangetsu) and Jutte.
Rather it is likely that Matsumura learn this kata from his original teachers Chatan Yara and Tode Sakugawa.
There is a version of the kata called Yara no Kushanku and this would seem to be the origin. An Okinawan tale recalls that a master called Kushanku taught the form to Sakugawa and Richard Kim tells us that one of Kushanku's students was called Yara. So that seems to clear things up.
But Kushanku himself may have also been a practitioner of Chang Chuan (Long Fist) which may be the origin of Channan.
Long Fist includes techniques very similar to some found in Pinans.
Chang Chuan was pioneered by a sixteenth century general called General Qi.
I enjoy the Pinan forms because I believe they are very versatile and their myriad of applications give us a broad grounding before we meet more close-in fighting forms like Naihanchi and Seishan.
In examining the Pinan forms:
Pinan Shodan (Heian Shodan) gives excellent Tenkan movement and has some very nice Aikido style locks and throws
Nidan has some great fundamantal flinch blocks, throws and takedowns.
Sandan is the most circular of the forms and its applications resemble Pakua Zhang.
Yondan is the closest to Kushanku and also works well with a knife or twin swords.
Godan is the little brother of Bassai and begins to introduce more close range grappling that will take us onto Naihanchi. It also works well with a bo staff.
In Bushinkai we learn the Pinan/Heian forms, then Naihanchi and Gekisai and finally Bassai and Kushanku. Then we begin on the advanced forms.
The problem with the theory about Itosu creating the Pinan forms is that at least two of them (Nidan and Shodan) seem to predate Itosu.
Styles, seemingly derived from Itosu's teacher Matsumura also include these forms and Chokki Motobu also related a story about them.
Motobu said he saw Itosu practicing the Channan kata - but practicing it differently - and when he asked about it, Itosu said: "This is the way we do it now, the young people tell me Pinan is better than Channan."
So from this we can conclude that the five Pinan forms were derived from the previous Channan form. Or where they?
Another story states that the Pinans were derived from the kata Kushanku (Kanku Dai) and certainly there are similarities. But for every similarities there are many differences. For instance the opening moves of Nidan, Sandan and Yondan are nowhere to be seen in Kushanku.
Perhaps Pinan were derived from both Channan and Kushanku.
So where did Itosu and his teacher Matsumura learn these forms?
It is unlikely that Matsumura learnt these forms on his excursions to China. His training with Iwah alongside the Kojo family and Aragaki seems to have yielded forms which still have counterparts in the Shaolin tradition like Useishi (Gojushiho), Seishan (Hangetsu) and Jutte.
Rather it is likely that Matsumura learn this kata from his original teachers Chatan Yara and Tode Sakugawa.
There is a version of the kata called Yara no Kushanku and this would seem to be the origin. An Okinawan tale recalls that a master called Kushanku taught the form to Sakugawa and Richard Kim tells us that one of Kushanku's students was called Yara. So that seems to clear things up.
But Kushanku himself may have also been a practitioner of Chang Chuan (Long Fist) which may be the origin of Channan.
Long Fist includes techniques very similar to some found in Pinans.
Chang Chuan was pioneered by a sixteenth century general called General Qi.
I enjoy the Pinan forms because I believe they are very versatile and their myriad of applications give us a broad grounding before we meet more close-in fighting forms like Naihanchi and Seishan.
In examining the Pinan forms:
Pinan Shodan (Heian Shodan) gives excellent Tenkan movement and has some very nice Aikido style locks and throws
Nidan has some great fundamantal flinch blocks, throws and takedowns.
Sandan is the most circular of the forms and its applications resemble Pakua Zhang.
Yondan is the closest to Kushanku and also works well with a knife or twin swords.
Godan is the little brother of Bassai and begins to introduce more close range grappling that will take us onto Naihanchi. It also works well with a bo staff.
In Bushinkai we learn the Pinan/Heian forms, then Naihanchi and Gekisai and finally Bassai and Kushanku. Then we begin on the advanced forms.
The legacy of Kata
When I was 16 our club was a fairly physical one. We did lots of sparring, both semi-contact and full contact. We also grappled on the ground (back to back start) and did lots of self defence. Although there were other aspects to the training myself and my peers prided ourselves on being able to "handle" ourselves.
My friend was training in a traditional Goju Ryu club and all he ever seemed to do was kata, and predictably when we sparred with him he didn't have the skills we had.
Kata seemed to be a necessary evil to us. We fought all lesson and then for the last 15 minutes, did some kata. Maybe it was a Japanese thing, take the rough with the smooth. I certainly never found much value in it.
Remember that in, say 1995 nobody had the internet so if you wanted to read up on kata you had to buy a book, and my local town wasn't exactly cosmopolitan when it came to specialist cultural arts!
Granted, some of the kata - particularly Bassai Dai - looked dynamic wen the black belts did them, but our kata like the first three Taikyoku forms seemed like an exercise in being obsessed with Gedan Barai - a move we never did in sparring.
In 1996 I found an old book on Ed Parker's Kenpo Karate. The book was from the 1960s I would guess and emphasised Karate's Chinese - rather than Japanese - origins. It showed Chinese weaponry but also showed a two man drill featuring many of the moves I knew from kata.
Then I asked Sensei about the kata and he said: "A block is a strike and a block is a throw."
It started to fit together. Maybe I needed to forget about the long range techniques that we used in Karate sparring and concentrate on the self defence moves I had learnt. Sensei had taught us lots of Judo throws, Aikido locks and so on. Maybe it was these moves that were within the kata.
By 1999 I was also studying the Yang Style Long form in Tai Chi and once again I saw techniques that were open to interpretation. Some of them were fairly obviously punches - but what about "Fair Lady Works Shuttles", "Needle at Sea Bottom" and "Carry Tiger to Mountain" - it was almost as if the person designing the forms wanted us to choose our own applications.
In 2000 Sensei let me open my own club and in February 2001 the "Northwest College of Martial Arts Bushidokan" (later Bushinkai) was launched. Although at this point I was training for my 2nd Dan as well as studying Jujutsu and Tai Chi I still very much viewed my martial arts as separate and compartmentalised. My arts themselves may have been kept separate, but by this point I had a decent repertoire, a good collection of reference books and an understanding of the different approaches in Chinese, Japanese and Okinawan martial arts.
In 2001 I was training in Karate under Sensei Bob Carruthers and in Jujutsu under Sensei Jaimie Lee-Barron's group.
I also began training with another instructor who opened my eyes to another facet of Karate.
Sensei Steven Brennan was one of Bob Carruthers' senior students. He had started training in 1974 with the KUGB under Billy Higgins, he then joined Bob as a blue belt and later trained under Joe Ellis and Roy Stanhope. Since 2000 though he had been attending seminars in Yorkshire with one of Patrick McCarthy's Koryu Uchinadi instructors. Steve and I paired up for his 3rd Dan grading and my 2nd Dan. We both passed since you asked - his grading kata was Hangetsu, mine was Empi.
Steve Brennan introduced me to what he called TNT Karate - the TNT stood for "techniques not taught" namely the nasty breaking, ripping and pressure point techniques found within kata. He also re-aquainted me with the idea of two-man flow drills.
One of my senior students at the time Steve Chriscole masterminded a martial arts magazine designed purely for the kata enthusiast called Kata Unlimited. I contributed to every issue, usually with puns like "let's stance" and he also got contributions from the likes of Patrick McCarthy, Rick Clarke, Iain Abernathy, Bill Burgar and Reiner Parsons (who would later become my teacher). Ideas were exchanged (and pinched) and it all went towards shaping understanding of this thing we call Bunkai.
So I came to realise that Kata was not just a dance or a pointless tradition - or a classical mess as Bruce Lee called it.
I realised kata was a database of techniques. Every throw I could find in Judo, I found in a Karate kata. Every lock, throw, twist and crank in Aikido is in a Karate kata.
My real syllabus was not the A4 booklet in my kitbag my real syllabus was kata.
I began to catalogue every single technique (including the intermediate "stack ups") in every single kata I knew and came up with a variation of realistic bunkai based on Patrick McCarthy's 36 HAPV theory.
By 2003 I was training in both "branches" of Karate - in the Shoto/Shuri/Shorin school with Bob Carruthers and in the Goju/Naha/Shorei branch with Reiner Parsons. I was still working through "TNT" Uchinadi with Steve Brennan, and was also studying Jujutsu and Judo on seminars (under the late Shizuya Sato) with the likes of Jack Hearn and Ray Walker. I was maintaining my Tai Chi study (which also included a little Hsing-I) and teaching my own class.
Now at this point, I was a firm believer (as I am now) that Kata is a mneumonic (memory aid) to act as a database of techniques already learnt.
In other words, the old practitioners learnt a technique (say a wrist lock) and then when they learnt the kata, they recognised the movement and were able to understand the kata based on a lesson already imparted.
I had spent some years reverse-engineering this process - learning the kata and then deciphering the applications. Once I had done that I could teach my students the correct method.
So we learn our basic fighting techniques and theory - punches, kicks, throws, knees, elbows, breaks, heabutts etc and then when we come to learn the kata I point out where in the form these moves occur.
As an aside we also learn to perform each kata with a weapon.
So if we take the opening two moves for Heian Shodan (lower block and lunge punch) we get a myriad of applications. But first we must realise that these two moves are not just two moves. They are as follows:
1) Yoi Position. Body facing the front. Weight distributed evenly
2) Turn and "stack up" as if to begin a Gedan Barai.
3) Move into Gedan Barai and Zenkutsu Dachi Position
4) Gedan Barai hand moves upwards as punch begins and feet arc to centre
5) Move into Oi Tzuki and Zenkutsu Dachi
So we can interprite this technique as simply a block and punch or we can work an application from a full clinch where the stack up and gedan barai are done to Kuzushi. We can also use the "stack up" as a Jeet Kune Do style guard in itself and slide in with the Gedan Barai as a throw. The Gedan Barai can be a Tai Otoshi throw, it can be an Aikido robuse ("Ikkyo") and the Oi Tsuki can be an Osoto Gari throw. It can also be a parry and strike with a sai, a tonfa, or a Bo.
And that's just the first two moves of the basic kata. Wait til we get to move 56 of Kanku Dai!
So now, assuming you (as reader of this humble blog) take my word for it that the techniques contained within kata represent all the most effective self defence techniques known to man... You may still be left with a question: Why not just learn the self defence without the kata. You may think: Why do I need 13 kata to be my syllabus when I have a printed curriculum, a book, a DVD and clips on Youtube. Why can't we just learn the self defence without the kata?
The thing is, if you are an experienced martial artist who has many years training behind them, you probably can get by just by learning new self defence tricks, because you already have the skills, reactions, temperament and knowledge necessary to apply them but if you are new to martial arts I believe in learning a style in the right order. Learn the letters, then the words, then the sentences.
So am I saying that kata is for beginners and advanced should forget them? No.
I'm saying advanced can discard one aspect of kata. And that aspect is kata. I'm saying they can. I'm not saying they should.
Put it like this, could Mohammad Ali have won some of his fights without a trainer in his corner, coaching him. Yeah, probably. But should he have done this. No. Did he do this? No.
Kata has many other advantages. Certain moves in the forms exercise the brain in unique ways. When we step with the left and punch with the right we are exercises the part of the brain that governs "fight or flight" - exercicising this part of the brain therefore keeps us calm under pressure.
Now, think about my previous paragraph: "Discard one aspect of kata. And that aspect is kata" - how can kata be an aspect of kata?
Because in the old days (and I don't mean the 1980s) the word for kata and the word for style where the same thing.
Nowadays Shotokan has about 27 kata and Goju Ryu has about 13. In ye olden days each style had one form and that form was the stylistic representation of that style? Make sense?
Gichin Funakoshi knew this when he classified his kata as either Shorin Ryu or Shorei Ryu - the trouble is he needed to elaborate on this a little.
In Tai Chi (Taiji Quan) there was the Yang family. And each member of the Yang family practiced the same form. Yang Lu Chan practiced his form one way, and Yang Ban Hou practiced it another. Nowadays we call this form the "108 step" but back then it didn't need a name. It was just the Yang family "Quan" - it was their style, their form, their syllabus and their way of keeping healthy.
Similarly in Fujian, you may have learned Monk Quan, Crane Quan, Lion Quan etc and the idea of style and form were one and the same.
Eventually Fujian (particularly the vaunted Kojo Dojo) came to be a melting pot and drop-in centre for martial artists and practitioners of different STYLES learned each others' FORMS.
Think of it like this, in Tai Chi, a Yang master could have learned a Wu style form. But he would not be a master of Wu style, just a practitioner of one aspect of the style - namely the form.
Karate masters like Funakoshi and Mabuni took a hotchpotch of forms from different styles and attempted to make them into one style, respectively Shoto Ryu and Shito Ryu. But the idea of one style having 27 forms is a pretty modern one.
This is why in Bushinkai, our Toshu Jutsu forms are treated as different styles.
Style 1: Channan Quan (the five Pinan or Heian forms)
The fundamental method of Karate. Covers all ranges and weapons. Essentially a type of "long fist," stances commonly used include front stance, back stance and horse stance. Techniques advance laterally and sink into stances. Weapons include Bo, Sai, Tonfa, Dip Dao and Nunchaku. This style uses a fairly basic 1-2-3 rhythym. We keep in mind master Itosu, a lean agile and powerful warrior.
Associated exercises: Forearm hardening and wrist drills. Sparring and weapons training. Aikido type controls and Tenkan.
Style 3: Naihanchi Quan (the Tekki forms)
Movements in this style are softer and the rhythym is more advanced. There many be many fast hand movements for each foot movement. The feeling is of tearing, breaking and crushing. We keep in mind master Motubu, a stocky powerful close range fighter fond of elbows and low blows. This style may come from a style taught by Ason called "half crane half hillock boxing."
Associated exercises: Makiwara, Close-in grappling, ground-fighting, Judo type throws
Style 4: Shorei Quan (the Goju forms including Gekisai)
The body is held more squarely and there is a sense of internal power. There is no hard "kime" and moves are more circular. Techniques drive relentlessly toward the opponent. A typical sequence being the kick, elbow, backfist, barai, reverse punch in Gekisai. Kata can also be performed with weapons such as Sai. We keep in mind master Miyagi, a strong muscular powerful master.
Associated exercises: Okinawan strength training with apparatus, slow speed flow grappling. Two-man flow drills. Breathing exercises for power.
Style 5: Bazi Quan (the Bassai or Passai forms)
The Bassai form looks much like the Heian forms (particularly Heian Godan) but the feeling is slightly different. The rhythym is more "urgent" and it includes techniques (such as the opening move) where we must adopt an attitude of rising and dropping. We lift and we suddenly crash into the opponent. We keep in mind master Matsumura, the king's bodyguard in Shuri Castle. He was not a big stocky man, he was lean and wirey but he had tremendous explosive power. It is easy to see why people thought Bassai (to extract) meant "to storm a fortress" - this is the mind-set of this style. It has attributes of old Baji Quan and uses lifting, stomping, cannon-like techniques. If Bassai were an internal art it would be most like Pakua Zhang.
