Charlie Murray and comments on Kusanku Sai Kata

From a post by Charles Murray  
at Legacy Martial Arts of Cleveland
5-6-2024

Kusanku Sai (2)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFDcDYIRbgA 

Hi all.  To help set the table for tonight’s, 6:30 “For Black Belts Only” Class we will be doing Kusanku Sai Kata, which is one of our requirements for Ni (2nd) Degree Black Belt rank. The history of this kata is:

Kusanku-sai 公相君サイ:  This kata was created by Sensei Tatsuo Shimabuku himself.  He based it upon the Kusanku kata he had learned from his primary Sensei Chotoku Kyan.

The following information was gleaned from a personal communication from A. J. Advincula (1998), one of my Sensei Lewis’ Marine Corps contemporaries who studied with Sensei Shimabuku in Okinawa. 

Kyan no Sai Kata 1958 Tatsuo Shimabukuro
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KndgcufyDk8

Sherman Harril Kyan No Sai  
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqYODZFdOgo

 

Before studying with Taira Shinken (his main Kobudo/weapons teachers in the late 1950s and early 1960s), Master Shimabuku only knew the cudgel tradition of Tokumine Bo that he had learned under Kyan Sensei, as well as a Sai kata called Kyan no Sai. (It is unknown whether Kyan No Sai kata was created by Kyan Sensei or created by Shimabuku Sensei from techniques that he learned under Kyan, but since you can find it being done on You Tube I believe Kyan developed it himself.)  

Kusanku was, along with Chinto and Passai, Kyan's specialty, and this may have influenced Shimabuku's decision to create a Sai kata from this form.

According to Sensei Advincula (1998), Shimabuku originally included kicks in the kata, but later removed them. Upon being asked why, Shimabuku stated that when he first created Kusanku Sai, he knew little about Kobudo, but after gaining more experience apparently removed the kicks.  *from The Kobudo of Shimabuku Tatsuo by Joe Swift, 1998

Hope to see you tonight. – Sensei Murray

Grandmaster Tatsuo Shimabuku "Kusanku Sai Kata 1958"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcP2syEL7EU

 

Kusanku Sai Kata Side by Side comparison 1958/1966 

Tatsuo Shimabuku

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGtQDb8_yE0

 

Tatsuo Shimabuku "Kusanku-No-Sai Kata 

1966 Cleveland, USA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=by9Vsm5uO4A

 

Victor  Smith
I was taught Kusanku Sai by Charles Murray in Scranton when I studied with him. It was late 1987. He taught my Chantan Yara No Sai earlier (that was my first weapon kata study with him).

While I was told Kusanku Sai was originally done with 3 sai, and one thrown into the floor, I only did the kata with 2 sai. pretending to throw the sai but retaining it to continue to perform the kata.

I have on occasion seen Isshinryu karate-ka in Pa. perform the form with 3 sai, then at the right moment they would throw the sai into the floor (to the consern of the tournament promoter) to then extract the 3rd sai.

Years later in tournaments in New Hampshire, attending local tournaments I remember a NH Issinryu dan from central NH who used to compete with Kusanku Sai. When doing so he would place a foam block on the floor. Then he did the kata, he was using 3 sai. At the appropriate moment he would throw the one sai into the foam block, then pull the sai which was placed behind his obi on his back to complete the form. I have a video record of one of those performances, See below:

 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4n8gFN6dOXM

Kusanku Sai 10:33 - 13:13
 
Sherman Harrill once made a point to me that originally when he was shown the form in Agena, the thrown sai was intended to be thrown into the abdomen of the opponent. This was later changed to be thrown into the floor. The reason for the change was that Shimabuku Tatsuo felt, as thee were increasing numbers of students on the floors, it was safer for everyone to make the throws into the floor. Thereby avoiding sai being accidentally thrown into someone's body, as originally intended.

When I lived in New Hampshire, occasionally I would throw the sai to stick it into the ground for my own practice of Kusanku Sai Kata.