Chan Migwa-te

Nick: Apparently there are four base arts of Okinawa. We throught there were three, Shuri-te, Naha-te and Tomari-te. We have officially discovered Migwa-te.

Andrew: Really? Never heard of that... does it have anything to do with Kyan? Kyan was nicknamed 'chanmigwa' - small eyes.

Nick: Apparently it's based on his alterations to technique. "They preserve Itosu's Shuri-te kata, but the hard-hitting linear technique is missing. Momentum techniques have been systematically removed. To a Shotokan stylist, it is bizarre to see people open pinan shodan by turning to the left and then BACKING away from the first block. These are styles where the performer stands upright much of the time and power generation often has a whiplash feeling to it. They are not using heavy upper-body power, and are also not using momentum impact. When you see Shuri-te kata done without high impact body shifting, then the style is neither Shuri-te nor Naha-te. It is something else, a different kind of karate, and Migwa-te is an appropriate name for it." It says this group includes Isshinryu, Nagamine's Matsubayashi, and several other "shorin" styles.

Andrew: That makes sense. Drew is a Seibukan Shorin-Ryu stylist under Zenpo Shimabukuro with direct lineage from Kyan so I guess this Migwa-te is part of this.

Nick: From Tatsuo sensei's Wikipedia:

It was during the late 1940s that Master Shimabuku began experimenting with different basic techniques and Kata from the Shorin-Ryu and Goju-Ryu systems as well as Kobudo. He comes to experimenting with his own ideas. He called the style he was teaching Chan-migwha-te after Chotoku Kyan nickname Chan-migwa (チャンミーグヮー). Master Kyan’s nickname was “Chan-migwa”, meaning “small-eyed-Chan." "Chan (チャン)" in the Okinawa dialect “Uchinaguchi” is “Kyan (喜屋武)." In Uchinaguchi “mi (ミー)” means “eye." The suffix “Gwa (グヮー)” or “Guwa (グヮー)” mean's “small.” So Chan-migwa means “Small eye Chan (Kyan).” Chan migwa-te was the style taught until he renamed his style "Isshin-ryū" on January 15, 1956.

This is from www.msisshinryu.com/masters/kyan/:

In fact, he was one of the most knowledgeable masters of his time, as he studied both the Shuri-te and the Tomari-te styles of karate. He studied Shuri-te from Sokon Matsumura and Anko Itosu and studied Tomari-te from Oyadomari Pechin, Maeda Pechin and Kosaku Matsumora. Kyan's teaching combined the elements of both of these styles of karate, with his students originally calling his system 'migwa-te', but later it became known as 'Sukunaihayashi-ryu'.

I'm sure this has a deep and profound meaning. From www.journaled.com/JED/MA/Isshinryu/main.htm:

Sunsu was T. Shimabuku's own dojo kata that he had when he was still teaching Migwa Te or Sun Nsu Te (this is what Major Mike called it).

And this is from mikeblum.8k.com/hist.htm:

During World Was II, Shimabuku's business was destroyed. He moved his family into the country to pursue farming. This was about the only way to support his family. After the was, he began teaching a synthesis he called "Chan Migwa Te", in honor of Master Kiyan. The name meant, "Small eyed Kiyan." In 1954, after making a number of radical changes to what he had learned, he called his karate, "Isshin do."

To be continued...

Pine Tree (or Forest) Symbol

Nick: Something was recently brought to my attention:

My style comes from Kayo Soken. To mark the occasion when Kayo was appointed the chief body-guard to King Sho Ko (and later to Sho Iku and then Sho Tai), he was allowed to change his name. This was a custom back then, especially if something important or notable happened to you; he changed his name to Matsumura, — Matsumura Soken.

That's from an interview with Sensei Hohan.

Then I recalled reading from Shotokan's Secret:

"Matsu" means "pine tree". "Mura" is a common suffix that means "village".