Associated exercises: Bassai Sho may be performed with a katana, showing Matsumura's Jigen Ryu influence.
Style 6: Kushanku Quan (the Kanku or Kushanku forms)
Kanku is also related to the Heian forms but is also a distant relative of Taiji Quan. Masters Sakugawa and Yara who pioneered this kata trained under Wang Xong Yue prior to him coining the phrase Taiji Quan. He taught them Qi Gong, Hsing-I Quan and twin swords (Dip Dao).
The opening move of Kanku Dai may be used as Zhan Zhuang (standing meditation) which aids relaxation and circulation. It includes several Taiji techniques including Snake Spits Tongue and Snake Creeps Down. The feeling of Kanku Dai is similar to Heian but has a more "open gate" approach. Kanku is the closest the Shuri/Shoto family has to a form that is representative of its style. It is no coincidence that when Funakoshi first demonstrated Karate for the Japanese he chose this kata. When we practice this kata we keep in mind master Sakugawa and Master Funakoshi.
Associated exercises: Butterfly swords, chi kung, zhan zhuang
Style 7: Wansu Quan (the Wansu or Empi kata)
I have discussed Empi at length in a previous Blog post so I won't repeat myself here. Except to say that Wansu is representative of the Swallow Form of Hsing-I Quan and has a distinct method of fighting. Like Sun Style Taiji Quan (which is also derived from Hsing-I), this form teaches an advancing and retreating method (think like the way a featherweight would fight a heavyweight). Its shuto and gyaku tzuki are the splitting and pounding techniques of Hsing-I and Shuto can also be held as a standing posture (San-ti). Whereas the Heian forms teach the first level of striking power (sinking) this teaches the second level (rising). We keep in mind the old Tomari masters such as Takahara.
Associated exercies: Hsing-I fists, San-Ti, Chinese straight sword (Jian).
Style 8: Aragaki Quan (Nijushiho/Niseishi, Wankan, Sochin, Unsu)
The forms Aragaki Seisho studied in China are the first Shaolin forms we meet. Not for nothing was he nicknamed the Cat and these forms make generous use of cat stance. The style of fighting is one of relentless, yet beautiful Kung Fu with the agility and unpredictable movements of a a tiger. When practicing these forms we must remember these are a completely different style to what we have learned before - in fact it is likely Master Funakoshi never even knew these forms. He certainly never taught them publicly or in his books. We keep in mind master Aragaki. These forms teach dynamic entering techniques, close in elbows, traps and a certain efficiency of fighting. Unsu is one of the most athletic and gymnastic forms in the whole canon. The Aragaki forms Unsu and Nijushiho have equivalents in Goju Ryu.
Associated exercises: Shaolin breathing exercises
Style 9: Advanced Shorei (Hangetsu/Seishan and higher Goju forms)
In Goju Ryu, the backbone are forms such as Sanchin, Seishan, Suparimpei and Seiunchin. They are clearly related and may have originally come from one source. Of these the Shoto family only practices Seishan/Hangetsu. This style is thought to have been taught to Matsumura by Iwah and to Kanryo Higaonna by Ryuruko at the Kojo Dojo in Fujian. Patrick McCarthy has suggested that the style was "whooping crane" but they have more charcteristics of Lion Boxing. With this style, what is important is not so much the applications as the power generation in the movements. I don't think anyone would look at Sanchin and think it was the combat equivalent of Bassai. These forms epitomise the five principles of martial arts that were taught to me by Reiner Parsons:
1) Relax
2) Use the waist
3) Breathe
4) Train Slowly
5) Two Directions.
The contrary actions of the kata (step with left, block with right) provide a workout for the brain. These kata also contain a hard chi kung type of breathing which invigorates the body and the blood cells. With these forms we keep in mind master Higaonna.
Style 10: Tomari Quan (including Jutte/Jin/Jian, Chinto/Chinte, Meikyo)
These forms were most likely introduced to Tomari (a rocky cavernous part of Okinawa) by a master called Anan or Chinto. He may have been Vietnamese but the style has definite hallmarks of white crane as well as Five Ancestor Fist. Like the Aragaki branch, these forms resemble Shaolin crane and monk styles. Perhaps the Okinawans in rocky Tomari valued the one-legged crane stances for fighting on uneven terrain. Jutte has some similarities to Taiji (the hold the ball posture) and can also be performed with a Bo staff which again gives that "Shaolin Monk" feel.
Associated exercises: Bo kata
I will now divide these forms into groups, combining their origin with a classification:
1) Channan Quan (Long Fist)
(a) Pinan (Heian 1-5)
PIONEER: Yasutsune Itosu
2) Naifanchi Quan
(a) Naihanchi (Tekki 1-3)
PIONEERS: Ason and Sokon Matsumura
3) Wutang Quan
(a) Bazi Quan (Bassai Dai, sho) PIONEERS: Iwah & Matsumura
(b) Kushanku Quan (Kanku dai, so)PIONEERS: Wang, Sakugawa, Yara
(c) Wansu Quan (Empi) PIONEERS: Wansu & Takahara Peichin
4) Shorei Quan (Southern/Fujian type)
(a) Goju basic (Gekisai, Saifa) PIONEER: Chojun Miyagu
(b) Goju advanced (Seishan etc) PIONEER: Higaonna Kanryo & others
5) Shorin Quan (Shaolin type)
(a) Aragaki group (Nijushiho, Unsu, Sochin, Wankan) PIONEER: Aragaki
(b) Tomari group (Jutte, Jin, Jion, Chinte, Gankaku, Meikyo)
PIONEERS: Anan, Mastumora, Gusukuma
(c) Useishi (Gojushiho) PIONEER: Matsumura
So we have now grouped our curriculum into five Quan. The first is Channan Quan (Long Fist) comprising Heian katas, which is our basic starting style from white belt up to purple belt. It introduces students to long and short range techniques as well as weapons.
We are next introduced to Naifanchi Quan (Tekki) and the first of the Shorei Quan (Gekisai) both introduce us to more close-in grappling.
The fourth style we meet is from the Wutang style that is to say forms derived from the arts of Hsing-I Quan, Bazi Quan and Taiji Quan. They have a light internal quality and make use of lifting and dropping power. They also have a Qi Gong aspect.
The fifth style is the Shaolin forms like Nijushiho and Jutte. They introduce a new type of body mechanics and power generation.
So kata (style) is not just about kata (form).
When we practice with Sai, we do so in the manner of the Channan (Heian) forms.
When we practice our slow, flowing close-in sparring we are training in the Shorei method.
Everything we do in Toshu Jutsu, from the simplest throw to the most precise pressure point is one of these traditions.
Therefore can we discard kata? No. Because if we did there would be no Toshu Jutsu.
A punch is a block and a block is a throw, but a kata is a style and a style is a kata.
My friend was training in a traditional Goju Ryu club and all he ever seemed to do was kata, and predictably when we sparred with him he didn't have the skills we had.
Kata seemed to be a necessary evil to us. We fought all lesson and then for the last 15 minutes, did some kata. Maybe it was a Japanese thing, take the rough with the smooth. I certainly never found much value in it.
Remember that in, say 1995 nobody had the internet so if you wanted to read up on kata you had to buy a book, and my local town wasn't exactly cosmopolitan when it came to specialist cultural arts!
Granted, some of the kata - particularly Bassai Dai - looked dynamic wen the black belts did them, but our kata like the first three Taikyoku forms seemed like an exercise in being obsessed with Gedan Barai - a move we never did in sparring.
In 1996 I found an old book on Ed Parker's Kenpo Karate. The book was from the 1960s I would guess and emphasised Karate's Chinese - rather than Japanese - origins. It showed Chinese weaponry but also showed a two man drill featuring many of the moves I knew from kata.
Then I asked Sensei about the kata and he said: "A block is a strike and a block is a throw."
It started to fit together. Maybe I needed to forget about the long range techniques that we used in Karate sparring and concentrate on the self defence moves I had learnt. Sensei had taught us lots of Judo throws, Aikido locks and so on. Maybe it was these moves that were within the kata.
By 1999 I was also studying the Yang Style Long form in Tai Chi and once again I saw techniques that were open to interpretation. Some of them were fairly obviously punches - but what about "Fair Lady Works Shuttles", "Needle at Sea Bottom" and "Carry Tiger to Mountain" - it was almost as if the person designing the forms wanted us to choose our own applications.
In 2000 Sensei let me open my own club and in February 2001 the "Northwest College of Martial Arts Bushidokan" (later Bushinkai) was launched. Although at this point I was training for my 2nd Dan as well as studying Jujutsu and Tai Chi I still very much viewed my martial arts as separate and compartmentalised. My arts themselves may have been kept separate, but by this point I had a decent repertoire, a good collection of reference books and an understanding of the different approaches in Chinese, Japanese and Okinawan martial arts.
In 2001 I was training in Karate under Sensei Bob Carruthers and in Jujutsu under Sensei Jaimie Lee-Barron's group.
I also began training with another instructor who opened my eyes to another facet of Karate.
Sensei Steven Brennan was one of Bob Carruthers' senior students. He had started training in 1974 with the KUGB under Billy Higgins, he then joined Bob as a blue belt and later trained under Joe Ellis and Roy Stanhope. Since 2000 though he had been attending seminars in Yorkshire with one of Patrick McCarthy's Koryu Uchinadi instructors. Steve and I paired up for his 3rd Dan grading and my 2nd Dan. We both passed since you asked - his grading kata was Hangetsu, mine was Empi.
Steve Brennan introduced me to what he called TNT Karate - the TNT stood for "techniques not taught" namely the nasty breaking, ripping and pressure point techniques found within kata. He also re-aquainted me with the idea of two-man flow drills.
One of my senior students at the time Steve Chriscole masterminded a martial arts magazine designed purely for the kata enthusiast called Kata Unlimited. I contributed to every issue, usually with puns like "let's stance" and he also got contributions from the likes of Patrick McCarthy, Rick Clarke, Iain Abernathy, Bill Burgar and Reiner Parsons (who would later become my teacher). Ideas were exchanged (and pinched) and it all went towards shaping understanding of this thing we call Bunkai.
So I came to realise that Kata was not just a dance or a pointless tradition - or a classical mess as Bruce Lee called it.
I realised kata was a database of techniques. Every throw I could find in Judo, I found in a Karate kata. Every lock, throw, twist and crank in Aikido is in a Karate kata.
My real syllabus was not the A4 booklet in my kitbag my real syllabus was kata.
I began to catalogue every single technique (including the intermediate "stack ups") in every single kata I knew and came up with a variation of realistic bunkai based on Patrick McCarthy's 36 HAPV theory.
By 2003 I was training in both "branches" of Karate - in the Shoto/Shuri/Shorin school with Bob Carruthers and in the Goju/Naha/Shorei branch with Reiner Parsons. I was still working through "TNT" Uchinadi with Steve Brennan, and was also studying Jujutsu and Judo on seminars (under the late Shizuya Sato) with the likes of Jack Hearn and Ray Walker. I was maintaining my Tai Chi study (which also included a little Hsing-I) and teaching my own class.
Now at this point, I was a firm believer (as I am now) that Kata is a mneumonic (memory aid) to act as a database of techniques already learnt.
In other words, the old practitioners learnt a technique (say a wrist lock) and then when they learnt the kata, they recognised the movement and were able to understand the kata based on a lesson already imparted.
I had spent some years reverse-engineering this process - learning the kata and then deciphering the applications. Once I had done that I could teach my students the correct method.
So we learn our basic fighting techniques and theory - punches, kicks, throws, knees, elbows, breaks, heabutts etc and then when we come to learn the kata I point out where in the form these moves occur.
As an aside we also learn to perform each kata with a weapon.
So if we take the opening two moves for Heian Shodan (lower block and lunge punch) we get a myriad of applications. But first we must realise that these two moves are not just two moves. They are as follows:
1) Yoi Position. Body facing the front. Weight distributed evenly
2) Turn and "stack up" as if to begin a Gedan Barai.
3) Move into Gedan Barai and Zenkutsu Dachi Position
4) Gedan Barai hand moves upwards as punch begins and feet arc to centre
5) Move into Oi Tzuki and Zenkutsu Dachi
So we can interprite this technique as simply a block and punch or we can work an application from a full clinch where the stack up and gedan barai are done to Kuzushi. We can also use the "stack up" as a Jeet Kune Do style guard in itself and slide in with the Gedan Barai as a throw. The Gedan Barai can be a Tai Otoshi throw, it can be an Aikido robuse ("Ikkyo") and the Oi Tsuki can be an Osoto Gari throw. It can also be a parry and strike with a sai, a tonfa, or a Bo.
And that's just the first two moves of the basic kata. Wait til we get to move 56 of Kanku Dai!
So now, assuming you (as reader of this humble blog) take my word for it that the techniques contained within kata represent all the most effective self defence techniques known to man... You may still be left with a question: Why not just learn the self defence without the kata. You may think: Why do I need 13 kata to be my syllabus when I have a printed curriculum, a book, a DVD and clips on Youtube. Why can't we just learn the self defence without the kata?
The thing is, if you are an experienced martial artist who has many years training behind them, you probably can get by just by learning new self defence tricks, because you already have the skills, reactions, temperament and knowledge necessary to apply them but if you are new to martial arts I believe in learning a style in the right order. Learn the letters, then the words, then the sentences.
So am I saying that kata is for beginners and advanced should forget them? No.
I'm saying advanced can discard one aspect of kata. And that aspect is kata. I'm saying they can. I'm not saying they should.
Put it like this, could Mohammad Ali have won some of his fights without a trainer in his corner, coaching him. Yeah, probably. But should he have done this. No. Did he do this? No.
Kata has many other advantages. Certain moves in the forms exercise the brain in unique ways. When we step with the left and punch with the right we are exercises the part of the brain that governs "fight or flight" - exercicising this part of the brain therefore keeps us calm under pressure.
Now, think about my previous paragraph: "Discard one aspect of kata. And that aspect is kata" - how can kata be an aspect of kata?
Because in the old days (and I don't mean the 1980s) the word for kata and the word for style where the same thing.
Nowadays Shotokan has about 27 kata and Goju Ryu has about 13. In ye olden days each style had one form and that form was the stylistic representation of that style? Make sense?
Gichin Funakoshi knew this when he classified his kata as either Shorin Ryu or Shorei Ryu - the trouble is he needed to elaborate on this a little.
In Tai Chi (Taiji Quan) there was the Yang family. And each member of the Yang family practiced the same form. Yang Lu Chan practiced his form one way, and Yang Ban Hou practiced it another. Nowadays we call this form the "108 step" but back then it didn't need a name. It was just the Yang family "Quan" - it was their style, their form, their syllabus and their way of keeping healthy.
