What did Taira Shinken Really know?

 When I saved this article in my files, unfortunagely I did not source it. For that I am sorry.

What did Taira Shinken Really know?

 

At a time when the practice of Ryukyu kobudo was at it’s lowest, Taira Shinken (1897-1970) brought the fragmented and obscure weapons system of the Ryukyus to a place of prominence in the world of Okinawa Budo.  During his decades of study, Taira traveled extensively throughout Okinawa and Japan, learning and mastering the use of many of the old weapons traditions; some of which had been neglected for decades and often only had a few practitioners remaining.  His detailed study of the arts also moved to dissecting many of the old Okinawa dance forms that were both karate-do and kobudo based that were practiced in many of the small remote villages scattered throughout Okinawa ((Estrada, 1978; McKenna, 1999).

 

Although he was primarily remembered as a kobudo genius, Taira Shinken also devoted a large part of his life to karate-do as well, having studied extensively under Funakoshi Gichin (Shotokan), Yabiku Moden (Shorin-ryu), and Mabuni Kenwa (Shito-ryu).  His time spent on the Japanese mainland also brought him into contact with such notables as; Fujita Sieiko (Nanbansato-ryu Kempo / Koga-ryu Ninjutsu), and Konishi Yasuhiro (Shindo Jinen Ryu) and Motobu Choki (Shorin-ryu).  After his return to Okinawa from the Japanese mainland in 1940, Taira often frequented the company of many of Okinawa Karate-do’s leading authorities including; Higa Seiko (Goju-ryu), Higa Yuuchoku (Shorin-ryu), Uechi Kanei (Uechi-ryu), Shimabuku Tatsuo (Isshin-ryu) and Hohan Soken (Matsumura Seito Shorin-ryu).

 

At the time of his death in 1970, he had formally transmitted his accumulated years of knowledge and training to his most senior students Akamine Eisuke (Okinawa) and Inoue Motokatsu (Japan).  In the case of Akamine Eisuke, not only did he inherit Taira Shinken’s weapons knowledge, but also his years of training in shotokan karate-do (Table 1).  However, as large and as significant as this body of knowledge was, Taira was rumored to have mastered over 500 kata; a mixture of both karate and kobudo forms (Estrada, 1978).

 

If indeed Taira Shinken did accumulate such a massive body of knowledge of the fighting arts of the Ryukyus, what specifically did he know?  Furthermore, if it was so extensive, why did he not teach all of it to his students? 

 

Ryukyu Kobudo

 

It is well documented that Taira gained his first introduction to the weapons tradition of the Ryukyus through his paternal grand father, Kanegawa Gibu, who taught him the use of the double sickles (nicho gama), weighted chain (suruchin), Tekko (knuckle duster) as well as the shield and short spear (rochin and tinbe) (Ryukyu Kobudo Shinko Kai, 1977; Nakamoto, 1983). 

 

At the age of 25, Taira began to study shotokan karate-do under Funakoshi Gichin in September of 1922.  It was probably under Funakoshi Gichin’s influence and that of his son, Yoshitaka (Gigo), that Taira’s interest in Ryukyu kobudo grew (Zalewski, 1998).  It has been substantiated that Funakoshi Yoshitaka knew and practiced four bo-jutsu kata: Shushi no kon; Sakugawa no kon; Shirotaru no kon and Matsukaze no kon (most likely the creation of Gigo) (McMahon, 1999).  It is also highly probable that Funakoshi and his son were familiar with other bo kata such as Tenryu no kon and Sunakake no kon, in addition to sai-jutsu since Funakoshi had studied Aragaki-ryu under Aragaki Seisho (Kamadeunchu) (1840-1918), an expert in the use of both bo (staff) and sai (metal truncheon), during his days in Okinawa (Nakamoto, 1983).  Therefore, it is quite conceivable that Taira would have been exposed to many of the kata of Aragaki-ryu kobudo given his eight years of study under Funakoshi.  In fact Taira is believed to have first learned the use of the sai and bo from Funakoshi, who taught him the kata Tsukenshitahaku no sai and Tenryu no kon (Zalewski, 1998).  Interestingly in later years, Taira Shinken did not include Tenryu no kon or Matsukaze no kon as part of his Ryukyu Kobudo Hozon Shinko Kai syllabus (Table 2).