Sensei Hohan goes on:

We would also use the pine trees that were found throughout Okinawa. We would slap or kick the trees and develop our gripping methods for close in fighting.

The practice of the hakutsuru form forced me to learn better balance by performing the techniques while balanced on a pine log. Initially I learned the form on the ground and then I had to perform it on a log laying on the ground. For the advanced training the log was put into the river and tied down so as not to float away. I was then instructed to perform the kata while balanced on the log. It was very difficult and I almost drowned several times by falling and bouncing my head off the log.

Then Wikipedia says:

Shōbayashi ("Small Forest")
Kobayashi ("Young Forest")
Matsubayashi ("Pine Forest")

What is the tree about??

Andrew: I tried to find something on the Net... nada.

But I think the Tree is a symbolic metaphor for for the growth of Knowledge in Martial Arts. Interesting to note that Funakoshi's pen name 'Shoto' (as in Shotokan) also has reference to pine. Hmmm...

Nick: Clayton (Shotokan's Secret) says pine trees are very common symbols in karate styles that trace their roots to Matsumura.

According to this, Sho uses the same kanji as Matsu, the same one from Matsumura's name. Apparently Shoto means pine waves, which Funakoshi explained as "waves of wind in pine trees". Apparently this is a subtle connection with Itosu's Shining Forest style.

It goes on to say that Shoto may refer to the smaller of the two swords in a daisho display, because he was "as short and sharp as they come" (author talking, not Funakoshi).

This is part of a folktale, apparently.

A long, long time ago, when God created the island of Yaeyama, it was covered with rocks. So God decided he had to bring something else to the island so that it looked better.

One day he called all the trees together. The fuguki tree came first, then the pine tree, then the kuwa tree. Later, the bamboo, kuba, and adan trees came. But they all started fighting over where they would live on the island. God got upset and told the trees to come in front of him one at a time.

To the first, the fuguki tree, God said, "You have a strong body and leaves, so you will live around houses and protect them from typhoons and fire." The fuguki tree was very happy about this and felt very important.

To the second, the pine tree, God said, "You should grow around the villages and show off your big pine needles and protect the people from evil spirits and epidemic diseases." The pine tree was also happy to be protecting the people.

Karate does have well-known effects on health.

Also found this:

The Ryukyu Pine or White Pine is one of the hardiest of all evergreens, and symbolizes health and longevity.

Apparently this symbolism goes a ways back.

Kenpo is the family style of Grandmaster James Mitose. It was first taught to non-family members in Hawaii during the 1940's and 1950's. Mitose called his family style "Kyu-sho-ryu" Kenpo (old pine tree school fist law). According to Mitose, during the invasion of Genghis Khan, the Head Monk of the Shaolin Temple fled China and found refuge with the Mitose family. In appreciation for the kindness of the Mitose's, he taught them Shaolin Chuan Fa (Shorinji Kempo in Japanese). Then, in 1235, a Shinto priest whom James Mitose calls his first ancestor became enlightened to what we call Kempo. According to Mitose, this man was a martial arts master and a Buddhist monk studying at Shaka In who found it difficult to be both. His religion taught him pacifism; his martial art taught him destruction. He pondered this dilemma under an old pine tree meaning Kosho in Japanese. He became enlightened and was from then on known as, Kosho Bosatsu, the Old Pine Tree Enlightened One. He discovered the relationship between man and nature and also the secret of the escaping arts. He founded the Kosho Shorei Temple of Peace, True Self Defense, and Kosho Shorei Yoga School.

To be continued...

