Kata Annaku and as I just spelled it as I heard it
(also Ananku, Ananko)
Ananku Kata is
not part of Isshinryu.
In 1992 I used
to train regularily with Carl Long in Forty Fort, Pa. He was a Shorin-ryu
instructos in the Shimabuku Eizo lineage through a Mr. Nash outside of Dallas
Texas, who used to teach in both the American and Okinawan dojo of Shimabuku
Sensei.
I was training
wherever I could find people to work with. Besides teaching two days a week, I
would train with Dave Brojack(Kempo Goju), Ernest Rothrock (Yand and Northern
Chinese Arts), Tris Sutrisno (Shotokan, Aikido, Tjimande and Kobudo) on a
weekly basis. I also trained with many other people on a more occasional basis.
This was besides my competing and judging at tournaments.\
I most often
trained with Carl in Saturday mornings, before training with Ernest Rothrock on
Saturday afternoons. But Carl and my Isshinryu had a common like, they both
originated with two broters.
Carl shared his
Chinto and Kusanku. I would share some of my Isshinryu kubudo. Then we often covered each other’s training
drills, or just worked out together, Him running ShorinRyu forms such as Rohai,
and I running Isshinryu forms.
One evening I
went there to train, and he was running a class. He was training his students
in his Ananku Kata. I watched, it was not a difficult kata, and watching I
picked it up.
The version he
taught was interesting. For it used both vertical strikes and twisting strikes.
I left having
some knowledge of the form. Then I added it to my practice regime.
I saw how the
form might be used with my youth students as a bridge into Seisan.
I was teaching
Isshinryu as I learned it, but started to think that slowing down the process
and allowing students to have more time to develop stronger technique was
potentially a good idea. I also
experimented how well students could handle a variety of forms. By teaching one
time clinics on those forms, seeing how well they did.
Among those
experiments there was Fyugata Sho (Matsubayshi Ryu) and now kata Ananku. I
became satisfied with the results, but had no desire to change the curricula
with students already in the original one.
Then I had to
relocate to New Hampshire for work. It was difficult to leave my students, and
it was difficult to leave the friends I was training with. But adults have to
make and live with adult decisions. So I moved.
Derry did have a
Boys and Girls Club, and I having 5 years experience teaching at the Scranton
Boys Club, offered my volunteer services, along with a letter of
recommendation. It was accepted and almost immediately I was able to start
another youth program there.
But I decided to
do things a little differently this time. I would use a bit of the things I
picked up to try and develop students stronger.
I can’t
truthfully say the students in the new program were better students, I imagine it averaged out. But I was going to
make a few changes.
From the
beginning, I was going to begin students with Kata Sho. It was a version of
Fyugata Sho, that I had adapted to Isshinryu technique. I also changed the
name, because the street wise students in Scranton had taught me kids would
change Fugkyata a different name F***
You Kata. I didn’t want that so I just used Kata Sho.
And the students
learned it well. Then I added a 2nd kata, and Isshinryu version of
Ananku. All the punches became vertical strikes. I also found the students had
difficulty performing the last movements correctly. And as those movements were
not in their Isshinryu study, I decided to change the ending to something young
people could perform easier.
About the same
time I began a small adult class, and to keep things easier for me, I used the
same kata structure as the youth program (adults passed through those first 2
kata, quicker. I taught the Isshinryuized Ananku in the same manner as the
youth kata. But intended as students advanced to eventually use the original
Ananku ending.. As it turned out I never focused on teaching the original
ending, focusing on many other things.
A number of
years later I returned to a Jon Bonner Coal Kick-in in Pennsylvania. Several of
my students attended with me. One of them an adult yellow belt, was competing
in a yellow belt division. He competed with our Ananku. As it turned out Carl
Long was judging that division, and he recognized the form. We had not talked
in years and afterwards I explained what I had done, to him, and how I was
using it.
I was
appreciative to see it entered my studies.
Ever since that
time I have continued to use it in Bushi No Te Isshinryu
Bushi No Te Annaku
The source for the version I had learned
Eizo Shimabukuto Shobayashi Shorinryu
Ananku 13:33
– 14:03
Similar to the version I learned but there are also
differences,
still IMO close enough to be the source
I have no idea where the different version
originated,
As I am not a student of Shobayshi Shorinryu.
Another group which also descended from Kyan Chotoku
Shorinji Ryu Ananku kata
Another historical discussion about Ananku Kata.
recieved their information on the versions of Ananku that Michael referenced. I have seen the version in Mr. McCarthy's book and it is quite different from the Kyan version handed down to Zenryo Shimabukuro or Joen Nakazato. I have not seen any versions
referenced by Mr. Sells.
The history of the Ananku kata that is in the Kyan lineage as preserved by Zenpo Shimabukuro and Joen Nakazato is as follows:
1. Kyan returned form Taiwan in 1930 after approximately a one year absence from Okinawa.
2. Kyan added the Ananku kata to his curriculum in approximately 1931/32.
3. The only teaches that carried on the Kyan Ananku tradition were Shimabukuro
and Nakazato. Nagamine did not pick up the Ananku kata into his kata curriculum
until after the early 1950s. There is no record of whom he learned the kata.