Similarly in Fujian, you may have learned Monk Quan, Crane Quan, Lion Quan etc and the idea of style and form were one and the same.
Eventually Fujian (particularly the vaunted Kojo Dojo) came to be a melting pot and drop-in centre for martial artists and practitioners of different STYLES learned each others' FORMS.
Think of it like this, in Tai Chi, a Yang master could have learned a Wu style form. But he would not be a master of Wu style, just a practitioner of one aspect of the style - namely the form.
Karate masters like Funakoshi and Mabuni took a hotchpotch of forms from different styles and attempted to make them into one style, respectively Shoto Ryu and Shito Ryu. But the idea of one style having 27 forms is a pretty modern one.
This is why in Bushinkai, our Toshu Jutsu forms are treated as different styles.
Style 1: Channan Quan (the five Pinan or Heian forms)
The fundamental method of Karate. Covers all ranges and weapons. Essentially a type of "long fist," stances commonly used include front stance, back stance and horse stance. Techniques advance laterally and sink into stances. Weapons include Bo, Sai, Tonfa, Dip Dao and Nunchaku. This style uses a fairly basic 1-2-3 rhythym. We keep in mind master Itosu, a lean agile and powerful warrior.
Associated exercises: Forearm hardening and wrist drills. Sparring and weapons training. Aikido type controls and Tenkan.
Style 3: Naihanchi Quan (the Tekki forms)
Movements in this style are softer and the rhythym is more advanced. There many be many fast hand movements for each foot movement. The feeling is of tearing, breaking and crushing. We keep in mind master Motubu, a stocky powerful close range fighter fond of elbows and low blows. This style may come from a style taught by Ason called "half crane half hillock boxing."
Associated exercises: Makiwara, Close-in grappling, ground-fighting, Judo type throws
Style 4: Shorei Quan (the Goju forms including Gekisai)
The body is held more squarely and there is a sense of internal power. There is no hard "kime" and moves are more circular. Techniques drive relentlessly toward the opponent. A typical sequence being the kick, elbow, backfist, barai, reverse punch in Gekisai. Kata can also be performed with weapons such as Sai. We keep in mind master Miyagi, a strong muscular powerful master.
Associated exercises: Okinawan strength training with apparatus, slow speed flow grappling. Two-man flow drills. Breathing exercises for power.
Style 5: Bazi Quan (the Bassai or Passai forms)
The Bassai form looks much like the Heian forms (particularly Heian Godan) but the feeling is slightly different. The rhythym is more "urgent" and it includes techniques (such as the opening move) where we must adopt an attitude of rising and dropping. We lift and we suddenly crash into the opponent. We keep in mind master Matsumura, the king's bodyguard in Shuri Castle. He was not a big stocky man, he was lean and wirey but he had tremendous explosive power. It is easy to see why people thought Bassai (to extract) meant "to storm a fortress" - this is the mind-set of this style. It has attributes of old Baji Quan and uses lifting, stomping, cannon-like techniques. If Bassai were an internal art it would be most like Pakua Zhang.
Associated exercises: Bassai Sho may be performed with a katana, showing Matsumura's Jigen Ryu influence.
Style 6: Kushanku Quan (the Kanku or Kushanku forms)
Kanku is also related to the Heian forms but is also a distant relative of Taiji Quan. Masters Sakugawa and Yara who pioneered this kata trained under Wang Xong Yue prior to him coining the phrase Taiji Quan. He taught them Qi Gong, Hsing-I Quan and twin swords (Dip Dao).
The opening move of Kanku Dai may be used as Zhan Zhuang (standing meditation) which aids relaxation and circulation. It includes several Taiji techniques including Snake Spits Tongue and Snake Creeps Down. The feeling of Kanku Dai is similar to Heian but has a more "open gate" approach. Kanku is the closest the Shuri/Shoto family has to a form that is representative of its style. It is no coincidence that when Funakoshi first demonstrated Karate for the Japanese he chose this kata. When we practice this kata we keep in mind master Sakugawa and Master Funakoshi.
Associated exercises: Butterfly swords, chi kung, zhan zhuang
Style 7: Wansu Quan (the Wansu or Empi kata)
I have discussed Empi at length in a previous Blog post so I won't repeat myself here. Except to say that Wansu is representative of the Swallow Form of Hsing-I Quan and has a distinct method of fighting. Like Sun Style Taiji Quan (which is also derived from Hsing-I), this form teaches an advancing and retreating method (think like the way a featherweight would fight a heavyweight). Its shuto and gyaku tzuki are the splitting and pounding techniques of Hsing-I and Shuto can also be held as a standing posture (San-ti). Whereas the Heian forms teach the first level of striking power (sinking) this teaches the second level (rising). We keep in mind the old Tomari masters such as Takahara.
Associated exercies: Hsing-I fists, San-Ti, Chinese straight sword (Jian).
Style 8: Aragaki Quan (Nijushiho/Niseishi, Wankan, Sochin, Unsu)
The forms Aragaki Seisho studied in China are the first Shaolin forms we meet. Not for nothing was he nicknamed the Cat and these forms make generous use of cat stance. The style of fighting is one of relentless, yet beautiful Kung Fu with the agility and unpredictable movements of a a tiger. When practicing these forms we must remember these are a completely different style to what we have learned before - in fact it is likely Master Funakoshi never even knew these forms. He certainly never taught them publicly or in his books. We keep in mind master Aragaki. These forms teach dynamic entering techniques, close in elbows, traps and a certain efficiency of fighting. Unsu is one of the most athletic and gymnastic forms in the whole canon. The Aragaki forms Unsu and Nijushiho have equivalents in Goju Ryu.
Associated exercises: Shaolin breathing exercises
Style 9: Advanced Shorei (Hangetsu/Seishan and higher Goju forms)
In Goju Ryu, the backbone are forms such as Sanchin, Seishan, Suparimpei and Seiunchin. They are clearly related and may have originally come from one source. Of these the Shoto family only practices Seishan/Hangetsu. This style is thought to have been taught to Matsumura by Iwah and to Kanryo Higaonna by Ryuruko at the Kojo Dojo in Fujian. Patrick McCarthy has suggested that the style was "whooping crane" but they have more charcteristics of Lion Boxing. With this style, what is important is not so much the applications as the power generation in the movements. I don't think anyone would look at Sanchin and think it was the combat equivalent of Bassai. These forms epitomise the five principles of martial arts that were taught to me by Reiner Parsons:
1) Relax
2) Use the waist
3) Breathe
4) Train Slowly
5) Two Directions.
The contrary actions of the kata (step with left, block with right) provide a workout for the brain. These kata also contain a hard chi kung type of breathing which invigorates the body and the blood cells. With these forms we keep in mind master Higaonna.
Style 10: Tomari Quan (including Jutte/Jin/Jian, Chinto/Chinte, Meikyo)
These forms were most likely introduced to Tomari (a rocky cavernous part of Okinawa) by a master called Anan or Chinto. He may have been Vietnamese but the style has definite hallmarks of white crane as well as Five Ancestor Fist. Like the Aragaki branch, these forms resemble Shaolin crane and monk styles. Perhaps the Okinawans in rocky Tomari valued the one-legged crane stances for fighting on uneven terrain. Jutte has some similarities to Taiji (the hold the ball posture) and can also be performed with a Bo staff which again gives that "Shaolin Monk" feel.
Associated exercises: Bo kata
I will now divide these forms into groups, combining their origin with a classification:
1) Channan Quan (Long Fist)
(a) Pinan (Heian 1-5)
PIONEER: Yasutsune Itosu
2) Naifanchi Quan
(a) Naihanchi (Tekki 1-3)
PIONEERS: Ason and Sokon Matsumura
3) Wutang Quan
(a) Bazi Quan (Bassai Dai, sho) PIONEERS: Iwah & Matsumura
(b) Kushanku Quan (Kanku dai, so)PIONEERS: Wang, Sakugawa, Yara
(c) Wansu Quan (Empi) PIONEERS: Wansu & Takahara Peichin
4) Shorei Quan (Southern/Fujian type)
(a) Goju basic (Gekisai, Saifa) PIONEER: Chojun Miyagu
(b) Goju advanced (Seishan etc) PIONEER: Higaonna Kanryo & others
5) Shorin Quan (Shaolin type)
(a) Aragaki group (Nijushiho, Unsu, Sochin, Wankan) PIONEER: Aragaki
(b) Tomari group (Jutte, Jin, Jion, Chinte, Gankaku, Meikyo)
PIONEERS: Anan, Mastumora, Gusukuma
(c) Useishi (Gojushiho) PIONEER: Matsumura
So we have now grouped our curriculum into five Quan. The first is Channan Quan (Long Fist) comprising Heian katas, which is our basic starting style from white belt up to purple belt. It introduces students to long and short range techniques as well as weapons.
We are next introduced to Naifanchi Quan (Tekki) and the first of the Shorei Quan (Gekisai) both introduce us to more close-in grappling.
The fourth style we meet is from the Wutang style that is to say forms derived from the arts of Hsing-I Quan, Bazi Quan and Taiji Quan. They have a light internal quality and make use of lifting and dropping power. They also have a Qi Gong aspect.
The fifth style is the Shaolin forms like Nijushiho and Jutte. They introduce a new type of body mechanics and power generation.
So kata (style) is not just about kata (form).
When we practice with Sai, we do so in the manner of the Channan (Heian) forms.
When we practice our slow, flowing close-in sparring we are training in the Shorei method.
Everything we do in Toshu Jutsu, from the simplest throw to the most precise pressure point is one of these traditions.
Therefore can we discard kata? No. Because if we did there would be no Toshu Jutsu.
A punch is a block and a block is a throw, but a kata is a style and a style is a kata.
Shorin and Shorei
SCHOOL ONE: Channan Quan
KATA: Pinan/Heian
Chang Quan (Long Fist) was developed in the 10th century by Zhao Kuangyin, founding Emperor of the Song Dynasty (960–1279). His style was called Tàizǔ Chángquán, which means "the Long Fist style of Emperor Taizu. Chang Quan was famed for its deep stances, lunge punches and dynamic kicks.
By the 16th century the practice of solo forms had fallen out of vogue and had all but disappeared but one military general saw value in them.
Qi Jiguang (November 12, 1528 – January 5, 1588) was a Chinese military general and national hero during the Ming Dynasty.
He wrote various martial arts manuals and his interpretation of the Chang Quan seems to have influenced many different arts including Chen Taiji Quan and Karate.
Chang Quan was probably introduced to Okinawa in th 1750s when "Kushanku" taught Tode Sakugawa. In turn Sakugawa taught Matsumura and Matsumura taught Itosu.
Originally there was a style called Channan (perhaps the local pronunciation of Chang Quan) and Itosu renamed this Pinan. Funakoshi in turn renamed it Heian.
It is said of Chang Quan: "The forms of the Long Fist style emphasize fully extended kicks and striking techniques, and by appearance would be considered a long-range fighting system. In some Long Fist styles the motto is that "the best defense is a strong offense," Long Fist uses large, extended, circular movements to improve overall body mobility in the muscles, tendons, and joints. Advanced Long Fist techniques include qin na joint-locking techniques and shuai jiao throws and takedowns.
Key techniques: Stepping punch, Front kick, Rising Block, Lower Block.
Characteristics: Long range techniques with short range techniques disguised. Dynamic movement, stepping and turning.
Hidden gems: A wealth of short range locks, chokes and hidden applications. The forms may also be performed with weapons, notably the sai, bo and nunchaku.
SCHOOL TWO: Naifanchi Quan
KATA: Naihanchi/Tekki
Naihanchi may come from a Taiwanese style of White Crane Boxing, known as Dan Qiu Ban Bai He Quan (Half Hillock, Half White Crane Boxing). One form from this style is called Neixi (inside knee) in Mandarin. This form includes the same sweeping action found in the nami-gaeshi (returning wave) technique of Naihanchi. Neixi is pronounced Nohanchi in Fuzhou dialect, which could indicate Neixi is the forerunner to Naihanchi.
Naihanchi was introduced to Okinawa in the mid 19th century by a master named Ason. He taught the form to Sokon Matsumura.
From this point Naihanchi was the first form taught in Shuri and Tomari. It was considered more fundamental that the Channan/Pinan forms.
Notable practitioners include Matsumura, Matsumora, and the famous Choki Motobu.
Naihanchi does not move on a forward-back embusen like the Channan group.
The kata assumes a close-in clinch range.
If you watch MMA and see the two fighters standing in a clinch with one with his back to the cage, you will see the strategies of Naihanchi.
In MMA this is called "dirty boxing" because the only techniques that are possible at this range are those outlawed in boxing - such as rabbit punches, kidney punches, headbutts, knee strikes and stamps.
Key techniques: Clinch, returning wave kick, neck cranks
Characteristics: Short range techniques with only side movement.
Hidden gems: Ripping, tearing and throwing techniques
STYLE THREE: WUTANG QUAN
FORMS: Bassai Dai, Bassai Sho, Kanku Dai, Kanku Sho, Empi
In Chinese martial arts, different schools are either defined as Shaolin/Buddhist or Wutang/Taoist. This doesn't really mean these arts all originated from either the Shaolin Temple or Mount Wutang, but it is an easy way of categorising.
Generally the Shaolin arts are quite external but have an Indian/Buddhist influence which is quite Yoga-esque.
The Wutang arts are culturally Chinese (without Indian influence) and have Taoist symbolism. They usually are considered internal and include Chi training.
Examples of Wutang arts are: Taiji Quan (Tai Chi), Hisng-I Quan, Bagua Zhang and Baji Quan.
In Okinawa, the very first Quan to strongly influence Toshu Jutsu was "Hsin-I Quan" (the forerunner of Hsing-I which was taught by Wang-Ji (Wansu) to Hama Higa and his student Takahara Peichin.
This art emphasises the rising and swooping of the swallow and its light movements.
Within this art is also a powerful Zhan Zhuang (standing meditation) called San-Ti which resembles the opening move of Heian Yondan.
Key techniques in Wansu are the Gyaku Tzuki and Shuto Uke as well as the stepping in and sinking movement.
The Bassai forms, I believe come from a forerunner of Baji Quan called Bazi Quan and represent the powerful stomping and sinking movements of the Lion. Matsumura learnt this art in the 1830s around the time he was also studying Jigen Ryu in Japan.
Key techniques are the "lion's jaw" (Yama Zuki, mountain punch) and the lifting and sinking of weight.
The Kanku forms, like the Channan were introduced to Okinawa in the 1750s and as I described in my previous blog are both related to Taiji Quan. Within Kanku are the movements of the crane and the snake that are fundamental to Taiji Quan.