Reading List

Book Title	Author	Description	Rank
Karate-Do, My Way of Life	Gichin Funakoshi	Stories of Okinawan karate's forefathers and martial arts philosophies from the founder of Shotokan Karate.	Must own!
My Journey With The Grandmaster	Bill Hayes	Major Bill Hayes recounts his experiences in karate training while stationed on Okinawa as a US Marine following a tour of duty in Vietnam with Eizo Shimabukuro.	Must own!
Shotokan's Secret: The Hidden Truth Behind Karate's Fighting Origins	Bruce D. Clayton	In-depth history of Shotokan's masters including contributions to the art and in-depth analysis of Shuri kata and techniques.	Must own!
The Unfettered Mind	Takuan Soho	Takuan's writing is light on sword-handling and heavy on the spiritual side.	Must own!
Hagakure	Yamamoto Tsunetomo	The most influential of all samurai treatises ever written.	Must own!
Yojokun	Kaibara Ekiken	Life lessons from a samurai.	Must own!
The Book of Five Rings	Miyamoto Musashi	Musashi's work should be studied, not simply read.	Must own!
Shotokan's Secret; Second Edition	Bruce D. Clayton	Includes extended history and more bunkai for defending a sword barehanded.	Must own!
The Twenty Guiding Principles of Karate	Gichin Funakoshi	Guide to the spiritual practice of karate.	Must own!
The Essence of Okinawan Karate-Do	Shoshin Nagamine	History of Matsubayashi Shorin-ryu including step-by-step walkthroughs of kata by Matsubayashi grandmaster Nagamine.	Must own!
Okinawan Karate: Teachers, Styles and Secret Techniques	Mark Bishop	History and current information on many styles of Okinawan karate and kobudo. Includes detailed lineage charts and accounts from some of karate's current and past masters.	Must own!
Tao of Jeet Kune Do	Bruce Lee	Practical fighting techniques and martial arts philosophy from Bruce Lee.	Must own!
The Bubishi, The Classical Manual of Combat	Patrick McCarthy	Ancient document of combat tradition and Chinese medicine handed down through karate's greatest masters.	Must own!
H2H: Hand To Hand Combat	Greg Thompson & Kid Peligro	An extensive guide on combat techniques and training exercises.	Must own!
The Fighter's Body	Loren W. Christensen & Wim Demeere	A complete guide to nutrition and exercises for the martial arts.	Must own!
Ultimate Flexibility	Sang H. Kim	The ultimate guide to stretching and increasing flexibility. Includes sets of stretches most effective for certain training sessions.	Must own!
Master Class Karate	Fay Goodman	A detailed guide to weapons, techniques, stretches and history of Aikido, Ju-Jitsu, Judo and Shotokan karate.	Must own!
The Art of War	Sun Tzu	The Swiss army knife of military theory.	Must own!
Pressure Point Fighting	Rick Clark	How and when to use pressure points in combat situations. Includes bunkai of Shuri kata and lists of vital points.	Worth reading.
The Essence of Karate	Gichin Funakoshi	Funakoshi creates a narrative of karate, from it's origins to it's very essence.	Worth reading.
The Spirit of Okinawan Karate	Fusei Kise	A biography and history of Hanshi Kise and his dojo.	Worth readind.
Okinawan Karate-Do	OSMKKF (Okinawa Shorin-Ryu Matsumura Seito Karate Kobudo Federation)	A history of Matsumura Seito Shorin-Ryu.	Worth reading.
Practical Kung Fu	Waysun "Johnny" Tsai	An extensive guide to fast and effective street fighting self-defense.	Worth reading.
The Ultimate Guide To Conditioning	Mark Hatmaker	Illustrated book of strength training and core workouts to enhance your martial arts training.	Worth reading.
Bruce Lee's Fighting Method: Self-Defense Techniques	Bruce Lee & M. Uyehara	Effective street self-defense techniques anyone can learn.	Decent read.
The Karate Way, Discovering the Spirit of Practice	Dave Lowry	Martial arts philosophy and answers to your questions on the Way.	Decent read.
Karate's Grappling Methods	Iain Abernathy
Okinawa: Island of Karate	George Alexander
Shotokan Karate: A Precise History	Harry Cook
Karate-Do Kyohan	Gichin Funakoshi
Karate-Do Nyumon	Gichin Funakoshi
To-Te Justu	Gichin Funakoshi
The Weaponless Warriors	Richard Kim
Isshinryu Kusanku Kata Secrets Revealed	Javier Martinez
Isshinryu Chinto Kata Secrets Revealed	Javier Martinez
Isshinryu Naihanchi Kata Secrets Revealed	Javier Martinez
The Classical Kata of Okinawan Karate.	Patrick McCarthy
Unante, The Secrets of Karate	John Sells
Karate's History and Traditions	Bruce Haines
Ancient Okinawan Martial Arts	Patrick McCarthy
The Essential Karate Book	Graeme Lund
Tales of Okinawa's Great Masters	Shoshin Nagamine
The Way to Black Belt	Lawrence Kayne
Bunkai Jutsu	Iain Abernathy
The Life-Giving Sword	Yagyu Munenori
History and Traditions of Okinawan Karate	Tetsuhiro Hokama
Karate Do Dai Kan	Genwa Nakasone
Three Budo Masters	John Stevens
Okinawan Goju-Ryu Karate-Do	Eiichi Miyazato
Perfection of Character	Teruyuki Okazaki

