Patriot Warrior Dojo

A lot of pure nonsense about the kata included in the Isshin-ryu system has been circulating around American dojos for years. I have attempted to do my own research into the origins of these kata for many years and have had some limited success. However, not being fluent in Japanese or Chinese limits the resources available to me for research. This is a real hinderence when the earliest and probably most accurate sources of karate history are written in Chinese or Japanese.

Some of the information about the Isshin-ryu Kata presented here is taken from The Kata of Okinawa Isshinryu Karate-do: An Informal Discussion on their Possible Origins by Joe Swift. Joe Swift is a professional translator, martial artist and karate reseacher currently residing in Tokyo, Japan.

Over the years I have found Joe Swift to be an excellent source for good information on traditional Isshin-ryu karate-do. Too many of the current books published about Isshin-ryu Karate have been propagating the same old myths and nonsense that have been circulating within the American Isshin-ryu community for years. Joe Swift bases much of his research on Japanese language books written by respected Okinawan karate researchers.

Seisan Kata (Shuri-te) is usually the first classical Okinawan kata taught to students of the Isshin-ryu Karate system. Translated as 13, many often argue it represents 13 hands, 13 fists, 13 steps, 13 techniques, or 13 breaths. Some even claim that you are fighting 13 different attackers. This fighting 13 attackers senario is not very likely because traditional kata was designed to teach the principles needed to survive common self-defense situations and not long theatrical battles against multiple assailants. The idea of 13 techniques seems to make the most sense.

According to Joe Swift, Kinjo Akio, a noted Okinawan karate researcher and instructor who has traveled extensively throughout the China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan researching the roots of the Okinawan arts, the Okinawan Seisan Kata can be traced back to Yong Chun White Crane boxing from Fujian Province in Southern China.

It is not known who first brought this kata to Okinawa. What is known, however, is that in 1867, Aragaki Seisho (1840-1920), a master of the Chinese-based fighting traditions (Toudi) demonstrated this kata (among others) in front of the last Sappushi, Zhao Xin. Sappushi were Chinese Investiture Envoys who traveled to Okinawa during the Chinese Ming and Ching dynasties. They represented China's emperor in the enthronement ceremonies for kings ruling tributary nations of China.

The popular "Master Seishan" theory about the origin of this kata which claims that the kata was brought to Okinawa from China by a famous Chinese martial artist named Seishan (or Seisan) is simply an uncorroborated myth. Unfortunately, this story has been widely propagated by well-meaning, but not well researched American Isshin-ryu instructors. This legend about the origin of the kata,Seisan, cannot be found in any of the karate histories originating in Okinawa or Japan.

Many Okinawan systems of karate include the Seisan Kata in their curriculum. Master Tatsuo Shimabuku learned this kata from Chotoku Kyan and chose to include this kata in his Isshin-ryu system. Chotoku Kyan learned this kata from Sokon "Bushi" Matsumura, considered the father of the Shuri-te branch of Okinawan karate.

Seiunchin Kata (Naha-te) according to Joe swift, is believed by some to have been taught to Kanryo Higaonna by either the chinese master Ruru Ko, or Wai XinXian. Wai XinXiang is believed to have taught at the old Kojo dojo in Fuzhou City in Fujian Province. However, further research seems to point to the idea that Ruru Ko was, in fact, Xie Zhongxiang; the founder of a Whooping Crane style of boxing and this kata is not including in the Whooping Crane style. This may add credence to the belief by some that Higaonna may have developed this kata himself. Another possible theory is that Chojun Miyagi may have actually introduced this kata from some other source, or perhaps even developed it himself.

The characters used to write Seiunchin by many Okinawan Goju-ryu stylists as well as Angi Uezu (Tatsuo Shimabuku's son-in-law), are the characters for "Control, Pull, Fight". This could explain the many grappling techniques contained in this kata.