Characteristics: Light techniques, lifting and sinking, changing of rhythym
Hidden Gems: takedowns, tackles, throws and slams
STYLE FOUR: SHOREI QUAN
FORMS: Gekisai, Seishan and other Goju Ryu forms
In 1828 Sokon Matsumura and his friend Peichin Kojo went to Fujian, China. Matsumura was already armed with knowledge of the Wutang school having studied Wansu quan under Sakugawa and Kushanku quan under Chatan Yara. Matsumura studied a form called Seishan and posisbly also Useishi (Gojushiho) and brought them back to Shuri.
Subsequently Kojo and Seisho Aragaki maintained their study in Fujian and brought many more forms back to Naha including Sanchin.
Aragaki's student Higaonna Kanryo went to Fujian and studied under Ryuru Ko and this was to be the beginning of Naha Te (forerunner of Goju Ryu, Ryuei Ryu and Pangai Noon).
These forms, thought to be related to Fujian white crane, include Sanchin, Seishan, Suparimpei and are very typical of "Southern Temple" Shaolin.
We must also understand that Goju Ryu founder Chojun Miyagi (student of Higaonna) studied White Crane with Gokenki and Tang Daiji.
My own teacher Reiner Parsons was taught by Tadanori Nobetsu who studied both branches - Goju Ryu and Feeding Crane.
Key techniques: Inside block, reverse punch
Characteristics: Close-in fighting, solid grounded base, sliding in
Hidden gems: Internal training, hard Chi Kung
STYLE FIVE: SHORIN QUAN
FORMS: Niseishi, Jutte, Wankan, Sochin, Unsu etc
The true Shorin school (Shaolin) represents the forms introduced to Tomari by Anan in the 1850s and the forms brought back from China in the 1840s by Seisho Aragaki.
If we take Niseishi (Nijushiho) as a prime example we see various Shaolin traits such as the Buddhist numbering (Nijushiho meaning 24 steps, 24 being a factor of the holy 108).
Niseishi begins close range with a clinch, coils back, closes off the opponent and strikes. It moves like a dragon.
Niseishi, like Wankan also contain Aragaki's famous technique of catching the arm or leg of the opponent and taking them down.
Whereas the Channan method disguises its grappling, the Aragaki group make no bones about its traps and breaks.
Key techniques: Cat stance, crane stance, double palm heel
Characteristics: Light fast movements, relentless attacks, Chin na breaks
Hidden gems: Coiling and springing power, deceptively advanced power generation.
This concludes my introduction to the five schools of Toshu Jutsu.
KATA: Pinan/Heian
Chang Quan (Long Fist) was developed in the 10th century by Zhao Kuangyin, founding Emperor of the Song Dynasty (960–1279). His style was called Tàizǔ Chángquán, which means "the Long Fist style of Emperor Taizu. Chang Quan was famed for its deep stances, lunge punches and dynamic kicks.
By the 16th century the practice of solo forms had fallen out of vogue and had all but disappeared but one military general saw value in them.
Qi Jiguang (November 12, 1528 – January 5, 1588) was a Chinese military general and national hero during the Ming Dynasty.
He wrote various martial arts manuals and his interpretation of the Chang Quan seems to have influenced many different arts including Chen Taiji Quan and Karate.
Chang Quan was probably introduced to Okinawa in th 1750s when "Kushanku" taught Tode Sakugawa. In turn Sakugawa taught Matsumura and Matsumura taught Itosu.
Originally there was a style called Channan (perhaps the local pronunciation of Chang Quan) and Itosu renamed this Pinan. Funakoshi in turn renamed it Heian.
It is said of Chang Quan: "The forms of the Long Fist style emphasize fully extended kicks and striking techniques, and by appearance would be considered a long-range fighting system. In some Long Fist styles the motto is that "the best defense is a strong offense," Long Fist uses large, extended, circular movements to improve overall body mobility in the muscles, tendons, and joints. Advanced Long Fist techniques include qin na joint-locking techniques and shuai jiao throws and takedowns.
Key techniques: Stepping punch, Front kick, Rising Block, Lower Block.
Characteristics: Long range techniques with short range techniques disguised. Dynamic movement, stepping and turning.
Hidden gems: A wealth of short range locks, chokes and hidden applications. The forms may also be performed with weapons, notably the sai, bo and nunchaku.
SCHOOL TWO: Naifanchi Quan
KATA: Naihanchi/Tekki
Naihanchi may come from a Taiwanese style of White Crane Boxing, known as Dan Qiu Ban Bai He Quan (Half Hillock, Half White Crane Boxing). One form from this style is called Neixi (inside knee) in Mandarin. This form includes the same sweeping action found in the nami-gaeshi (returning wave) technique of Naihanchi. Neixi is pronounced Nohanchi in Fuzhou dialect, which could indicate Neixi is the forerunner to Naihanchi.
Naihanchi was introduced to Okinawa in the mid 19th century by a master named Ason. He taught the form to Sokon Matsumura.
From this point Naihanchi was the first form taught in Shuri and Tomari. It was considered more fundamental that the Channan/Pinan forms.
Notable practitioners include Matsumura, Matsumora, and the famous Choki Motobu.
Naihanchi does not move on a forward-back embusen like the Channan group.
The kata assumes a close-in clinch range.
If you watch MMA and see the two fighters standing in a clinch with one with his back to the cage, you will see the strategies of Naihanchi.
In MMA this is called "dirty boxing" because the only techniques that are possible at this range are those outlawed in boxing - such as rabbit punches, kidney punches, headbutts, knee strikes and stamps.
Key techniques: Clinch, returning wave kick, neck cranks
Characteristics: Short range techniques with only side movement.
Hidden gems: Ripping, tearing and throwing techniques
STYLE THREE: WUTANG QUAN
FORMS: Bassai Dai, Bassai Sho, Kanku Dai, Kanku Sho, Empi
In Chinese martial arts, different schools are either defined as Shaolin/Buddhist or Wutang/Taoist. This doesn't really mean these arts all originated from either the Shaolin Temple or Mount Wutang, but it is an easy way of categorising.
Generally the Shaolin arts are quite external but have an Indian/Buddhist influence which is quite Yoga-esque.
The Wutang arts are culturally Chinese (without Indian influence) and have Taoist symbolism. They usually are considered internal and include Chi training.
Examples of Wutang arts are: Taiji Quan (Tai Chi), Hisng-I Quan, Bagua Zhang and Baji Quan.
In Okinawa, the very first Quan to strongly influence Toshu Jutsu was "Hsin-I Quan" (the forerunner of Hsing-I which was taught by Wang-Ji (Wansu) to Hama Higa and his student Takahara Peichin.
This art emphasises the rising and swooping of the swallow and its light movements.
Within this art is also a powerful Zhan Zhuang (standing meditation) called San-Ti which resembles the opening move of Heian Yondan.
Key techniques in Wansu are the Gyaku Tzuki and Shuto Uke as well as the stepping in and sinking movement.
The Bassai forms, I believe come from a forerunner of Baji Quan called Bazi Quan and represent the powerful stomping and sinking movements of the Lion. Matsumura learnt this art in the 1830s around the time he was also studying Jigen Ryu in Japan.
Key techniques are the "lion's jaw" (Yama Zuki, mountain punch) and the lifting and sinking of weight.
The Kanku forms, like the Channan were introduced to Okinawa in the 1750s and as I described in my previous blog are both related to Taiji Quan. Within Kanku are the movements of the crane and the snake that are fundamental to Taiji Quan.
Characteristics: Light techniques, lifting and sinking, changing of rhythym
Hidden Gems: takedowns, tackles, throws and slams
STYLE FOUR: SHOREI QUAN
FORMS: Gekisai, Seishan and other Goju Ryu forms
In 1828 Sokon Matsumura and his friend Peichin Kojo went to Fujian, China. Matsumura was already armed with knowledge of the Wutang school having studied Wansu quan under Sakugawa and Kushanku quan under Chatan Yara. Matsumura studied a form called Seishan and posisbly also Useishi (Gojushiho) and brought them back to Shuri.
Subsequently Kojo and Seisho Aragaki maintained their study in Fujian and brought many more forms back to Naha including Sanchin.
Aragaki's student Higaonna Kanryo went to Fujian and studied under Ryuru Ko and this was to be the beginning of Naha Te (forerunner of Goju Ryu, Ryuei Ryu and Pangai Noon).
These forms, thought to be related to Fujian white crane, include Sanchin, Seishan, Suparimpei and are very typical of "Southern Temple" Shaolin.
We must also understand that Goju Ryu founder Chojun Miyagi (student of Higaonna) studied White Crane with Gokenki and Tang Daiji.
My own teacher Reiner Parsons was taught by Tadanori Nobetsu who studied both branches - Goju Ryu and Feeding Crane.
Key techniques: Inside block, reverse punch
Characteristics: Close-in fighting, solid grounded base, sliding in
Hidden gems: Internal training, hard Chi Kung
STYLE FIVE: SHORIN QUAN
FORMS: Niseishi, Jutte, Wankan, Sochin, Unsu etc
The true Shorin school (Shaolin) represents the forms introduced to Tomari by Anan in the 1850s and the forms brought back from China in the 1840s by Seisho Aragaki.
If we take Niseishi (Nijushiho) as a prime example we see various Shaolin traits such as the Buddhist numbering (Nijushiho meaning 24 steps, 24 being a factor of the holy 108).
Niseishi begins close range with a clinch, coils back, closes off the opponent and strikes. It moves like a dragon.
Niseishi, like Wankan also contain Aragaki's famous technique of catching the arm or leg of the opponent and taking them down.
Whereas the Channan method disguises its grappling, the Aragaki group make no bones about its traps and breaks.
Key techniques: Cat stance, crane stance, double palm heel
Characteristics: Light fast movements, relentless attacks, Chin na breaks
Hidden gems: Coiling and springing power, deceptively advanced power generation.
This concludes my introduction to the five schools of Toshu Jutsu.
Toshu Jutsu's links to Thailand, Vietnam (and of course China, Japan and Okinawa!)
Over 25 years ago there was an excellent British TV series called Way of the Warrior. Each episode focussed on a different martial art and, accordingly a master from that style.
It was the first time many westerners had seen "Tenshin Shoden Katori Shinto Ryu" and its great master Risuke Otake.
It also featured Goju Ryu Karate and Higaonna Morio.
While it was good to see Higaonna Sensei in the Dojo, it also showed him running (barefoot) through the villages of Okinawa and showed the cultural influences of the island.
Okinawa clearly had Chinese and Japanese influences, but also stylings from Thailand and South East Asia.
In the episode Higaonna Sensei meets a dance instructor and they discuss the similarities between traditional Okinawan dance and Karate kata.
In all the episode illustrated that what we know as Karate emerged from a real mixture of influences.
The Japanese relationship dates back to Minamoto Tametomo (1139–1170) who was exiled from Japan, fled to Okinawa and fathered Shunten who became king and established the Shunten Dynasty.
In 1291 China sent a special envoy to Okinawa to negotiate an alliance that would see the Ryukyu paying tribute to its bigger brother and in 1392 the apocryphal he "36 Families" arrived in Okinawa and established its "Chinatown" Kume village.
The links to Japan and China account for Okinawa's "warrior" traditions. But what of its peasant fighting traditions?
Karate master and researcher Patrick McCarthy (9th Dan Hanshi) believes that the original "Te" or "Ti" (predating Karate) was termed Ti'gwa and originated in the pugilistic traditions of Thailand - the old kingdom of Siam. One source states that the Okinawan "boxing came from Indo-China or Siam."
It is funny that we often talk about Japanese martial arts, Chinese martial arts or Okinawan martial arts, as if these countries had distinct physical and cultural boundaries.
But we must remember that Japan is a number of islands, the Ryukyu (including Okinawa) are a number of islands and China is, well, huge.
In other words a tradition in western China would likely have nothing to do with a tradition is eastern Japan because they are geographically and culturally so far apart. But if we look at the coasts of China and Japan that face each other, and consider islands like Okinawa and Taiwan in between we come up with a relationship I have termed the "Toshu Triangle" (catchy I know).
When Okinawans went to China to train, they didn't then walk thousands of miles west to Xinjiang (which borders Russia and India) - they got the boat from Naha (Okinawa) to Fujian (China) the equivalent of going Dover to Calais.
The Fujian area was rich in martial arts like White Crane, Black Tiger, and Lion Boxing - and unsurprisingly it is these arts that influenced Toshu Jutsu or Karate.
Similarly in Japan, we don't hear of Samurai travelling from Hokkaido in the north to train in China, we hear of Akiyama from Nagasaki going to China to study Hakuda - or Matsumura of Shuri going from Okinawa to Satsuma to train.
So in researching and developing Hakuda Kempo Toshu Jutsu we must mostly look to these traditions:
1) The Quan Fa schools of Fujian
2) The Toshu Jutsu schools of Shuri, Naha and Tomari
3) The Hakuda schools of Nagasaki
4) The Bujutsu schools of Kagoshima (Satsuma)
5) The percussive arts of Thailand
6) Influences from other neighbouring nations such as Taiwan and Vietnam
Returning to the history for a moment, we have discussed the influences of Japan and China dating back to the 1200s and also the possibility of Ti'Gwa (Siamese boxing) developing.
In the 17th century, surprisingly the first Quan we meet in Okinawa is Wansu, a style that owes its origina to the Hsin-I Quan.
Hsing-I master Wang Ji visited Okinawa in 1685 and taught his skills to Hama Higa who combined these Chinese forms with Okinawan Kobudo weapons (Emono Jutsu) and the art of Toshu Jutsu (Chinese hand skills) emerged. Takahara Peichin was the next notable master and in his lifetime is the first written reference to "Te".
In the 1800s Toshu Jutsu (or Toshukuken) became influenced by Japanese styles such as Jigen Ryu and Hakuda Kempo (also called Taku or Baida).
In 1828 Matsumura and Kojo visited Fujian, later followed by Aragaki and Higaonna and studied styles like Lion Boxing and Monk Fist with masters like Iwah.
Other stylists taught the Okinawans, such as Ason who may have been Taiwanese and taught Naihanchi Quan. And Anan who may have been Vietnamese and taught Chinto Quan.
Finally masters Gokenki and Tang Daiji (To Daiki) came to Okinawa to export tea (as in the drink not Kara-tea!) but ended up teaching, respectively White Crane and Tiger Boxing to Chojun Miyagi and Kenwa Mabuni.
The influence of Gokenki and Tang Daiji is an often understated one, but Goju Ryu and Shito Ryu would probably be very different if not for these two masters.
In the 1920s-1950s the old ways of Toshu Jutsu and Karate Jutsu were largely forgotten, as modern arts like Karate-do and Taekwondo became popular throughout the world.
There were of course still surviving masters of the old ways of Toshuken and Hakuda - notably Kanken Toyama who taught the founders of both Keishinkan Karate (parent style of Budokan) and Taekwondo. Toyama was also a senior of Kinjo Hiroshi, Hideo Tsuchiya and Makoto Gima.
In my view Toshu Jutsu, as it was practiced by Matsumura, Azato, Itosu, Motobu and Toyama was an excellent and vibrant fighting arts - not just a watered down sport.