The Shuri Crucible

Taken from the book "Shotokan's Secret: The Hidden Truth Behind Karate's Fighting Origins"

Before reading: The "door" is metaphorical. It symbolizes the window of opportunity for the Shuri bodyguards. Look for references to Passai, Naihanchi, and Pinan Sandan.

Matsumura's rescue plan was very simple, as all such plans must be. the elements were: react, extract, retreat. He had to disrupt the attack, extract the principal from the hall, and then run for it. We may imagine it this way...

The scene is the reception hall at Shuri Castle. The regent and a few dignitaries face the U.S. commander and his troops. Matsumura and his troops stand stoically among the Okinawa officials, studying their enemies.

The barbarian commander at last grows tired of the fruitless negotiations. He decides it is time to alter the balance of power by taking a few hostages. He points at the regent and barks, "Mister Anders, put that man in irons!" A mob of determined naval officers closes in on the poor, defenseless Okinawans.

Matsumura and his agents step quickly to the front, forming a human wall between the Americans and the elderly ministers. The odds are about 5-to-1, since the ministers are not fighters. They must all be protected and extracted.

The barbarians impatiently lay hands on the agents to drag them aside. At a signal from Matsumura, the struggle begins.

In the first phase of the fight, the American troops seek only to capture and restrain. They want to take prisoners. In fact, they really want only one prisoner: Sho Taimu himself. The barbarians expect that sheer numbers will carry the day, especially against these pitiful islanders who know nothing about weapons and fighting.

In the first five seconds of the fight, the security agents free themselves from the grip of the American officers. The closest troops reel back in shock, with dislocated shoulders and broken elbows.

Three men, led by the bear-like Itosu, grab the regent by the collar and yank him back to the wall. They put their backs against him and face the crowd. Keeping the elderly regent safe against the wall, they struggle toward the escape door. Itosu stuns one sailor with an elbow strike, then spins him around and crushes the man to his chest as a human shield. The struggling sailor can not break out of Itosu's powerful grip.

The other agents leap directly into the crowd. Their mission is to break the momentum of the troop attack by creating panic and confusion. The slide between the struggling troops, stunning as many enemies as possible in the opening seconds of the fight. Moving like adept swordsmen, they sidestep, parry, and avoid the incoming blows. They seek to cripple each opponent with a single strike, if possible.

More troops are pouring into the room from outside, responding to the cries of their fellows. The fight has been in progress for 10 seconds.

Matsumura quickly dispatches the naval officers near him and looks for a new target. Voicing his battle cry, the legendary bushi leaps straight toward the American commander. Each man in the bushi's path goes down in a single, sickening impact. Some of them fly backward so hard that they knock down the men behind them.