 

By 1929 Taira's had begun studying Ryukyu kobudo on a formal basis under Yabiku Moden (1878-1941) (Bishop, 1989, 1996; Nakamoto, 1983; Ryukyu Kobudo Hozon Shinko Kai, 1977).  Taira studied for well over three years under Yabiku Moden until he moved to Ikahononsen city in Gunma prefecture to teach karate and kobudo in 1932.  (Nakamoto, 1983; Ryukyu Kobudo Hozon Shinko Kai, 1977).  Yabiku Moden had studied Ryukyu Kobujutsu extensively under several teachers including Tawada Shimboku (sai-jutsu), Kinjo Saburo (sai-jutsu) and Chinen, Sanda (Yamane-ryu bo-jutsu) as well as from his principle karate-do teacher, Itosu Yasutsune (Okinawa Hogen: Itosu Anko) (Alexander, 1991; Bishop, 1989, 1996; Nakamoto, 1983).  During those three years it is possible that Taira would have gained insight into other weapons kata from Yabiku such as Ufuchiku no sai; which Yabiku would have most likely learned from Kinjo (Table 3).

 

1934 saw Taira Shinken invite Shito-ryu founder Mabuni Kenwa to his shotokan dojo in Ikahononsen city to further his studies in kobudo and karate-do.  Under the tutelage of Mabuni, Taira learned many new kata and techniques (Nakamoto, 1983; Ryukyu Kobudo Hozon Shinko Kai, 1977).  Mabuni Kenwa, like his acquaintances Funakoshi Gichin and Yabiku Moden, had studied Aragaki-ryu kobujutsu under Aragaki Kamadeunchu, bo-jutsu under Sueyoshi Jino and sai-jutsu under Tawada Shimboku (Nakamoto, 1983).  Taira studied under Mabuni until his return to Okinawa in 1940; a total of six years.  Given this length of time, it is quite possible that Taira may have been able to learn other weapons traditions from Mabuni.  Perhaps Shokyu no kon and the Aragaki no sai of Aragaki-ryu.

 

In 1938 Taira Shinken wrote a chapter on Ryukyu Kobudo demonstrating Shushi / Kongo no kon in Nakasone Genwa’s “Karate-do Taikan” (Encyclopedia of Karate-do).  In it Taira demonstrates Shushi / Kongo no kon, but also states in the preface that “…there are several scores of kata which have been passed down to us.....(pg.276)"  He later goes on to list several bo kata as well as indicating that there are several different versions for the same bo kata on Okinawa including: Shushi no kon, Sakugawa no kon (3 versions), Yonegawa no kon, Shirotaru no kon, Tsuken bo (3 versions), Sunakake no kon (3 versions), Teruya no kon, Choun no kon, Shichiyanaka no kon and Sesoko no kon. 

 

Taira’s chapter on bo-jutsu in Nakasone Genwa’s “Karate-do Taikan” is some of the first indirect evidence that Taira Shinken possibly knew more weapons traditions than he actually taught his students.  First, we find that several of the kata that Taira Shinken lists, Teruya no kon and Sunakake no kon, are not included in the original Ryukyu Kobudo Hozon Shinko Kai syllabus nor the syllabi of Taira’s students following his death in 1970 (Table 2).  It may be argued that Taira could have been simply listing only the names of individual bo kata.  However it seems unlikely that Taira would list the names of these bo kata if he was not indeed familiar with these weapon traditions.  In fact of the bo kata that he lists, it has been documented that he learned all of them save Teruya no kon and Sunakake no kon (Nakamoto, 1983; Ryukyu Kobudo Hozon Shinko Kai, 1977; Taira, 1964).  Therefore it seems highly probable that he did know these bo kata yet did not teach these kata to his students.

 

Examining the other bo kata that are listed in Taira’s chapter in “Karate-do Taikan”, we find Taira listing three versions for both Sakugawa no kon and Tsuken bo.  Interestingly, among Taira’s direct students, only the late Inoue Motokatsu taught three versions of Sakugawa no kon (sho/chu/dai); while Taira’s other Okinawan students only taught two versions of the same kata (sho / dai).  Furthermore, only one version of Tsuken bo is taught by Taira’s students.  Therefore, it appears that Taira may have held back some of his teaching.

 

What then does this all point to?  “Karate-do Taikan” was published in 1938 when Taira was 40 years old and by this time he appears to have been already familiar with several different versions of the same kata!  It seems highly likely that in the remaining 32 years of his life, that he would continue his detailed study of Ryukyu kobudo.  And indeed he appears to have done so.  Taira is known to have learned Argagaki-ryu sai and bo kata from Kamiya Jinsei (Ryukyu Kobudo Hozon Shinko Kai, 1977; Nakamoto, 1983).  This would be Taira’s third exposure to Aragaki-ryu sai and bo techniques; his first two coming from Funakoshi Gichin (Shotokan) and Mabuni Kenwa (Shito-ryu).  This exposure to Aragaki-ryu for the third time begs the question, was Taira familiar with other, less-known Aragaki-ryu kata such as Shokyu no kon and Aragaki no sai?  However, there is no evidence to substantiate if he did or not.