Otsuka Tadahiko, a Okinawan Goju-ryu instructor who has travelled extensively to both China and Taiwan to research the roots of his style says that Seiunchin may translate as "Follow, Move, Power". This is very similar to the above interpretation and would be pronounced in Mandarin Chinese as Sui Yun Jin.

This kata is found in many styles including Gojo-ryu, Shito-ryu, Shorei-ryu, Kyokushin and the Eizo Shimabuku branch of Shorin-ryu. Tatsuo Shimabuku, who learned this kata from Chojun Miyagi, included it in his Isshin-ryu system. It is one of the two kata adapted for Isshin-ryu from Chojun Miyagi's Goju-ryu system.

Naihanchi Kata (Shuri-te), as practiced in the Isshin-ryu karate system, is actually a re-working of the classical kata, Naihanchi Shodan. Tatsuo Shimabuku, having learned this kata from Chotoku Kyan, modified it to bring it more in line with the basic principles upon which he founded his Isshin-ryu karate system.

Contrary to the pervading popular myth, this kata was not originally to designed to fight when your back is against the wall. The techniques found in this kata are typical of in-fighting techniques including grappling. While the kata does move from side-to-side, the applications are usually directed toward an opponent who is directly in front of you, or grabbing at you from the sides, or even directly behind you. There are those who believe that the side-to-side movements are designed to build the necessary balance and muscle control for quick, evasive footwork and body-shifting.

It is interesting to point out that most versions of Naihanchi (including Itosu, Matsumura, and Kyan versions) start to the right. Tatsuo Shimabuku's version of this kata starts to the left. This may be an example of Choki Motobu's influence on Tatsuo Shimabuku because the Tomari-te version of Naihanchi practiced by Choki Motobu also started to the left.

There are actually three Naihanchi kata to be found in post 1900 karate. They are Naihanchi Shodan, Naihanchi Nidan, and Naihanchi Sandan. Many believe that the second and third were created by Itosu Anko. Another popular theory is that all three versions were originally one long kata which were broken up into parts by Itosu Anko. One possible reason that Tatsuo Shimabuku did not incorporate all three into his Isshin-ryu system is that his primary instructor, Chotoku Kyan, did not teach the second two.

Sanchin (Naha-te) This kata has been described by many writers as the original exercise that Bodhidharma taught to the monks at the Shaolin Temple. However, according to Joe Swift, this theory has no substantive proof either way, so this actually remains nothing more than speculation.

At any rate, the Okinawan versions of Sanchin have their origins in the Quanfa originating from Fujian Province, where many, if not most, Quanfa styles have a form of this name. In fact, the term Sanchin (written as "three battles" in kanji) seems to be found only in Fujian-based Quanfa systems, as forms of this name are not found in the martial arts of other areas (Kinjo, 1999).

Many researchers, especially from the Goju-ryu tradition, credit Higashionna Kanryo with bringing back Sanchin from his studies in China (Higaonna, 1981; Kai, 1987). However, there is evidence that Sanchin had existed in Okinawa before Higashionna's voyage to Fujian and was taught by Aragaki Seisho, who was Higashionna's first teacher (Iwai, 1992; Okinawa Prefectural Board of Education, 1995)).

Higashionna's teacher in Fujian is believed by many to be Xie Zhong Xiang, founder of Whooping Crane style of boxing (McCarthy, 1995; Okinawa Prefectural Board of Education, 1995; Otsuka, 1998; Tokashiki, 1995).

Higashionna is believed to have learned the Happoren form from Xie, which is said to be the basis for the modern Goju-ryu version of Sanchin (Otsuka, 1998). Higashionna probably integrated concepts from Happoren into the Sanchin he had learned from Aragaki. When practicing Happoren alone, the breathing is silent (Otsuka, 1998).

In either case, Higashionna had his students spend several years on Sanchin alone before allowing them to move on to the other kata he taught. Higashionna apparently taught Sanchin as an open hand kata at first, with fast breathing, but later changed it to a slower, closed fist version (Higaonna, 1981; Murakami, 1991). Others give Miyagi Chojun credit for closing the fists and slowing down the breathing (Kinjo, 1999).