Reaching the enemy commander in a few short steps, Matsumura will stun the man with simultaneous blows to the throat and the groin and catches the officer's collapsing body over his shoulder. If circumstances permit, he will carry the enemy commander away as a hostage. If this is not possible, he will break the commander's neck and leave his body behind.

Fifteen seconds have passed.

Itosu and the extraction team have reached the door. They push the regent through the door and turn to face the crowd. Itosu roots himself to the floor in front of the door as a living barrier. When his assistants have herded the last minister through the door, he shouts the signal to withdraw. "To me! Shuri warriors to me!"

At this shout, the embattled agents shift into the second phase of the fight. Their new goal is to fight their way through the crowd to the door and escape. They don't dare be late. They have to reach the door before it closes.

Getting to the door is not easy, however, because the American troops have at last realized that they are outclassed in hand-to-hand combat. Some of them have drawn their sabers. Riflemen are desperately charging their weapons. More soldiers with rifles and bayonets are forcing their way into the room. Matsumura's agents must make haste. Time is running out.

Twenty seconds have passed. Matsumura reaches the door with his heavy burden. Itosu drops his human shield as Matsumura hand off the enemy commander. Itosu ducks out the door with the naval officer over his shoulder. Matsumura shouts, "To me, Shuri!" The door is about to close.

The agents fight an increasingly desperate battle to reach the door. To win through to safety, the Shuri fighters abandon all caution. They snatch away sabers and use them. They sidestep thrusting bayonets, rip the weapons away from the astonished soldiers, and then drive the weapons point-first into the chest of their owners. They duck, leap, shift, sweep and kick their way through the clutching hands and probing weapons. Some of them use jujutsu throws to hurl one screaming soldier in the face of another, clearing a momentary path through the crowd. They leap recklessly forward, knocking down enemies with pure momentum, until they burst out of the crowd at Matsumura's side.

Twenty-five seconds...

Reaching the door at last, the senior fighters turn and make a stand. They block the doorway for the few seconds it takes to get the less experienced agents out of the room safely. One by one they dart through the door leaving Matsumura to exit last, as is his duty and privilege. The bushi glares at the nearby enemies. His ferocious eyes freeze them in their tracks.

Thirty seconds...

The barbarians are quickly fitting percussion caps to their charged rifles.

Keeping eye contact, Matsumura steps back through the door. The door slams shut. the riflemen raise their weapons but have no remaining targets. One of them fires his weapon at the door in frustration. The hall echoes with the sound of the shot.

Their is silence for a few moments as the shocked barbarians catch their breath. A surviving ship captain, cradling a broken arm, straightens up and looks around the room.

"What the hell happened?" he gasps, painfully. No one answers. "And where is the Commodore?"

After reading: The fight takes thirty seconds as a reference to the short amount of time it takes to complete a Shuri-te kata.

Red & White Renshi Belts

Nick: Why are Renshi belts black on the back but Kyoshi belts aren't?

Andrew:  Good question...

Just to make an educated hypothesis... the designation of 'Renshi' is awarded to those who have reached 5th or 6th Dan. Seeing that both of these are halfway to 10th Degree, the visible side is white and red and the 'hidden' side is black - this is to signify the transition of being an 'expert' to 'master'. Once someone has received their 7th Dan, they receive their 'Kyoshi' designation and the black part is then gone.

Now about the white and red combination... White portion represents purity, naivite, etc. and with a person reaching a new level of mastery, technically they are just beginning a new pathway to becoming a master. This is equivalent to the modern day education system - elementary, secondary, post-secondary/undergraduate, Masters degree, PhD, where PhD is parallel to receiving the Hanshi Red Belt.

Nick: I just posed the question to Bill Hayes. I'm sure he will know.

To Sensei Hayes: I hope you had a great birthday and weekend. I was hoping you could answer another question of mine? I was wondering why the reverse side of a Renshi belt is black, but the Kyoshi and Hanshi belts aren't?