I have developed Hakuda Kempo Toshu Jutsu into its present system over the last 10 years I have been teaching in the Bushinkai school. I have looked into and trained in many arts to arrive at the present system, including:
- Shoto Ryu, Shotokan, Seiki Juku, Shobukan and Karate Jutsu
- Jujutsu, Hakuda, Aikijujutsu, Aikido and Judo
- Okinawan and Japanese Kobudo & Bujutsu
- Goju Ryu, Niseikai and Feeding Crane Quan Fa
- Taiji Quan, Hsing-I, Shaolin and Chinese weapons.
But after ten years teaching and developing - and several more years studying - this system, the evolution and learning is far from over.
I am now overseeing the research and development of Toshu Jutsu along with Laoshi John Dang.
John's father's side of his family is Chinese-Vietnamese and he has grown up with his family's method of Kung Fu. From what little I know I can describe this school as looking something like Hung Gar Quan. He has also studied Jeet Kune Do, an art he still trains in.
His mother's side of his family is Thai and since childhood he has trained with some of Thailand's most renowned masters of Muay Thai - some of whom were also specialists in the Korean art of Taekwondo.
Having spent around 25 years studying Kung Fu and Muay Thai - teaching privately for the last 12 years - John is a valuable asset to our developing of Toshu Jutsu. He has studied Taekwondo poomse (the equivalent of Shotokan kata) and competed in both Muay Thai and Taekwondo.
On a research level, I believe it is important for Toshu Jutsu to acknowledge its relationship with the martial arts of Thailand, Korea, Vietnam and China, but on a practical level, John's expertise in Muay Thai and Kung Fu also gives an edge to our training and I believe makes for a more vibrant system.
It was the first time many westerners had seen "Tenshin Shoden Katori Shinto Ryu" and its great master Risuke Otake.
It also featured Goju Ryu Karate and Higaonna Morio.
While it was good to see Higaonna Sensei in the Dojo, it also showed him running (barefoot) through the villages of Okinawa and showed the cultural influences of the island.
Okinawa clearly had Chinese and Japanese influences, but also stylings from Thailand and South East Asia.
In the episode Higaonna Sensei meets a dance instructor and they discuss the similarities between traditional Okinawan dance and Karate kata.
In all the episode illustrated that what we know as Karate emerged from a real mixture of influences.
The Japanese relationship dates back to Minamoto Tametomo (1139–1170) who was exiled from Japan, fled to Okinawa and fathered Shunten who became king and established the Shunten Dynasty.
In 1291 China sent a special envoy to Okinawa to negotiate an alliance that would see the Ryukyu paying tribute to its bigger brother and in 1392 the apocryphal he "36 Families" arrived in Okinawa and established its "Chinatown" Kume village.
The links to Japan and China account for Okinawa's "warrior" traditions. But what of its peasant fighting traditions?
Karate master and researcher Patrick McCarthy (9th Dan Hanshi) believes that the original "Te" or "Ti" (predating Karate) was termed Ti'gwa and originated in the pugilistic traditions of Thailand - the old kingdom of Siam. One source states that the Okinawan "boxing came from Indo-China or Siam."
It is funny that we often talk about Japanese martial arts, Chinese martial arts or Okinawan martial arts, as if these countries had distinct physical and cultural boundaries.
But we must remember that Japan is a number of islands, the Ryukyu (including Okinawa) are a number of islands and China is, well, huge.
In other words a tradition in western China would likely have nothing to do with a tradition is eastern Japan because they are geographically and culturally so far apart. But if we look at the coasts of China and Japan that face each other, and consider islands like Okinawa and Taiwan in between we come up with a relationship I have termed the "Toshu Triangle" (catchy I know).
When Okinawans went to China to train, they didn't then walk thousands of miles west to Xinjiang (which borders Russia and India) - they got the boat from Naha (Okinawa) to Fujian (China) the equivalent of going Dover to Calais.
The Fujian area was rich in martial arts like White Crane, Black Tiger, and Lion Boxing - and unsurprisingly it is these arts that influenced Toshu Jutsu or Karate.
Similarly in Japan, we don't hear of Samurai travelling from Hokkaido in the north to train in China, we hear of Akiyama from Nagasaki going to China to study Hakuda - or Matsumura of Shuri going from Okinawa to Satsuma to train.
So in researching and developing Hakuda Kempo Toshu Jutsu we must mostly look to these traditions:
1) The Quan Fa schools of Fujian
2) The Toshu Jutsu schools of Shuri, Naha and Tomari
3) The Hakuda schools of Nagasaki
4) The Bujutsu schools of Kagoshima (Satsuma)
5) The percussive arts of Thailand
6) Influences from other neighbouring nations such as Taiwan and Vietnam
Returning to the history for a moment, we have discussed the influences of Japan and China dating back to the 1200s and also the possibility of Ti'Gwa (Siamese boxing) developing.
In the 17th century, surprisingly the first Quan we meet in Okinawa is Wansu, a style that owes its origina to the Hsin-I Quan.
Hsing-I master Wang Ji visited Okinawa in 1685 and taught his skills to Hama Higa who combined these Chinese forms with Okinawan Kobudo weapons (Emono Jutsu) and the art of Toshu Jutsu (Chinese hand skills) emerged. Takahara Peichin was the next notable master and in his lifetime is the first written reference to "Te".
In the 1800s Toshu Jutsu (or Toshukuken) became influenced by Japanese styles such as Jigen Ryu and Hakuda Kempo (also called Taku or Baida).
In 1828 Matsumura and Kojo visited Fujian, later followed by Aragaki and Higaonna and studied styles like Lion Boxing and Monk Fist with masters like Iwah.
Other stylists taught the Okinawans, such as Ason who may have been Taiwanese and taught Naihanchi Quan. And Anan who may have been Vietnamese and taught Chinto Quan.
Finally masters Gokenki and Tang Daiji (To Daiki) came to Okinawa to export tea (as in the drink not Kara-tea!) but ended up teaching, respectively White Crane and Tiger Boxing to Chojun Miyagi and Kenwa Mabuni.
The influence of Gokenki and Tang Daiji is an often understated one, but Goju Ryu and Shito Ryu would probably be very different if not for these two masters.
In the 1920s-1950s the old ways of Toshu Jutsu and Karate Jutsu were largely forgotten, as modern arts like Karate-do and Taekwondo became popular throughout the world.
There were of course still surviving masters of the old ways of Toshuken and Hakuda - notably Kanken Toyama who taught the founders of both Keishinkan Karate (parent style of Budokan) and Taekwondo. Toyama was also a senior of Kinjo Hiroshi, Hideo Tsuchiya and Makoto Gima.
In my view Toshu Jutsu, as it was practiced by Matsumura, Azato, Itosu, Motobu and Toyama was an excellent and vibrant fighting arts - not just a watered down sport.
I have developed Hakuda Kempo Toshu Jutsu into its present system over the last 10 years I have been teaching in the Bushinkai school. I have looked into and trained in many arts to arrive at the present system, including:
- Shoto Ryu, Shotokan, Seiki Juku, Shobukan and Karate Jutsu
- Jujutsu, Hakuda, Aikijujutsu, Aikido and Judo
- Okinawan and Japanese Kobudo & Bujutsu
- Goju Ryu, Niseikai and Feeding Crane Quan Fa
- Taiji Quan, Hsing-I, Shaolin and Chinese weapons.
But after ten years teaching and developing - and several more years studying - this system, the evolution and learning is far from over.
I am now overseeing the research and development of Toshu Jutsu along with Laoshi John Dang.
John's father's side of his family is Chinese-Vietnamese and he has grown up with his family's method of Kung Fu. From what little I know I can describe this school as looking something like Hung Gar Quan. He has also studied Jeet Kune Do, an art he still trains in.
His mother's side of his family is Thai and since childhood he has trained with some of Thailand's most renowned masters of Muay Thai - some of whom were also specialists in the Korean art of Taekwondo.
Having spent around 25 years studying Kung Fu and Muay Thai - teaching privately for the last 12 years - John is a valuable asset to our developing of Toshu Jutsu. He has studied Taekwondo poomse (the equivalent of Shotokan kata) and competed in both Muay Thai and Taekwondo.
On a research level, I believe it is important for Toshu Jutsu to acknowledge its relationship with the martial arts of Thailand, Korea, Vietnam and China, but on a practical level, John's expertise in Muay Thai and Kung Fu also gives an edge to our training and I believe makes for a more vibrant system.
Feeding Crane Quan Fa
In this post I will introduce my training in Niseikai, a style which combines Naha Te (Goju Ryu) with Shi He Quan (Feeding Crane).
In previous blog posts I have talked about the origins of Shoto family forms like Heian Bassai Dai and Empi but I have only briefly touched upon the Goju family in my article “all Go and no Ju.” Although I consider myself a Shoto Ryu stylist, one of my main teachers of the last eight years has been Reiner Parsons of the Niseikai school, a very interesting style which combines Goju Ryu Karate with Feeding Crane Kung Fu.
Reiner’s teacher, who I have also trained with is master Tadanori Nobetsu 9th Dan Hanshi.
Nobetsu Sensei was born in 1935 in Kyushu and in 1965 he established Niseikai in Ageo, Saitama Prefecture, based on his studies with masters like Yamaguchi. Significantly he has also put the “ju” back into “Goju” through his studies in Feeding Crane Kung Fu with his teacher Liú Chin Long.
Basically put the principle of Niseikai, as it is imparted to me by Reiner is:
- Always stay relaxed. Reiner’s strkes, in common with those of Nobetsu, use no strength but transmit a shockwave of power
- Breathe. The breathing method used is a type of hard Chi Kung that generates power and hardens the body
- Use the waist. Power is generated from the centre. The arms – like the crane’s wings – simply “flap” from the waist power
- Two directions. This principle will require further discussion in a post of its own.
- Train slowly for precision. Move slowly when defending. I will elaborate in a future post!
In my post about the origins of Bassai Dai I mentioned that Okinawans Matsumura and Kojo went to Fujian in 1828 and disovered a master called Iwah who taught all sorts of forms including Lion Boxing and is the origin of our Shorei (“Southern Shaolin”) family of forms like Seishan (Hangetsu). Seemingly after this visit, there is a trend for Okinawan masters to go to Fukien and learn the Shorei forms.
Aragaki Seisho (pioneer of the forms Niseishi, Unsu, Sochin and Wankan) trained there with Wai Shinzan and Aragaki’s student Higaonna Kanryo, (founder of Naha Te and teacher of Goju Ryu founder Chojun Miyagi) also trained there under someone called Ryuryu Ko.
As a child Higaonna Sensei trained under Aragaki Seisho Sensei. Later he briefly trained with Kojo Taitei Sensei of the Kojo Ryu. He traveled to China where he became a student of Ryuryu Ko with whom he trained for about 15 years before returning to Okinawa. After his return to Okinawa he eventually began to teach what became known as Naha Te, as contrasted with Shuri Te and Tomari Te.
A second Okinawan may have trained with Ryuryu Ko and that is Nakaima Kenri who founded the Ryuei Ryu style.
Koryu Uchinadi pioneer Patrick McCarthy has suggested that Ryuryu Ko was none other than Xie Zhongxiang, the founder of Míng Hè Quán (Whooping Crane Kung Fu).
Whooping Crane (also called Calling Crane or Screaming Crane was based on the Fujian White Crane he learned from his teacher Pan Yuban who’s teacher was Lin Shixian (who was a student of Fāng Qī Niáng, the originator of the first White Crane martial art). He had to conceal his name and aristocratic lineage and took on the name Ryu Ryu Ko, under which he worked, making household goods from bamboo and cane. He has been teaching martial arts at his home to a very small group of students, which included Higaonna Kanryō, who they say stayed with Ryu Ryu Ko from 1867 to 1881. Ryu Ryu Ko expanded his class to an actual public school “The Kojo Dojo” in 1883, running it with Wai Shinzan possibly a student of Iwah.
So one theory is that Naha Te and the Shorei tradition were developed from Whooping Crane, one of the five branches of Fujian White Crane.
Another branch, the one studied by Nobetsu Sensei, is the Feeding Crane tradition.
The lineage of this school is as follows:
1. Fāng Qī Niang
2. Céng Sì Chū
3. Zhèng Lǐ Shū
4. Cài Zhōng Shū
5. Cài Gōng Jǐng
6. Lín Dé Shùn
7. Liú Gù
8. Liú Yín Shān
9. Liú Zhǎng Yì (Liu Chin Long – Nobetsu’s teacher)
In 1922 four masters of Crane Fist from China's Fujian arrived in Taiwan They were Er-Gau, Yi-Gau, A-Fong and Lin Dé Shùn.
After his arrival in Taiwan Lin Dé Shùn started to work for a sugar company and in 1927 Liú Gù (1900-1965) heard about the skills of that master, and immediately invited him to be his teacher, offering some expensive gifts. Liu learnt thee full syllabus and became the next grandmaster.
Liú Gù was succeeded by his son Liú Yín Shān and he by Liu Chin Long who is Nobetsu Sensei’s teacher.
An interesting aspect of Liu family Shi He Quan is that the family had a book called “The Secret Shaolin Bronze Man Book” – apparently almost identical to the Bubishi.
In his commentary of the Bubishi, Patrick McCarthy recalls:
“Having met Liu Yinshan’s brother, Liu Songshan in Fuzhou, I came to learn of a “secret book” on gongfu that had been in the Liu family for the last seven decades. After meeting him in Fuzhou, hosting him at my home in Japan and visiting him in Taiwan, I have become familiar with that book, entitled The Secret Shaolin Bronze Man Book and can testify that it is, in almost every way, identical to the Bubishi. Master Liu’s Bubishi is dvided into 17 articles in three sections, whereas the Okinawan Bubishi contains 32 articles. However the same data is covered in both works though it is categorized differently.”
We know that the Bubishi – an anthology of Fujian Quan Fa – was considered the Bible of Karate and we see its link with Whooping Crane (through Ryuryu Ko and Higaonna) and with Feeding Crane (through the Liu family) – but could there be more to the crane family than meets the eye?
The founder of White Crane is said to be a woman called Fang Qi Niang.
The founder of Wing Chun is said to be a woman called Fong Chut-Neung (alt. Fong Wing Chun or Ng Mui)
In Hung Gar stories, the Tiger Fist master Hung Hei Gun marries Fong and she teacheshim
In White Crane stories, the Tiger Fist master Ceng Si Chu (Zeng Cishu) meets Fang and she teaches him
Could it be that all the three southern Kung Fu styles of Tiger Fist (Hung Gar), Wing Chun and White Crane are all related?
On the surface at least it seems that the idea of a man using Tiger Fist and a woman using White Crane Fist are perfect analogies for the hard and the soft or Yin and Yang.
Another tiger style that influenced both Karate (Uechi Ryu) and Feeding Crane was taught by Zhou Zi He.