 

Back on Okinawa, Taira’s endless pursuit of Kobudo knowledge did not stop with Kamiya Jinsei.  In an interview with the late Hohan Soken (Matsumura Seito Shorin-ryu) he relates, “I also teach bo, sai, tuifa, kama, nunchaku, kusarigama and suruchin. My favorite weapons form is tsuken-bo (I learned that from Kemesu Ushi) but in the old days it was the furi-gama or kusari-gama (Estrada, 1978).”  Hohan Soken also states, “I knew Taira Shinken very well before he died. I taught him some of my older forms” (Estrada, 1978).  Therefore it seems highly likely that Taira was familiar with Hohan Soken’s kobudo as well.  However it is unknown how many weapons and related kata Hohan Soken taught Taira.  Regardless, what ever kata Taira learned from Hohan Soken, it would have added significantly to an already vast knowledge of Ryukyu kobudo.

 

Finally, Taira’s studies of Ryukyu kobudo were known to extend into analyzing many of the old weapons festival dances demonstrated yearly in many of the remote villages of Okinawa and Japan.  This also can be corroborated in Hohan Soken’s interview.  When the interviewer asks about the differences in some of the village bo kata bearing the same name, Hohan Soken answers, “…village people would watch the other fancy city people practice their ti or their methods of weaponry”.  He continues, “The city kata had a name... and maybe their kata did not have a name. [Sic] They would name their kata after the city kata because they had a few of the same movements.”  Finally, Hohan relates the following, “Some of their [village] kata had five or maybe ten movements. Taira, my friend, would go to the village and learn these kata. He says that he learn 500 kata this way! …Some of these kata had only three or maybe five movements. 500 kata, yes, now that is funny but he was a history collector.  He knew them but he didn't understand them.”

 

Integrating Kobudo and Karate-do

 

Taira’s first real exposure to a standardized combination of Karate-do and Kobudo came through his tutelage under Yabiku Moden. Taira found that Yabiku had adjusted his karate-do to co-inside better with the kobudo forms he taught; making it simpler and easier to instruct his students. Taira is said to have initially found some difficulty in using the long Shotokan stances he had learned while trying to learn kobudo, since the original kobudo stances were quite high in comparison.

 

Taira struggled with this dilemma of incorporating his kobudo knowledge with his background in shotokan for several years and by the late 1930's he had shifted away from Shotokan and it’s emphasis on strength and impact, and instead adopted a more circular and less intensive form of karate-do similar to Yabiku Moden and Mabuni Kenwa.  This can be readily seen in Mabuni Kenwa’s  1938 publication of “Kobo Kenpo Karate-do Nyumon” where Taira is clearly seen demonstrating techniques using a more upright zenkutsu dachi from the Pinan kata series.  Furthermore, in “Karate-do Taiken”, edited by Nakasone Genwa, Taira is also seen using more upright stances in photos demonstrating techniques for where the kata Aragaki Sochin (Nakasone, 1938).

 

As a result in his shift to using more upright stances, Taira's karate-do became considerably softer in appearance.  Much of the dynamic crispness that was characteristic of Funakoshi’s Shotokan was gone from his kata movements.  To compensate for this loss of body dynamics, he appears to have worked on a  more accentuated hip action in order to produce maximum power with a minimum of effort.  However, this change in direction was not shared by many in the Shotokan camp and when he taught bo kata to Shotokan karate-ka, he adjusted his teaching methods so that a low stance could be employed.

 

 

 

Although Taira shifted away from the lower stances predominately used in Shotokan, he did not entirely abandon everything he had learned.  In certain instances he took some of the low Shotokan stances and applied them to kobudo when he wanted to accentuate a block. For instance, he used the zenkutsu dachi (front stance) of Shotokan but more often than not he used Shotokan’s fudo dachi (immovable stance). This can easily be seen in students of the Ryukyu Kobudo Hozon Shinko Kai in their performance of the first sai kata that Taira Shinken learned, Tsukenshitahaku no sai. 

 

Taira was an eclectic innovator in his karate-do as well and appears to have mixed and matched where he wanted; examples of which can be easily seen by examining his Pinan kata series.  In it we can see that Taira’s Pinan sandan and godan are more Shotokan orientated in comparison to Pinan nidan and yondan which appear to retain the mid-level punches and higher stances of Okinawa Shorin-based karate-do.  In many of Taira’s Pinan kata, the movements are more linear and crisp in their delivery, which is the distinctive signature of Shotokan kata.  In general, Taira appears to have kept the Shotokan framework in his Pinan kata, including the use of the side kick in place of the front kick, however he seems to have reverted to using the original neko ashi (cat stance) in place of the Shotokan kokutsu dachi (back stance).