From Sensei Hayes: Nick-san: Good question. The first style to use a Red and White Renshi Obi was the Goju-kai established by Gogen Yamaguchi, Sensei, in Japan. The Renshi obi he created was solid Red and White on both sides and was seen first in the States a little about sixty years ago when Peter Urban, Sensei, first brought that form of Goju-ryu Karate to America. The Goju-kai still uses that belt to this day. In that system, 4th Dans wear the white stripe on top and 5th Dans wear the red (more senior color) stripe on top. BTW, they do not use a panel belt in their system.

As I recall, the Goju-kai filed a trademark on that belt design and afterward other systems started using the Red & White on one side and Black on the other side to get around the trademark. Apparently it is also less expensive to make a belt that way.

The whole belt color thing can really get out of hand - as can titles. Some systems award Red and Gold belts and there are still a few Masters who wear Gold belts - quite striking to see.

Hope that helps,

"Old Student"

Andrew: #2 is new to me... all Goju-Kai people I know beyond Rokudan don't wear master belts. Maybe it's something no longer practiced.

Passai Kata

Andrew: (Continued from Kusanku Kata) Just by observation (in addition to research), there is alot of evidence to support the night kata hypothesis seeing that there are many evasive movements in the Okinawan Kusanku (referring to both Chatanyara and the Itosu version, not Funakoshi's Kanku Dai). The low and short crouching stance is evidence of that.

"Seems logical if someone's storming the castle."

--> Ironically, Bassai is translated as "storming though a fortress"... any connection there?

Nick: According to my reading, that's nowhere in tha kanji for passai. Apparently it means extract and block. Ochokui maybe? Wink wink.

So, I did a little homework, and basically what I found is that Matsumura Passai is basically Passai Dai, and Matsubayashi Passi is basically Passai Sho. Matsubayashi and Kobayashi both have Matsumura and Itosu in common, but Nagamine's book says the creator is unknow. But it says it was a favorite of Sensei Kyan. How did that happen?

Andrew: Matsumura Passai is Passai Dai, yes... (I thought I told you this before???)... Passai Sho is the Itosu Passai (same as Shotokan Bassai Dai but shorter stances). Kyan's Passai is Tomari Passai as created by Oyadomari but the Passai he passed down is known as Passai Guwa or Koryu Passai. This Passai is currently part of the syllabus of Kyan based Shorin-Ryu schools such as Shorinji-Ryu (Joen Nakazato lineage - who is still alive, by the way) and Zenpo Shimabukuro (Seibukan Shorin-Ryu - who is also still alive).

Nick: "Reaching the enemy commander in a few short steps, Matsumua will stun the man with simultaneous blows to the throat and the groin and catches the officer's collapsing body over his shoulder. If circumstances permit, he will carry the enemy commander away as a hostage."

Sounds like Passai.

"The widespread legend that 'bassai' means 'to penetrate a fortress' is not true, even if it does come directly from Funakoshi. The kanji characters for 'bassai' don't mention a fortress. They don't mention 'penetrating' or 'breaking into' anything, either. In fact, 'breaking into a fortress' appears to be a karate urban legend. 'Batsu' means extract or escape. 'Sai' means block as in blocking a passage or corridor."

I found this to be one of the more interesting points in Shotokan's Secret.

Drew Derrick-Bisbee: You're right Passai was changed to Bassai in Japan, because that's the closest japanese term that sounded like the term that the Okinawans had given as the name of the Kata. Remember the Okinawans did not always speak Japanese. The Okinawan dialect or "Hogan" had many terms that could not be translated directly to Japanese.

Nick: So it is possible that penetrating the fortress is an old Okinawan reading?

Drew: I have heard the idea of penetrating a fortress. I was told in Okinawa that it could not be that. That is a Japanese notion. A fortress would be a defensive posture and since Karate-Do is defensive by nature you would not attack someone's fortress. Some say the first move is this idea of penetrating a fortress, but it is actually a defensive move that overwhelms the opponent's attack. All authentic Okinawan kata begin with a block, since Karate begins with self defense.