One provocative account survives about the importance of Sanchin in Higashionna Kanryo's teachings:

"When I was still a child, I wanted to see the karate of the famous Higashionna Sensei, even if only once. So I went to the place he was teaching. However, no matter when I went, I never saw Higashionna Sensei perform karate. His students were practicing only Sanchin with all their might, and Higashionna Sensei was instructing them." (sic, Murakami, 1991, pp. 133)

The three of Sanchin is often described in English as the battles between mind, body and breath. Other descriptions refer to attack and defense on the three levels, i.e. the upper, middle and lower levels (Kinjo, 1999; Otsuka, 1998; Tokashiki, 1995). The three important points of Sanchin have been described as the stance, the breathing method and the spirit, and if any one of these three are lacking, one will not be able to master Sanchin (Higaonna, 1981).

Higashionna Kanryo's Sanchin features two turns, and only one step back. In order to remedy the lack of backward stepping, Miyagi Chojun created a shorter version of the kata, featuring no turns, and two steps backwards (Higaonna, 1981). It is this version that Shimabuku Tatsuo utilized in his Isshinryu system.

Wansu Kata (Tomari-te) is believed by many to have been brought to Okinawa by Sappushi Wang Ji in 1683, or that it was based on techniques taught by Wang Ji. According to Joe Swift, there are two flaws in this line of reasoning. The first is that records show that Wang Ji was only on Okinawa for 6 months. This is hardly long enough to teach anyone his art. Second, why would such a high ranking Chinese official bother to teach his martial art, assuming he knew one, to the Okinawans.

Wang Ji was from Xiuning in Anhui. He was an official for an important government post called the Han Lin Yuan. This means that Wang Ji was a high level scholar and had passed several national tests. It does not seem likely that such a scholar would have had time to master a Chinese martial art. Even if we do assume that Wang Ji was a martial artist, the Quanfa (forms) found near Anhui are Northern style boxing and the techniques of the kata, Wansu, as practiced by the Isshin-ryu system, are obviously Southern in origin.

Another possible theory is that two Chinese martial artists who imigrated to Okinawa in the early part of the 20th Century may be responsible for introducing the kata, Wansu, to the Okinawans. The first one, Wu, was a Whooping Crane boxer. The second, Tang, was know for his Tiger boxing skills. They were both from Fujian Province in Southern China.

Tatsuo Shimabuku learned this kata from Chotoku Kyan who had learned it from one of his Tomari-te teachers, Maeda Pechin. It is fairly certain that Tatsuo Shimabuku modified this kata to suite his vision because there are several techniques found in the Isshin-ryu version of this kata that are not found in any other version practiced on Okinawa. These techniques include the side kicks, the evasive body movement followed by double punches, and the elbow smash.

Chinto Kata (Tomari-te) is said to have been taught to Matsumura Sokon by a shipwrecked Chinese sailor named Chinto, but this legend cannot be corroborated. According to Joe Swift, a 1914 newspaper article by Funakoshi Gichin (1867-1957, founder of Shotokan karatedo), based upon the talks of his teacher Asato Anko (1827-1906), student of Matsumura Sokon) stated that:

"Those who received instruction from a castaway from Annan in Fuzhou, include: Gusukuma and Kanagusuku (Chinto), Matsumura and Oyadomari (Chinte), Yamasato (Jiin) and Nakasato (Jitte) all of Tomari, who learned the kata separately. The reason being that their teacher was in a hurry to return to his home country." (sic, Shoto, 1914).

It is believed by this author (Joe Swift) that the "Matsumura" in the above excerpt is simply a misspelling of Matsumora Kosaku, of Tomari. The fact that Matsumora Kosaku taught Chinte Kata, is evidence that Matsumora may have also been taught this kata as well (Kinjo, 1999).