 

Reflecting on the changes Taira made to his karate-do kata, he seems to have changed many of the traditional forms to suit his own temperament, a practice which was in line with the thinking of that time. His karate-do of the 1950's was much softer than that of the 1920’s and early 1930’s, but this adjustment was needed if he wanted to keep both his kobudo and karate-do kata within the framework he was developing. Watching students of Taira’s lineage perform kobudo and karate-do kata, one can easily recognize the same basic rhythm, timing, embusen and execution of technique in both.

 

Like his kobudo katas, Taira appears to have taught karate-do kata differently to his students.  For instance Taira reportedly knew three versions of the kata Kusanku (Nakasone, 1999).  Similarly Taira is known to have practiced a version of Sanchin kata, but reportedly did not teach his interpretation to his students.  Therefore, like his kobudo kata, Taira taught barely a fraction of the karate-do forms he knew and regrettably a number have since been lost to us (Table 1).   

 

 

Taira’s reluctance

 

From the supporting evidence it seems likely that Taira Shinken did know more kobudo kata than were contained in his original Ryukyu Kobudo Hozon Shinko Kai syllabus.  Why is it then that Taira failed to teach his students his entire repertoire of weapons kata?  One can only speculate, however there are a few plausible explanations that deserve consideration.

 

First, Taira gathered such a large and extensive body of knowledge that it prevented him from teaching all his disciples in the same manner. Taira is known to have adapted his teaching methods according to each individual’s skill, motivation, physique and personality (Minowa, 1998).  This can easily be substantiated by looking at the respective kata syllabi of some of Taira’s direct students (Table 2).  It soon becomes obvious that what Taira knew and what his students are teaching are quite different.  This characteristic teaching style of Taira therefore created variation in what kata his students knew and also increased the variation in performance of kobudo kata which were commonly known among his students. 

 

Next, Taira is known to have shown a reluctance to teaching certain weapons and their related kata.  Nakamoto in his book “Okinawa Densetsu Kobudo” states that, “Taira Sensei did not often teach the use of the nunchaku or kama.  I believe that Taira Sensei was afraid that such weapons would be put to ill use”  (pg. 109).  How reluctant Taira was to teach certain weapons traditions is unknown, but his attitude was not uncommon in the older generation of budoka of his time.  Many karate-do and kobudo sensei were known to have held back their complete teaching; transmitting their knowledge only to their most trusted student(s).  However in many instances, teachers failed to pass on their knowledge and as a result after their passing, their knowledge fade from existence.

 

Finally, Taira was known to have analyzed many of the old weapons kata found in the rural villages of Okinawa.  However, Taira’s research may have been incomplete.  Again, Hohan Soken is quoted as saying that, “…he was a history collector.  He knew them but he didn't understand them.”  Therefore his research and understanding of the old village weapons kata being incomplete may have motivated him to withhold some of the weapons traditions he was researching.  Perhaps he did not want to teach something that he did not fully understand or that was inadequately researched.

References

Alexander, G.  (1991) Okinawa: Island of Karate-do.  Lakeworth, FL: Yamato Publications.

 

Bishop, M. (1989) Okinawa Karate-do: Teachers, styles and secret techniques.  London: A & C Black.

 

Bishop, M. (1996) Zen Kobudo: Mysteries of Okinawan Weaponry and Te.  Rutland: Charles E. Tuttle Co.

 

Estrada, Ernest (1978) In an interview with Soken. To-de Communications. http://206.191.29.157/frame.htm

 

Mabuni, K & Nakasone, G. (1938) Kobo Kempo Karate-do Nyumon.  Tokyo, Kyobunsha Shoten.

 

McMahon, B.  (1999) Funakoshi Bo. http://www.koshinkan.com.au/Article5.htm

 

McKenna, M.  (1999) Re-examining Ryukyu kobudo: An interview with Minowa Katsuhiko.  Journal of Asian Martial Arts. Vol. (8)1, pp.74-91.

 

Minowa, K.  (1998).  Personal communication.

 

Nakamoto, M. (1983) Okinawa Dento Kobudo: Sono reikishi to tamashi.  Naha: Okiinsha.

 

Nakasone, G.  (1938) Karate-do Taiken. Tokyo, Shoseki K.K.

 

Nakasone, M.  (1999) Personal communication.

 

Ryukyu Kobudo Hozon Shinko Kai (1977).

 

Taira, S.  (1964) Ryukyu Kobudo Taiken.  Ginowan: Joujushorin.

 

Zalewski, P.  (1998) Personal Communication