So this idea could be a Karate urban legend.

Nick: And when you think about the extract-block definition it makes perfect sense for Passai to be Matsumura's kata. Whether leaving with the King or abducting the enemy, and blocking the stairway for escape.

Andrew: NONE of my sources credit Matsumura for Passai with the exception of Matsumura Passai (or Passai Sho in Kobayashi). The Passai Dai/Bassai Dai and Tomari Passai have Oyadomari's name tagged to it. As Drew pointed out, Oyadomari was a contemporary of Matsumura so Matsumura (most likely) picked up the original Tomari Passai from him and then did the modifications.

Nick: Shotokan's Secret says Matsumura is the author of "patsai" kata. Okinawan Karate says Kyan's version is from Oyadomari.

Andrew: Patsai and Passai are the same - it's just phonetics (ie. Higaonna Kanryo and Higashionna Kanryo are the same person, so are Ryu Ro Ko and Ro Ro Ko). And yes... Kyan's version is from Oyadomari.

Nick: Could be like Kusanku where two people made a similar kata with the same name?

Andrew: Some dude named Roberto posted this but it's accurate:

Hi everyone,

Here's the upshot of a conversation that I had with Mr. John Sells about Bassai

Bassai = passai = patsai

Itosu Bassai Dai = Shotokan/Shito/ bunches of other groups' Bassai Dai

Itosu Bassai Dai = Chibana Shorin Ryu (kobayashi) Passai Sho.

Itosu Bassai Sho = "Koryu Passai" of Chibana Shorin Ryu (kobayashi)
Itosu Bassai Sho= Shoto/Shito/ etc Bassai Sho

Tawada Bassai = Matsumura Bassai (shito) = Passai Dai of Chibana Shorin Ryu (kobayashi)

Tawada Bassai is called Matsumura Bassai in Japan because of a mistake in publishin the kata 70 or more years ago.

Rob

Nick: So I was hanging out on YouTube, and I found something called Itosu Passai. The guy did Passai Sho, so I think that adds to the evidence that Matsumura created Passai (Dai). What do you think?

Andrew: Quite possibly.
But in general, Peichin Oyadomari has been created with creating Passai (Tomari Passai). Matsumura did create a version of Passai called, well, Matsumura Passai. Itosu is credited of creating Bassai Dai (or Shorinkan Passai Sho).

Nick: Do you think Oyadomari and Matsumura worked together or that they both created a different version based on teachings like Yara and Sakugawa did?

Andrew: Created different versions.

Nick: I was reading on Wikipedia (not paying too much attention) that Passai is over 400 years old. I wonder how they respond the the fact that Maysumura was born in 1796.

To be continued...

Kusanku Kata

Nick: What style is Chatan Yara from? Or closest to? I assumed Isshinryu because of what you posted on the note, but that version is insanely close to Shorinkan. I don't think Yara and Sakugawa could have individually made such a similar kata. Unless they worked together?

Andrew: Good question. I'm pretty sure it's not any of the Okinawa "te" arts. Chatan Yara was most likely a Chinese stylist and most likely Chuan Fa. Definitely NOT Isshin-Ryu since Chatan Yara himself taught Sakugawa, who taught Matsumura who taught Kyan who taught Shimabukuro (founder of Isshin-Ryu).

Nick: According to Wikipedia, his style is Te. It also says "Noteable students: Peichin Takahara"

Andrew:  I don't trust Wikipedia. LOL.
But Yara did teach both Sakugawa and Takahara (although with Takahara, I believe it was only for a short period of time). Sakugawa had the nickname "Te" or "Toudi" to represent his art. Yara was probably a master of "Te" although it probably wasn't even named that at the time.

Nick: I asked Bill Hayes and he basically told me Sakugawa passed it down through his lineage and Yara passed it down through his lineage. Didn't say much about the origins.