Following in the footsteps of Aragaki and Higaonna, Uechi Kanbun arrived in Fujian and like them settled at the Ryukyukan, a Okinawan enclave of buildings including a boarding house, homes and businesses established for those who visited and lived in the area – including the famous Kojo Dojo.
Uechi didn’t like training at the Kojo Dojo because he was bullied so Uechi eventually became the student of Shu Shi Wa or Zhou Zhi He.
Uechi's teacher, Zhou Zhi He (1874-1926) originated from Minhou, Fujian. He reportedly studied martial arts under Li Zhao Bei and Ke Xi Di and was proficient in a variety of Quan.
Zhou reportedly practiced Crane and Tiger boxing, in addition to hard and soft qi gong and was noted for his iron palm technique. It has also been speculated that Gokenki aand Tang Daiji were students of Zhou.
In conclusion, if Shoto Ryu is descended from Chang Quan, Hsin-I Quan and Bazi Quan then Nisseikai is descended from He Quan (Crane Fist) and Hu Quan) Tiger Fist.
In a future blog post I will discuss the Animal Styles that are found within Toshu Jutsu kata.
In previous blog posts I have talked about the origins of Shoto family forms like Heian Bassai Dai and Empi but I have only briefly touched upon the Goju family in my article “all Go and no Ju.” Although I consider myself a Shoto Ryu stylist, one of my main teachers of the last eight years has been Reiner Parsons of the Niseikai school, a very interesting style which combines Goju Ryu Karate with Feeding Crane Kung Fu.
Reiner’s teacher, who I have also trained with is master Tadanori Nobetsu 9th Dan Hanshi.
Nobetsu Sensei was born in 1935 in Kyushu and in 1965 he established Niseikai in Ageo, Saitama Prefecture, based on his studies with masters like Yamaguchi. Significantly he has also put the “ju” back into “Goju” through his studies in Feeding Crane Kung Fu with his teacher Liú Chin Long.
Basically put the principle of Niseikai, as it is imparted to me by Reiner is:
- Always stay relaxed. Reiner’s strkes, in common with those of Nobetsu, use no strength but transmit a shockwave of power
- Breathe. The breathing method used is a type of hard Chi Kung that generates power and hardens the body
- Use the waist. Power is generated from the centre. The arms – like the crane’s wings – simply “flap” from the waist power
- Two directions. This principle will require further discussion in a post of its own.
- Train slowly for precision. Move slowly when defending. I will elaborate in a future post!
In my post about the origins of Bassai Dai I mentioned that Okinawans Matsumura and Kojo went to Fujian in 1828 and disovered a master called Iwah who taught all sorts of forms including Lion Boxing and is the origin of our Shorei (“Southern Shaolin”) family of forms like Seishan (Hangetsu). Seemingly after this visit, there is a trend for Okinawan masters to go to Fukien and learn the Shorei forms.
Aragaki Seisho (pioneer of the forms Niseishi, Unsu, Sochin and Wankan) trained there with Wai Shinzan and Aragaki’s student Higaonna Kanryo, (founder of Naha Te and teacher of Goju Ryu founder Chojun Miyagi) also trained there under someone called Ryuryu Ko.
As a child Higaonna Sensei trained under Aragaki Seisho Sensei. Later he briefly trained with Kojo Taitei Sensei of the Kojo Ryu. He traveled to China where he became a student of Ryuryu Ko with whom he trained for about 15 years before returning to Okinawa. After his return to Okinawa he eventually began to teach what became known as Naha Te, as contrasted with Shuri Te and Tomari Te.
A second Okinawan may have trained with Ryuryu Ko and that is Nakaima Kenri who founded the Ryuei Ryu style.
Koryu Uchinadi pioneer Patrick McCarthy has suggested that Ryuryu Ko was none other than Xie Zhongxiang, the founder of Míng Hè Quán (Whooping Crane Kung Fu).
Whooping Crane (also called Calling Crane or Screaming Crane was based on the Fujian White Crane he learned from his teacher Pan Yuban who’s teacher was Lin Shixian (who was a student of Fāng Qī Niáng, the originator of the first White Crane martial art). He had to conceal his name and aristocratic lineage and took on the name Ryu Ryu Ko, under which he worked, making household goods from bamboo and cane. He has been teaching martial arts at his home to a very small group of students, which included Higaonna Kanryō, who they say stayed with Ryu Ryu Ko from 1867 to 1881. Ryu Ryu Ko expanded his class to an actual public school “The Kojo Dojo” in 1883, running it with Wai Shinzan possibly a student of Iwah.
So one theory is that Naha Te and the Shorei tradition were developed from Whooping Crane, one of the five branches of Fujian White Crane.
Another branch, the one studied by Nobetsu Sensei, is the Feeding Crane tradition.
The lineage of this school is as follows:
1. Fāng Qī Niang
2. Céng Sì Chū
3. Zhèng Lǐ Shū
4. Cài Zhōng Shū
5. Cài Gōng Jǐng
6. Lín Dé Shùn
7. Liú Gù
8. Liú Yín Shān
9. Liú Zhǎng Yì (Liu Chin Long – Nobetsu’s teacher)
In 1922 four masters of Crane Fist from China's Fujian arrived in Taiwan They were Er-Gau, Yi-Gau, A-Fong and Lin Dé Shùn.
After his arrival in Taiwan Lin Dé Shùn started to work for a sugar company and in 1927 Liú Gù (1900-1965) heard about the skills of that master, and immediately invited him to be his teacher, offering some expensive gifts. Liu learnt thee full syllabus and became the next grandmaster.
Liú Gù was succeeded by his son Liú Yín Shān and he by Liu Chin Long who is Nobetsu Sensei’s teacher.
An interesting aspect of Liu family Shi He Quan is that the family had a book called “The Secret Shaolin Bronze Man Book” – apparently almost identical to the Bubishi.
In his commentary of the Bubishi, Patrick McCarthy recalls:
“Having met Liu Yinshan’s brother, Liu Songshan in Fuzhou, I came to learn of a “secret book” on gongfu that had been in the Liu family for the last seven decades. After meeting him in Fuzhou, hosting him at my home in Japan and visiting him in Taiwan, I have become familiar with that book, entitled The Secret Shaolin Bronze Man Book and can testify that it is, in almost every way, identical to the Bubishi. Master Liu’s Bubishi is dvided into 17 articles in three sections, whereas the Okinawan Bubishi contains 32 articles. However the same data is covered in both works though it is categorized differently.”
We know that the Bubishi – an anthology of Fujian Quan Fa – was considered the Bible of Karate and we see its link with Whooping Crane (through Ryuryu Ko and Higaonna) and with Feeding Crane (through the Liu family) – but could there be more to the crane family than meets the eye?
The founder of White Crane is said to be a woman called Fang Qi Niang.
The founder of Wing Chun is said to be a woman called Fong Chut-Neung (alt. Fong Wing Chun or Ng Mui)
In Hung Gar stories, the Tiger Fist master Hung Hei Gun marries Fong and she teacheshim
In White Crane stories, the Tiger Fist master Ceng Si Chu (Zeng Cishu) meets Fang and she teaches him
Could it be that all the three southern Kung Fu styles of Tiger Fist (Hung Gar), Wing Chun and White Crane are all related?
On the surface at least it seems that the idea of a man using Tiger Fist and a woman using White Crane Fist are perfect analogies for the hard and the soft or Yin and Yang.
Another tiger style that influenced both Karate (Uechi Ryu) and Feeding Crane was taught by Zhou Zi He.
Following in the footsteps of Aragaki and Higaonna, Uechi Kanbun arrived in Fujian and like them settled at the Ryukyukan, a Okinawan enclave of buildings including a boarding house, homes and businesses established for those who visited and lived in the area – including the famous Kojo Dojo.
Uechi didn’t like training at the Kojo Dojo because he was bullied so Uechi eventually became the student of Shu Shi Wa or Zhou Zhi He.
Uechi's teacher, Zhou Zhi He (1874-1926) originated from Minhou, Fujian. He reportedly studied martial arts under Li Zhao Bei and Ke Xi Di and was proficient in a variety of Quan.
Zhou reportedly practiced Crane and Tiger boxing, in addition to hard and soft qi gong and was noted for his iron palm technique. It has also been speculated that Gokenki aand Tang Daiji were students of Zhou.
In conclusion, if Shoto Ryu is descended from Chang Quan, Hsin-I Quan and Bazi Quan then Nisseikai is descended from He Quan (Crane Fist) and Hu Quan) Tiger Fist.
In a future blog post I will discuss the Animal Styles that are found within Toshu Jutsu kata.
The Jutsu and the Do
In the previous blog I mentioned pursuing the "trunk" of martial arts, rather than the branches. I will explain a little more about this.
The roots of martial arts, the ones buried right beneath the soil are the ancient ancestors that we cannot trace a complete lineal descent from. These are lost so deeply beneath the ground that they are such a distant memory. These may be primitive village arts from India, they may be primitive grappling forms of Babylon or they may be lost in stories of gods and mythology. No Karate school can trace their lineage back to Buddha.
The trunk of the martial arts, is actually many martial arts intertwined like ivy. so much so that you can't tell where one trunk starts and another ends.
These are the true martial arts (the Jutsu) that we know as Quan Fa (China), Bujutsu (Japan) and Toshukuken (Okinawa).
In China the Quan Fa schools took on different family names, or took stylistic influences from animals or themes.
In Japan, some of the Bujutsu schools took influences from China and became schools of Kempo, Yawara or Hakuda.
In Okinawa the old Toshukuken or Toshu Jutsu schools borrowed from China and the Karate Jutsu schools were born.
Similarly in Thailand there were schools of Muay Boran, in Korea there was Taekyon, in Burma there was Lethwai and in Malaysia there was Silat.
In Hakuda Kempo Toshu Jutsu we focus on the trunk not the branches.
The branches are, as you might expect, more numerous than the intertwined trunk.
They include:
Okinawa:
Shuri Te, Naha Te, Tomari Te, Motobu Te, Kume Te
Japan:
Yoshin Ryu, Daito Ryu, Tenjin Shin'yo Ryu, Kito Ryu, Takenouchi Ryu, etc
China:
Crane fist, Tiger fist, Lion fist, Monk fist, Supreme Ultimate fist, Form Mind fist, etc etc
From these branches there are more branches still.
For example, from Shuri Te we get Shorin Ryu, Shoto Ryu, Taekwondo, Wado Ryu, Kobayashi Ryu.
From Daito Ryu we get Aikido, Hapkido, Yoseikan Budo etc.
And in turn each of these branches have their own "twigs" so from Shoto Ryu (as taught originally by Master Funakoshi) we get JKA style Shotokan, SKI style Shotokan, Shotokai and numerous modern derivatives.
In Bushinkai, we look to the "trunk" (Hakuda Kempo Toshu Jutsu) but of course, we are also a product of the branches such as Shoto Ryu, Goju Ryu, Aikido, Jujutsu, Taiji Quan etc.
In Bushinkai we also have instruction from my good friend John Dang. His branches are different to mine - they are Taekwondo, Muay Thai and Jeet Kune Do, but his "trunk" - namely Kung Fu and Muay Boran is intertwined with our own - the Koreans call Toshu "Tang Soo" and the Okinawans call Muay Boran "Ti'Gwa."
The Trunk (The Jutsu)
Toshu Jutsu, Muay Boran (Ti Gwa), Quan Fa (Kempo)
The Branches (The Do)
Shotokan, Taekwondo, Goju Ryu, Jujutsu, Muay Thai
The roots of martial arts, the ones buried right beneath the soil are the ancient ancestors that we cannot trace a complete lineal descent from. These are lost so deeply beneath the ground that they are such a distant memory. These may be primitive village arts from India, they may be primitive grappling forms of Babylon or they may be lost in stories of gods and mythology. No Karate school can trace their lineage back to Buddha.
The trunk of the martial arts, is actually many martial arts intertwined like ivy. so much so that you can't tell where one trunk starts and another ends.
These are the true martial arts (the Jutsu) that we know as Quan Fa (China), Bujutsu (Japan) and Toshukuken (Okinawa).
In China the Quan Fa schools took on different family names, or took stylistic influences from animals or themes.
In Japan, some of the Bujutsu schools took influences from China and became schools of Kempo, Yawara or Hakuda.
In Okinawa the old Toshukuken or Toshu Jutsu schools borrowed from China and the Karate Jutsu schools were born.
Similarly in Thailand there were schools of Muay Boran, in Korea there was Taekyon, in Burma there was Lethwai and in Malaysia there was Silat.
In Hakuda Kempo Toshu Jutsu we focus on the trunk not the branches.
The branches are, as you might expect, more numerous than the intertwined trunk.
They include:
Okinawa:
Shuri Te, Naha Te, Tomari Te, Motobu Te, Kume Te
Japan:
Yoshin Ryu, Daito Ryu, Tenjin Shin'yo Ryu, Kito Ryu, Takenouchi Ryu, etc
China:
Crane fist, Tiger fist, Lion fist, Monk fist, Supreme Ultimate fist, Form Mind fist, etc etc
From these branches there are more branches still.
For example, from Shuri Te we get Shorin Ryu, Shoto Ryu, Taekwondo, Wado Ryu, Kobayashi Ryu.
From Daito Ryu we get Aikido, Hapkido, Yoseikan Budo etc.
And in turn each of these branches have their own "twigs" so from Shoto Ryu (as taught originally by Master Funakoshi) we get JKA style Shotokan, SKI style Shotokan, Shotokai and numerous modern derivatives.
In Bushinkai, we look to the "trunk" (Hakuda Kempo Toshu Jutsu) but of course, we are also a product of the branches such as Shoto Ryu, Goju Ryu, Aikido, Jujutsu, Taiji Quan etc.
In Bushinkai we also have instruction from my good friend John Dang. His branches are different to mine - they are Taekwondo, Muay Thai and Jeet Kune Do, but his "trunk" - namely Kung Fu and Muay Boran is intertwined with our own - the Koreans call Toshu "Tang Soo" and the Okinawans call Muay Boran "Ti'Gwa."
The Trunk (The Jutsu)
Toshu Jutsu, Muay Boran (Ti Gwa), Quan Fa (Kempo)
The Branches (The Do)
Shotokan, Taekwondo, Goju Ryu, Jujutsu, Muay Thai
Schools of Bushinkai
Bushinkai
Meaning "warrior spirit school" this name covers the two Academies that together comprise the Bushinkai International Academy of Martial Arts. Bushinkai was established in 2000 and held its first class in early 2001.
White Lion Academy and Metal Tiger Academy
The White Lion Academy is run by Kaicho (academy head) Simon Keegan, teaching the martial arts of Okinawa, Japan and Fujian/Guangzhou.
The name white lion was chosen partly because of the symbolism of the stone guardian lions in Shuri, Okinawa and of Fujian Lion Boxing.