The Nagamine kata is quite different from Shimabukuro and Nakazato.
Nagamine Matsubayshiryu https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6aTJuPNwOY
Nakazato https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJjjZWo3T7o
Shimabukuro Zenpo (Shorin ryu) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2IjqkxxE4o
The Shimabukuro and Nakazato kata are quite similar with the only difference
being the kata kihon that appears to differ due to personality.
Where could the other Ananku kata come from? Mabuni was already in Japan but the time Kyan was teaching Ananku. Perhaps Chitose learned the kata prior to leaving Okinawa and shared it with Mabuni.
Regardless, of the methods used today it makes logical sense that the two direct students of Kyan would have a rather close approximation of their teachers kata.
Dan
Smith
KATA ANNAKU
This
Shorin Ryu kata came from Shorin Ryu Honda Katsu, as taught by Carl Long in Pennsylvania
Mr.
Long’s tradition is in the Shimabuku Ezio lineage of Shorin Ryu.
12:00 . rei, hide weapon, close down
. cross arms, open
2:00 .
look right, shift to left back stance, RSB 45’
. shift weight to right foot,
LRP
11:00 . look left, shift weight to right back
stance, LSB 90’
. shift weight to left foot, RRP
9:00 .
look left, 45’ left, lff cat stance, LSB
. step lff seisan keeping LSB,
RHP, LHP, RFK, RRP (note Vertical Punches)
3:00 .
look right, 180’, pivot on left, rff cat stance, RSB
. step rff seisan keeping RSB,
LHP, RHP, LFK, LRP (note Vertical Punches)
12:00
. look left, 90’ left pivot on right,
lff cat stance, LSB
. step rff seisan, RHP
1:00 .
look right, 270 left, pivot on right, lff seisan, right forearm strike
2:00 .
look right, 45’ right, pivot on left, rff cat stance, RSB
. step rff seisan keeping RSB,
LRP, RRP, LFK, LRP (note full twisting punches)
10:00 . look left, 90’ left, pivot on right, lff
cat stance, LSB
. step lff seisan keeping LSB,
RRP, LRP, RFK, RRP (note full twisting punches)
6:00 .
Look left, step right foot back into lff back stance, LLB
. Step rff, RHP (note full twisting punch)
. Left foot kick-back, RSB
. right front jump kick
. land in rff seisan, RLB
. left foot kick-back, RSB
12:00 . look left, 180’ left, pivot on the
right, Left hand
out (palm down), Right hand chambered at the ear, then strike out with right
shuto strike as the left hand returns to rotate and cover the solar plexus.
step back right foot, Right hand out (palm
down) Left hand chambered at the ear, then strike out with the left shuto
strike as the right hand returns to rotate and cover the solar plexus,
. step up, close down
. rei
Bushi No Te Isshinryu Revision
12:00 . rei, hide weapon, close down
. cross arms, open
2:00 .
look right, shift to left back stance, RSB 45’
. shift weight to right foot,
LRP
11:00 . look left, shift weight to right back
stance, LSB 90’
. shift weight to left foot, RRP
9:00 .
look left, 45’ left, lff cat stance, LSB
. step lff seisan keeping LSB,
RHP, LHP, RFK, RRP (vertical punches)
3:00 .
look right, 180’, pivot on left, rff cat stance, RSB
. step rff seisan keeping RSB,
LHP, RHP, LFK, LRP (vertical punches)
12:00
. look left, 90’ left pivot on right,
lff cat stance, LSB
. step rff seisan, RHP
1:00 .
look right, 270 left, pivot on right, lff seisan, right forearm strike
2:00 .
look right, 45’ right, pivot on left, rff cat stance, RSB
. step rff seisan keeping RSB,
LRP, RRP, LFK, LRP (vertical punches)
10:00 . look left, 90’ left, pivot on right, lff
cat stance, LSB
. step lff seisan keeping LSB,
RRP, LRP, RFK, RRP (vertical punches)
6:00 .
Look left, step right foot back into lff back stance, LLB
. Step rff, RHP (vertical punch)
. Left foot kick-back, RSB
. right front jump kick
. land in rff seisan, RLB
. left foot kick-back, RSB
12:00 . look left, 180’ left, pivot on the right,
chamber both hands high to the left,
double
shuto right hand leading, left at solar plexus
. step back right foot, chamber both
high to the right, double shuto left
leading,
Right at solar plexus
. step up, close down
. rei
Note:
the last section facing 12, with the chamber of both hands high, is a
modification I made for beginners. The original technique was step away with
the bottom hand facing the opponent (palm down) and the top hand crossing the
lower arm, the hand turned towards your face. Then the lower hand is pulled
back as the top arm drops the elbow and strikes out. The two hands together can
be a wrist grab counter.
The
modified technique came from Korean training, and it is changed at green belt.
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