Andrew: That makes sense.

Nick: Did Takahara actually study with Kusanku?

"Showing astonishing mercy and wisdom, Kong Su Kung invited the shamed Sakugawa to become his student and study white crane chuan fa with him. With the enthusiastic support of Takahara, Sakugawa accepted. The white crane style was a new and exciting development at that time, and Takahara probably expected to learn about it through his student."

Andrew: (No response.)

Nick: While reading about Shuri Castle battle strategy, I came upon this:

"No Night Fighting- Chuan fa contains specific techniques for fighting in the dark when you cannot see your enemy. These techniques were very practical for pedestrians walking on the dark forest roads of Shuri, but they had no application in the well-lighted reception hall. There is no point in including these skills in the training regimen of the Shuri bodyguards."

Where does that leave Kusanku kata? Let's nit forget that Sakugawa was not only a Shuri bodygyard and not only created Kusanku kata, but was also a chuan fa stylist. Kusanku was passed down through the bodyguards right down to Itosu. Chibana taught Itosu's style without alteration. What was it for in later years?

Andrew: "Chibana taught Itosu's style without alteration. What was it for in later years?"

I don't quite understand what you mean. Can you elaborate?

Nick: The book I'm reading says night fighting was pretty useless for fighting in Shuri Castle, since it was apparently well lit. But Kusanku kata was made for night fighting (so I've read). If it was so useless why was it not discarded when Matsumura was refining the most useful techniques?

Andrew: This article has a good explanation
http://ezinearticles.com/?Kusanku-Kata---Is-It-Really-for-Fighting-at-Night%3F&id=81024

The whole night fighting thing sounds to be more mythical than fact. Matsumura probably didn't throw this kata away because the techniques contained within are very comprehensive to his Shuri-Te, so comprehensive that his student Itosu had to break it down into simpler sections to form the five Pinan.

Nick: Very good article, but it doesn't help the Shuri bodyguards in the castle where 1. there's light, and 2. you can't see the sky. This means it either wasn't actually for night fighting or it had many other good techniques.

Very good article, but it doesn't help the Shuri bodyguards in the castle where 1. there's light, and 2. you can't see the sky. This means it either wasn't actually for night fighting or it had many other good techniques.

Andrew: Well, the whole thing about Kusanku being a night kata is a mystery, to say the least and it's weird that this aspect of the kata revolves around Matsumura when Sakugawa is the one credited for passing it down. What was Sakugawa's reason for creating it? Or Chatanyara?

Nick: According to one source, "It may be more correct to say that it USED TO BE a night-fighting kata." It goes on to say that it had three purposes- 1) to avoid being caught by the enemy, 2) to locate and attack an enemy in the dark, and 3) to remain in control of the enemy until he has been defeated. 1 seems probable, since the same source says it was more likely to be taken prisoner than killed, and 3 seems logical, given Matsumura's tactics.

Apparently Itosu's linear interpretation was designed against many simultaneous enemies. "In fact, there are applacations in kanku dai where a single technique injures multiple attackers."

Seems logical if someone's storming the castle.

Nick: "'Bushi' Matsumura Chikudun Pechin Sokon taught only one Kusanky kata, Yara Kusanku."

This is after saying that there's a theory that Sakugawa didn't study with Kusanku, but with Chatan Yara. That would mean Sakugawa didn't create the kata, which would also mean that Itosu kept few techniques when creating Sho and Dai.

Or...

Sakugawa and Yara used the same kata, regardless of who created it, and the styles that use "Chatan Yara Kusanku" use the original version.

What do you think?

Andrew: I think the second one. I'll ask Hokama Sensei when I go to Okinawa.

Nick: Also, I just realized that names like Oyadomari Passai and Matsumora Chinto may not necessarily be named by who created them, but who passed it down to a particular style. Took me a while to figure that one out.

To be continued...