So, what exactly is Chinto Kata and where does it come from? According to Joe Swift, there is a form called Chen Tou in Mandarin Chinese (Jpn. Chinto, lit. Sinking the Head) in Wu Zho Quan (a.k.a. Ngo Cho Kuen, Five Ancestors Fist), which was a style popular in the Quanzhou and Shamen (Amoy) districts of Fujian (Kinjo, 1999). Chen Tou refers to sinking the boy and protecting the head. In the Okinawan Chinto kata, this is the first technique, but in the Five Ancestors Fist it is the last (Kinjo, 1999). However, this being said, this author has yet to see the Chen Tou form to make a comparative analysis. It is, however, worthy of further investigation.

There are 3 distinct "families" of Chinto in modern Okinawan karate: Matsumura/Itosu lineage (performed front to back), Matsumora Kosaku lineage (performed side to side), and Kyan Chotoku lineage (performed on a 45 degree angle). Looking at technical content, we can see that the Matsumora and Kyan versions are nearly identical, which is only natural since Kyan learned this from Matsumora.

Kusanku (Shuri-te) is often described in Isshin-Ryu as a "night fighting kata." Interestingly enough, according to Joe Swift's research, no references to night fighting are found in the primary references coming out of Japan and Okinawa, leading this him to conclude that such interpretations were contrived to fit movements that are not very well understood.

In the year 1762, a tribute ship sent to Satsuma from Ryukyu was blown off course during a storm, and ended up landing at Tosa Province in Shikoku, where they remained for a month. The Confucian scholar of Tosa, Tobe Ryoen (1713-1795), was petitioned to collect testimony from the crew. The record of this testimony is known as the Oshima Hikki (literally "Note of Oshima", the name of the area of Tosa where the ship had ran aground). In this book, there is some very provocative testimony by a certain Shionja Peichin, describing a man from China called Koshankin, who demonstrated a grappling technique (McCarthy, 1995; Sakagami, 1978).

It is commonly accepted that this Koshankin was the originator of the Okinawan Kusanku kata, or at least inspired it. However, there are several unknowns in this equation. First of all, was Koshankin his name or a title, or even a term of affection towards him? Second, if it was a title or term of affection, what was his real name? Thirdly, what martial art(s) did he teach, and how do they differ from the modern karate kata of Kusanku? Most of these questions are still being researched by this Joe Swiftr and others.

For now, suffice it to say that Kusanku is a highly important kata in the Okinawan martial arts, and has spawned many versions over the years. Some of them include the Kusanku Dai/Sho Itosu Anko lineage styles, the Chibana no Kusanku of Shudokan, the Takemura no Kusanku of Bugeikan and Genseiryu, the Kanku Dai/Sho of Shotokan, the Shiho Kusanku of Shitoryu, and the Yara no Kusanku of Kyan Chotoku lineage styles, including Isshinryu. Of course, there are numerous others as well.

Kyan Chotoku is said to have learned Kusanku in Yomitan under a certain Yara Peichin (Nagamine, 1975; 1976). It is unknown at this time whether there is a familial relationship between this Yara Peichin and the Chatan Yara who is believed to have studied under Koshankin during his mid-18th century visit to Okinawa. This form was passed down from Kyan Chotoku to Shimabuku Tatsuo.

Sunsu Kata (Isshin-ryu) was created by Tatsuo Shimabuku and represents the culmination of his understanding of the principles of Okinawan karate. This kata, along with his Isshin-ryu Karate system, are Tatsuo Shimabuku's unique contribution to the classical art of Okinawan Karate-do.

This kata certainly contains elements of the other 7 classical Okinawa kata adapted by Tatsuo Shimabuku into his system. It also contains elements from other kata such as Useishi (Gojushiho) and Passai. It is known that Tatsuo Shimabuku had, at one time, practiced the kata, Gojushiho, but chose not to include it in his Isshin-ryu system. The elements from Passai may point to Choki Motobu's influences on Shimabuku. Some elements from Sunsu can clearly be seen in early photographs of Choki Motobu demonstrating kumite for his book.