The Metal Tiger Academy is run by Sifu David Keegan, and teaches Chinese Internal Martial Arts, including Taiji Quan (Tai Chi), Taiji Jian (Tai Chi sword) as well as other Qigong from other sources including Shaolin and the Ba Duan Jin.
Hakuda Kempo Toshu Jutsu
Within the White Lion Academy a fighting system is taught called "Hakuda Kempo Toshu Jutsu".
Prior to the rise of modern striking arts like Karate-Do, Taekwondo, Wu Shu and Tang Soo Do, the name for the true fighting arts in Okinawa was Toshu Jutsu or Toshukuken. Toshu Jutsu means "Chinese Hand techniques" and reflects the origins of the arts in Fujian and Guangzhou. One of the Fujianese sources for Toshu Jutsu was Lion Boxing.
Hakuda is a name for a type of Jujutsu originating from southwest Japan.
Masters of the Yoshin Ryu and Yagyu Shingan Ryu were influenced by the Quan Fa arts of China such as Bazi Quan and Hsin I Quan and so Hakuda Kempo took on a different flavour to other methods of Jujutsu, Yawara and Kumiuchi.
Hakuda Kempo Toshu Jutsu is a complete fighting system based on the following arts:
- Toshu Jutsu or Karate Jutsu. Fighting applications based on Okinawan forms
- Tegumi. Grappling drills originating in Okinawa and Fujian
- Hakuda or Jujutsu. Grappling methods from the old Satsuma prefecture.
- Emono Jutsu or Kobudo. Weapons arts of Okinawa, China and Japan.
- Nihon-den Jujutsu. Authentically Japanese Jujutsu, originating in the Tokyo area.
Hakuda Kempo Toshu Jutsu is collectively known by the school name Hakukigen Ryu, a name comprising the characters "Hakugen Ryu" an old school of the Satsuma area and "Kigen" a name meaning "to pray" in Japanese.
Bushinkai students are initially graded in Shoto Ryu Karate and upon reaching brown belt are graded for both Karate and Nihon-den Jujutsu.
Once they pass black belt levels they may be awarded densho within the Bushin Ryu tradition.
Shoto Ryu Toshu Jutsu (Shoto Ryu Karate)
In Okinawa all "Chinese boxing" forms were originally called Toshu Jutsu but as they became more integrated into Okinawa, three separate traditions emerged named after the villages where they were practiced - called Shuri Te, Naha Te and Tomari Te.
Sometimes these schools took the names "Shorin" and "Shorei" in reference to the Chinese Shaolin traditions.
The first time these arts were formally demonstrated in mainland Japan was in the 1920s by Gichin Funakoshi and Makoto Gima, both students of Itosu.
Originally they called this art "Ryukyu Kempo Tode Jutsu",but later the character (Tode/Toshu) was changed to Karate. Funakoshi himself gave no name to his school, only stating he taught both the Shorin and Shorei methods.
Gima, Funakoshi's senior student (and some would say his peer) used the name Shoto Ryu since Shoto was Funakoshi's pen-name.
Later Funakoshi presided over two groups also bearing his name, the Shotokan and Shotokai which took very different paths after his death.
Soon after in Okinawa, masters who were Funakoshi's peers (and fellow students of Itosu and Matsumura) formally established their own schools in Okinawa such as Shorin Ryu, Kobayashi Ryu and Matsubayashi Ryu which are different ways of pronouncing the same characters.
Bushinkai head Simon Keegan was certified by Kokusai Budoin, in which the head of Shoto Ryu is Ikuo Higuchi 8th Dan and the head of Shotokan is Hirokazu Kanazawa
Nihon-den Jujutsu
There were many grappling arts in Japan, using different names including Jujutsu, Yawara, Hakuda, Kogusoku, Taijutsu, Kumiuchi, Kempo, Toritejutsu and Aikijujutsu.
In the late Tokugawa Period most of these schools came to be classed as Jujutsu, and soon after the traditional Budo schools emerged. From Jujutsu came Judo, from Kenjutsu came Kendo and so on.
In the 20th century as new Jujutsu styles developed as far afield as England, Hawaii and Brazil, Japanese masters formalised some Jujutsu skills with techniques also common to traditional Judo and Aikido and established a programme of Nihon-den Jujutsu. At the forefront of this development were Minoru Mochizuki (10th Dan Aikido, 9th Dan Jujutsu) and Shizuya Sato (10th Dan Jujutsu, 9th Dan Judo).
Bushinkai head Simon Keegan was certified by Kokusai Budoin, in which the head of Nihon Jujutsu was Shizuya Sato and previously Minoru Mochizuki.
Bushin Ryu
Bushin Ryu is our headteacher's family Jujutsu tradition that began when Mikonosuke Kawaishi (a student of Daito Ryu master Yoshida Kotaro and Judo master Jigoro Kano) arrived in Liverpool in 1928.
Yoshida's teacher Sokaku Takeda was the last of the great Aikijujutsu masters to have actually fought in mortal combat.
Meaning "warrior spirit school" this name covers the two Academies that together comprise the Bushinkai International Academy of Martial Arts. Bushinkai was established in 2000 and held its first class in early 2001.
White Lion Academy and Metal Tiger Academy
The White Lion Academy is run by Kaicho (academy head) Simon Keegan, teaching the martial arts of Okinawa, Japan and Fujian/Guangzhou.
The name white lion was chosen partly because of the symbolism of the stone guardian lions in Shuri, Okinawa and of Fujian Lion Boxing.
The Metal Tiger Academy is run by Sifu David Keegan, and teaches Chinese Internal Martial Arts, including Taiji Quan (Tai Chi), Taiji Jian (Tai Chi sword) as well as other Qigong from other sources including Shaolin and the Ba Duan Jin.
Hakuda Kempo Toshu Jutsu
Within the White Lion Academy a fighting system is taught called "Hakuda Kempo Toshu Jutsu".
Prior to the rise of modern striking arts like Karate-Do, Taekwondo, Wu Shu and Tang Soo Do, the name for the true fighting arts in Okinawa was Toshu Jutsu or Toshukuken. Toshu Jutsu means "Chinese Hand techniques" and reflects the origins of the arts in Fujian and Guangzhou. One of the Fujianese sources for Toshu Jutsu was Lion Boxing.
Hakuda is a name for a type of Jujutsu originating from southwest Japan.
Masters of the Yoshin Ryu and Yagyu Shingan Ryu were influenced by the Quan Fa arts of China such as Bazi Quan and Hsin I Quan and so Hakuda Kempo took on a different flavour to other methods of Jujutsu, Yawara and Kumiuchi.
Hakuda Kempo Toshu Jutsu is a complete fighting system based on the following arts:
- Toshu Jutsu or Karate Jutsu. Fighting applications based on Okinawan forms
- Tegumi. Grappling drills originating in Okinawa and Fujian
- Hakuda or Jujutsu. Grappling methods from the old Satsuma prefecture.
- Emono Jutsu or Kobudo. Weapons arts of Okinawa, China and Japan.
- Nihon-den Jujutsu. Authentically Japanese Jujutsu, originating in the Tokyo area.
Hakuda Kempo Toshu Jutsu is collectively known by the school name Hakukigen Ryu, a name comprising the characters "Hakugen Ryu" an old school of the Satsuma area and "Kigen" a name meaning "to pray" in Japanese.
Bushinkai students are initially graded in Shoto Ryu Karate and upon reaching brown belt are graded for both Karate and Nihon-den Jujutsu.
Once they pass black belt levels they may be awarded densho within the Bushin Ryu tradition.
Shoto Ryu Toshu Jutsu (Shoto Ryu Karate)
In Okinawa all "Chinese boxing" forms were originally called Toshu Jutsu but as they became more integrated into Okinawa, three separate traditions emerged named after the villages where they were practiced - called Shuri Te, Naha Te and Tomari Te.
Sometimes these schools took the names "Shorin" and "Shorei" in reference to the Chinese Shaolin traditions.
The first time these arts were formally demonstrated in mainland Japan was in the 1920s by Gichin Funakoshi and Makoto Gima, both students of Itosu.
Originally they called this art "Ryukyu Kempo Tode Jutsu",but later the character (Tode/Toshu) was changed to Karate. Funakoshi himself gave no name to his school, only stating he taught both the Shorin and Shorei methods.
Gima, Funakoshi's senior student (and some would say his peer) used the name Shoto Ryu since Shoto was Funakoshi's pen-name.
Later Funakoshi presided over two groups also bearing his name, the Shotokan and Shotokai which took very different paths after his death.
Soon after in Okinawa, masters who were Funakoshi's peers (and fellow students of Itosu and Matsumura) formally established their own schools in Okinawa such as Shorin Ryu, Kobayashi Ryu and Matsubayashi Ryu which are different ways of pronouncing the same characters.
Bushinkai head Simon Keegan was certified by Kokusai Budoin, in which the head of Shoto Ryu is Ikuo Higuchi 8th Dan and the head of Shotokan is Hirokazu Kanazawa
Nihon-den Jujutsu
There were many grappling arts in Japan, using different names including Jujutsu, Yawara, Hakuda, Kogusoku, Taijutsu, Kumiuchi, Kempo, Toritejutsu and Aikijujutsu.
In the late Tokugawa Period most of these schools came to be classed as Jujutsu, and soon after the traditional Budo schools emerged. From Jujutsu came Judo, from Kenjutsu came Kendo and so on.
In the 20th century as new Jujutsu styles developed as far afield as England, Hawaii and Brazil, Japanese masters formalised some Jujutsu skills with techniques also common to traditional Judo and Aikido and established a programme of Nihon-den Jujutsu. At the forefront of this development were Minoru Mochizuki (10th Dan Aikido, 9th Dan Jujutsu) and Shizuya Sato (10th Dan Jujutsu, 9th Dan Judo).
Bushinkai head Simon Keegan was certified by Kokusai Budoin, in which the head of Nihon Jujutsu was Shizuya Sato and previously Minoru Mochizuki.
Bushin Ryu
Bushin Ryu is our headteacher's family Jujutsu tradition that began when Mikonosuke Kawaishi (a student of Daito Ryu master Yoshida Kotaro and Judo master Jigoro Kano) arrived in Liverpool in 1928.
Yoshida's teacher Sokaku Takeda was the last of the great Aikijujutsu masters to have actually fought in mortal combat.
Toshu Jutsu versus Karatedo
In Karate Do the 3 Ks are taught - Kata, Kihon, Kumite
- In Toshu Jutsu, the 10 Ks are taught - Kata, Kihon, Kumite, Ki, Katame, Kyusho, Kansetsu, Kumiuchi, Kobudo, Kakie
In Karate Do kata has only Bunkai (analysis of forms based on kumite techniques)
- In Toshu Jutsu the bunkai leads to Oyo (real workable applications that can be practiced and applied on a partner)
In Karate Do students learn to defend against "Karate attacks"
- In Toshu Jutsu students defend against all the most habitual violent attacks
In Karate Do (for example modern Shotokan) strikes use Kime (tension at the last second of a technique for 'focus')
- In Toshu Jutsu there is consistent power throughout techniques
In Karate Do (for example modern Shotokan) blocks use Kime (tension at the last second of a technique for 'focus')
- In Toshu Jutsu blocks use "heavy hands" transferring power "through" the opponent
In Karate Do the techniques are practiced long range
- In Toshu Jutsu the techniques are practice close range primarily and then at other ranges
- In Karate Do the defender steps back away from the attack
In Toshu Jutsu the defender advances in on the attack, or turns with the attack
- In Toshu Jutsu, the 10 Ks are taught - Kata, Kihon, Kumite, Ki, Katame, Kyusho, Kansetsu, Kumiuchi, Kobudo, Kakie
In Karate Do kata has only Bunkai (analysis of forms based on kumite techniques)
- In Toshu Jutsu the bunkai leads to Oyo (real workable applications that can be practiced and applied on a partner)
In Karate Do students learn to defend against "Karate attacks"
- In Toshu Jutsu students defend against all the most habitual violent attacks
In Karate Do (for example modern Shotokan) strikes use Kime (tension at the last second of a technique for 'focus')
- In Toshu Jutsu there is consistent power throughout techniques
In Karate Do (for example modern Shotokan) blocks use Kime (tension at the last second of a technique for 'focus')
- In Toshu Jutsu blocks use "heavy hands" transferring power "through" the opponent
In Karate Do the techniques are practiced long range
- In Toshu Jutsu the techniques are practice close range primarily and then at other ranges
- In Karate Do the defender steps back away from the attack
In Toshu Jutsu the defender advances in on the attack, or turns with the attack
Karate is an exact Science (originally published in Traditional Karate/Combat magazine)
This article was published in Combat magazine:
There is an old exclamation that says: “This isn’t an exact science you know!” and when I hear this said in martial arts I always chuckle.
Because this is an exact science, you know.
Karate Jutsu, or Toshu Jutsu as I refer to it for reasons I will detail at the end of the feature, is very much an exact science and I will explain why.
I teach according to three sciences. The Science of Violence (SOT), the Science of Technique (SOT) and the Science of Learning (SOL).
We will first examine the elements of the SOV.
SOV1. Attacking range
There are only a finite number of distances from which an assailant can launch an attack. The opponent may be at “long range”, so far away from us that the only way he could hit us is with a projectile or firearm attack or medium long range where maybe they could attack us with a hand-held weapon. The next distance is “kicking range” where the only way he could reach us is with a kicking attack. So we know that if the opponent is five foot away we don’t have to worry about throws! Then we have “punching range”, typically the type of distance between two boxers. Here the opponent can reach us with a kick or a punch. The next range is “close range”. We are too close for the opponent to kick but he can still punch with hooks, he an also use knees and elbows and can clinch. This is the range favoured in MMA when one man has the other pinned up against the cage and “dirty boxing” commences.
The next range is the full clinch. We don’t really need to worry about kicks or punches as much as but the main threats are throws and trips. Finally we have the groundwork range, with both opponents grappling or pounding on the floor. So there we have it: just seven fighting ranges. The real skill is twofold, firstly we must learn to defend against appropriate attacks at appropriate ranges. The second skill is mixing and matching the fighting ranges. For example you are on the floor and the opponent is stood.
SOV2. Habitual Attacks
To explain the nature of habitual attacks I can do no better than to refer to the pioneering research of Hanshi Patrick McCarthy. The principle of the Habitual Acts of Physical Violence (HAPVs) is that violent attacks are not random they are habitual. McCarthy Sensei cites 36 main attacks. These include punches, kicks, grabs, trips, locks, distractions and posturing.
They key to understanding the Science of Violence is combining knowledge of habitual attacks with the appropriate attacking range and ensuring no range is neglected.
SOT1. Understanding the syllabus
Many martial arts schools use a syllabus as a means only to assist in grading revision or as a curriculum outline. A truly successful syllabus should of course include all the elements necessary for a student to pass a grading but it should also ensure that the student is learning the skills at the appropriate stage of their development. At academic school we are taught the ABCs, then we are taught how to form words, then sentences, the joined-up writing, then prose and poetry and so on. A martial arts syllabus should not teach the poetry of the art before the ABCs. A good martial arts system should emphasise both quantity and quality. By quantity I do not mean learning a thousand kata. By quantity I mean a full complement of techniques. Strikes, locks, throws, hold-downs, reversals, escapes and perhaps some weapons training. But quality should also be paramount. Not just to make the student look “pretty” enough to pass a grading or tough enough to score an Ippon, but in order that their techniques are performed with efficacy.
SOT2. Understanding Defence
Just as there are only four fighting ranges and a habitual set of attacks there are also a finite number of ways we can defend against a technique. In fact there are four* We can
Block the attack. To obstruct it before it becomes effective
Parry the attack, redirect it or blend with it
Avoid the attack, duck, weave, or run away
We cause pain to the attacker which makes him voluntarily (or involuntarily!) cease the attack. Once we understand there are a finite number of ranges, each of which only cater to a finite number of attacks and each of these can only be defended in a finite number of ways, we start to realise that martial arts are a very precise science.
*The four defences: I must give credit to Hanshi Terry Wingrove for teaching me this principle
SOT3. Understanding Technique
Did you ever show a technique from your style to an advanced martial artist from another style who, despite never having seen that particular technique before still managed to do the technique better than you? This is because after reaching a certain level of skill, how the technique seems to manifest itself is unimportant. What matters are principles common to all techniques in all arts, from archery to Sumo.
The Five Major Principles of Martial Arts
Relax. There is no technique that is better as a result of being tense, locked-up and rigid
Breathe. Breathing is emphasised in arts like archery, Tai Chi and Iaido. But is also important in more external arts. Learn to breath fully, naturally and move in time with your breath
Use the waist and/or hips. All movement must originate from the midsection. A baseball hitter would not dream of moving the bat using only his arms.
Two directions. This is the most abstract of the concepts. Every technique make use of two directions or more. When we punch we not only move one hand forward, we move the other back. When we block we do so diagonally. When we apply a wrist lock the wrist is moved backwards and to the side. When we cut with a sword we come down in a chopping action but also arc inwards in a cutting action.
Train slowly. Learn to practice each technique at Tai Chi speed to ensure perfect attention to detail. Also, as the defender you can afford to move slower than the attacker. If he is punching you in the face his fist has to travel two feet in distance, whereas your face only has to move a few inches to avoid it. So why try to move at the same speed as the attacker.
*The five principles: I must give credit to Renshi Reiner Parsons for teaching me this lesson.
Other common principles in martial arts
When you are studying for self defence, remember there are no rules (and not like in MMA where there are no rules apart from about 30 exceptions!). There are few techniques that are not improved by first distracting the opponent. Spit in his eyes, flick him in the groin, throw your coffee in his face, rake your car keys across his eyes, throw a handful of coins in his face. You only need to buy yourself a fraction of a second.
Kiai. Whether you view a Kiai as a war-cry, a harmony of energy or a way of expelling all the air from your stomach, this under-rated technique will pay off
Keep good stature. This means keeping the elbows and shoulders down, the spine straight and the hips relaxed.
Keep techniques finite. A reverse hook kick to the shoulder blade may score a point in the Dojo but can you rely on it to end a confrontation? If you can’t use a technique that guarantees the opponent is knocked out, use a technique that at least puts him on his backside.
SOL1. Making it work for you
Once we begin to understand the Science of Violence and the Science of Technique we need to learn how exactly we can learn these techniques so well and so throroughly that they become instinctive. It is great to be able to perform a technique well in the Dojo (and even better to perform it well in a competition or grading) but what is the use if you cannot perform it when it really matters, on the street?
And so we practice the individual techniques (Kihon) applying the principles of technique to them. Then we work with a partner (Kumite) and he attacks us (the Science of Violence) and depending on his range and his attack, we use a technique to defend against it, then we get in our retaliation.
This is our ABC: Avoid, Block, Counter.
Now we need to practice the technique by Drilling it. We can use shadowboxing, Kata, flowdrills or simple repetition. We practice, practice, practice and then practice some more. Eventually it doesn’t matter from which angle the attack comes because our defence is so well drilled it seems to spring from nowhere.
But now we have learn the technique and drilled it, we need to somehow simulate the state of mind and environment we might find outside. The opponent is angry, fast, coming at us powerfully and violently. Can we still pull the trick out of the bag? For this we use sparring. Kickboxing style, Judo style and MMA style.
SOL2. Managing your mindset
When your first practice a technique your state of mind is Kime, full focus and concentration on the task in hand. Learning the technique, examining it and getting it right.
The next state of mind is Zanshin. Awareness of surroundings, awareness of the opponent’s actions.
The final state of mind is Mushin (no mind). The ability to perform the technique without thinking about the opponent’s attack or your defences.
SOL3. Have faith in your system
I believe that the men who created the Kata that we practice knew what they were doing. I believe they understood violence, technique and learning and so encrypted all the necessary techniques into our Kata. There are lovely Aikido-style moves in Heian Shodan, wonderful grappling techniques in Heian Sandan and so great throws in Bassai Dai. And if ever you get attacked in a confined space, you’ll truly value Tekki Shodan….
Practice the techniques and then try to find them in the Kata you already know. Karate kata are a wealth of self defence techniques.
Why Toshu Jutsu?
Why do I call my own system Hakuda Kempo Toshu Jutsu? The two characters for Chinese Hand can be pronounced To/Kara/Ku/Tang and Te/De/Di/Shu/Soo. I use the Onyumi pronunciation which is To-Shu, whereas the Kunyumi pronuciation is Kara-Te. The Koreans use a variation of the Onyumi which gives Tang-Soo and some Karateka use a combination of Onyumi and Kunyumi which gives To-De.
The characters To Shu when reversed gives us Shu To, which by an Okinawan pun can also mean “Hand Sword”. And in the words of Master Funakoshi, “Think of the hands and feet as swords.”
Hakuda or Hakuda Kempo was, essentially Kyushu’s (a south Japanese island) answer to Karate/Toshu Jutsu. In the 1600s a Japanese master called Akiyama travelled to China and learnt a striking art. I believe this art was White Crane Kung Fu, forerunner of Karate. Since Hakuda literally means White Hand.
The name Hakuda Kempo Toshu Jutsu pays tribute to the old ways of Karate and Jujutsu known as Toshu and Hakuda.
There is an old exclamation that says: “This isn’t an exact science you know!” and when I hear this said in martial arts I always chuckle.
Because this is an exact science, you know.
Karate Jutsu, or Toshu Jutsu as I refer to it for reasons I will detail at the end of the feature, is very much an exact science and I will explain why.
I teach according to three sciences. The Science of Violence (SOT), the Science of Technique (SOT) and the Science of Learning (SOL).
We will first examine the elements of the SOV.
SOV1. Attacking range
There are only a finite number of distances from which an assailant can launch an attack. The opponent may be at “long range”, so far away from us that the only way he could hit us is with a projectile or firearm attack or medium long range where maybe they could attack us with a hand-held weapon. The next distance is “kicking range” where the only way he could reach us is with a kicking attack. So we know that if the opponent is five foot away we don’t have to worry about throws! Then we have “punching range”, typically the type of distance between two boxers. Here the opponent can reach us with a kick or a punch. The next range is “close range”. We are too close for the opponent to kick but he can still punch with hooks, he an also use knees and elbows and can clinch. This is the range favoured in MMA when one man has the other pinned up against the cage and “dirty boxing” commences.
The next range is the full clinch. We don’t really need to worry about kicks or punches as much as but the main threats are throws and trips. Finally we have the groundwork range, with both opponents grappling or pounding on the floor. So there we have it: just seven fighting ranges. The real skill is twofold, firstly we must learn to defend against appropriate attacks at appropriate ranges. The second skill is mixing and matching the fighting ranges. For example you are on the floor and the opponent is stood.
SOV2. Habitual Attacks
To explain the nature of habitual attacks I can do no better than to refer to the pioneering research of Hanshi Patrick McCarthy. The principle of the Habitual Acts of Physical Violence (HAPVs) is that violent attacks are not random they are habitual. McCarthy Sensei cites 36 main attacks. These include punches, kicks, grabs, trips, locks, distractions and posturing.
They key to understanding the Science of Violence is combining knowledge of habitual attacks with the appropriate attacking range and ensuring no range is neglected.
SOT1. Understanding the syllabus
Many martial arts schools use a syllabus as a means only to assist in grading revision or as a curriculum outline. A truly successful syllabus should of course include all the elements necessary for a student to pass a grading but it should also ensure that the student is learning the skills at the appropriate stage of their development. At academic school we are taught the ABCs, then we are taught how to form words, then sentences, the joined-up writing, then prose and poetry and so on. A martial arts syllabus should not teach the poetry of the art before the ABCs. A good martial arts system should emphasise both quantity and quality. By quantity I do not mean learning a thousand kata. By quantity I mean a full complement of techniques. Strikes, locks, throws, hold-downs, reversals, escapes and perhaps some weapons training. But quality should also be paramount. Not just to make the student look “pretty” enough to pass a grading or tough enough to score an Ippon, but in order that their techniques are performed with efficacy.
SOT2. Understanding Defence
Just as there are only four fighting ranges and a habitual set of attacks there are also a finite number of ways we can defend against a technique. In fact there are four* We can
Block the attack. To obstruct it before it becomes effective
Parry the attack, redirect it or blend with it
Avoid the attack, duck, weave, or run away
We cause pain to the attacker which makes him voluntarily (or involuntarily!) cease the attack. Once we understand there are a finite number of ranges, each of which only cater to a finite number of attacks and each of these can only be defended in a finite number of ways, we start to realise that martial arts are a very precise science.
*The four defences: I must give credit to Hanshi Terry Wingrove for teaching me this principle
SOT3. Understanding Technique
Did you ever show a technique from your style to an advanced martial artist from another style who, despite never having seen that particular technique before still managed to do the technique better than you? This is because after reaching a certain level of skill, how the technique seems to manifest itself is unimportant. What matters are principles common to all techniques in all arts, from archery to Sumo.
The Five Major Principles of Martial Arts
Relax. There is no technique that is better as a result of being tense, locked-up and rigid
Breathe. Breathing is emphasised in arts like archery, Tai Chi and Iaido. But is also important in more external arts. Learn to breath fully, naturally and move in time with your breath
Use the waist and/or hips. All movement must originate from the midsection. A baseball hitter would not dream of moving the bat using only his arms.
Two directions. This is the most abstract of the concepts. Every technique make use of two directions or more. When we punch we not only move one hand forward, we move the other back. When we block we do so diagonally. When we apply a wrist lock the wrist is moved backwards and to the side. When we cut with a sword we come down in a chopping action but also arc inwards in a cutting action.
Train slowly. Learn to practice each technique at Tai Chi speed to ensure perfect attention to detail. Also, as the defender you can afford to move slower than the attacker. If he is punching you in the face his fist has to travel two feet in distance, whereas your face only has to move a few inches to avoid it. So why try to move at the same speed as the attacker.
*The five principles: I must give credit to Renshi Reiner Parsons for teaching me this lesson.
Other common principles in martial arts
When you are studying for self defence, remember there are no rules (and not like in MMA where there are no rules apart from about 30 exceptions!). There are few techniques that are not improved by first distracting the opponent. Spit in his eyes, flick him in the groin, throw your coffee in his face, rake your car keys across his eyes, throw a handful of coins in his face. You only need to buy yourself a fraction of a second.
Kiai. Whether you view a Kiai as a war-cry, a harmony of energy or a way of expelling all the air from your stomach, this under-rated technique will pay off
Keep good stature. This means keeping the elbows and shoulders down, the spine straight and the hips relaxed.
Keep techniques finite. A reverse hook kick to the shoulder blade may score a point in the Dojo but can you rely on it to end a confrontation? If you can’t use a technique that guarantees the opponent is knocked out, use a technique that at least puts him on his backside.
SOL1. Making it work for you
Once we begin to understand the Science of Violence and the Science of Technique we need to learn how exactly we can learn these techniques so well and so throroughly that they become instinctive. It is great to be able to perform a technique well in the Dojo (and even better to perform it well in a competition or grading) but what is the use if you cannot perform it when it really matters, on the street?
And so we practice the individual techniques (Kihon) applying the principles of technique to them. Then we work with a partner (Kumite) and he attacks us (the Science of Violence) and depending on his range and his attack, we use a technique to defend against it, then we get in our retaliation.
This is our ABC: Avoid, Block, Counter.
Now we need to practice the technique by Drilling it. We can use shadowboxing, Kata, flowdrills or simple repetition. We practice, practice, practice and then practice some more. Eventually it doesn’t matter from which angle the attack comes because our defence is so well drilled it seems to spring from nowhere.
But now we have learn the technique and drilled it, we need to somehow simulate the state of mind and environment we might find outside. The opponent is angry, fast, coming at us powerfully and violently. Can we still pull the trick out of the bag? For this we use sparring. Kickboxing style, Judo style and MMA style.
SOL2. Managing your mindset
When your first practice a technique your state of mind is Kime, full focus and concentration on the task in hand. Learning the technique, examining it and getting it right.
The next state of mind is Zanshin. Awareness of surroundings, awareness of the opponent’s actions.
The final state of mind is Mushin (no mind). The ability to perform the technique without thinking about the opponent’s attack or your defences.
SOL3. Have faith in your system
I believe that the men who created the Kata that we practice knew what they were doing. I believe they understood violence, technique and learning and so encrypted all the necessary techniques into our Kata. There are lovely Aikido-style moves in Heian Shodan, wonderful grappling techniques in Heian Sandan and so great throws in Bassai Dai. And if ever you get attacked in a confined space, you’ll truly value Tekki Shodan….
Practice the techniques and then try to find them in the Kata you already know. Karate kata are a wealth of self defence techniques.
Why Toshu Jutsu?
Why do I call my own system Hakuda Kempo Toshu Jutsu? The two characters for Chinese Hand can be pronounced To/Kara/Ku/Tang and Te/De/Di/Shu/Soo. I use the Onyumi pronunciation which is To-Shu, whereas the Kunyumi pronuciation is Kara-Te. The Koreans use a variation of the Onyumi which gives Tang-Soo and some Karateka use a combination of Onyumi and Kunyumi which gives To-De.
The characters To Shu when reversed gives us Shu To, which by an Okinawan pun can also mean “Hand Sword”. And in the words of Master Funakoshi, “Think of the hands and feet as swords.”
Hakuda or Hakuda Kempo was, essentially Kyushu’s (a south Japanese island) answer to Karate/Toshu Jutsu. In the 1600s a Japanese master called Akiyama travelled to China and learnt a striking art. I believe this art was White Crane Kung Fu, forerunner of Karate. Since Hakuda literally means White Hand.
The name Hakuda Kempo Toshu Jutsu pays tribute to the old ways of Karate and Jujutsu known as Toshu and Hakuda.