Kyozai kata was created in the Okinawan school system for use in youth gym classes.
The form while created by a team of teachers who were also martial artists. It contains Shorin, Goju and Tomari techniques within the form.
It is not commonly seen in American videos. This is one of those available.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLWqv97nS4s
Basic Kata vs Advanced Kata
Thanks Gordon for your reasoned response. As an Okinawan Gojuryu practitioner, I don't practice the Taikyokyu series, although I do practice what is called Kyozai kata which is an introductory kata in our organization. Just a variation on the typical h-pattern kata. It's fun for the kids, quick to learn. Do I spend any time teaching applications with it? No. It's primary purpose is to teach movement in combination with techniques. In fact I don't teach it to the adults as it is only a kata I began to teach after seeing it done in Okinawa at Hokama Sensei's dojo. We concentrate on the 12 Gojuryu kata. Miyagi was known to have taught Saifa as the first kata to children before introducing Gekisai kata after WW2.
You stated that Taikyoku has all of the techniques found in Gekisai. I question the usefulness of the Taikyoku because it is so repetitive. Chudan and Jodan are exactly the same, just a different block. Gedan just trains shiko dachi, haraitoshi and oizuki. Mawashi at least throws in an elbow, backfist, block and a reverse punch after the mawashiuke. Kakeuke is just a clone of mawashi uke. All of these techniques are covered in our classes during kihon ido. Gekisai Ichi also includes a sweep, arm bar, shuto, soto uke and add in Gekisai dai ni, you also get neko ashi dachi, all of the things you state are in 5 Taikyoku can be found in 2 Gekisai. These are of course just the obvious techniques.
As for striking certain areas of the body, our best weapon in the dojo, the one we train a lot, is a whipping, smashing shin kick to the thigh. The shin, ankle, calf, knee are other areas we target. We are shown vital areas and pressure points, but if the area that you strike hurts the opponent, it is not necessarily a classical pressure point. When you gave a friend a charley horse when you were a kid, did that mean you knew what and where a pressure point was? Doing "pressure point knockouts" against someone standing still, allowing you to "knock them out" is a far cry from someone intent on kicking your ass. So in those cases, a headbutt and knee stomp are sure and effective techniques (seiunchin and sanseru) to use rather than strike sp** but only after the hour or the horse and only against a monkey stylist. :-)
3/4 punch is more effective than full twist punch? Having studied Isshinryu for a couple of years, I was a fan of the vertical or 3/4 punch. You ever watch an Isshinryu person break boards? He uses a full twisting punch. Ever see a boxer knockout an opponent in the ring? It's not a vertical or a 3/4 punch. It is usually a hook, uppercut or straight/cross punch. Now I do use the vertical punch as well, it has it's uses, but to say it is more effective is not realistic. An uppercut works better in a situation where an uppercut is called for. A hook punch is more effective when a hook punch is called for.
I did not state that we do not work bunkai, I stated that we train in bunkai for every technique in every kata plus variations on the basic bunkai. I just think that there are those who try to come up with some ridiculous bunkai just to be able to say, look at what I discovered. A new bunkai. I think that bunkai should be quick, simple, easy to learn and foremost, effective. If it takes you an entire class to learn it, I don't see the value in it.
Great discussion Gordon,
Regards George Yanase
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Hi Victor-san,
Thanks for the words :D
It was indeed a fascinating study.
Regarding the Kyozai-gata, I learned it from Hokama Sensei, who is one of the ones who invented it.
There is a Kyozai-gata 2 that was created and published in the school karate manual but never made it into use.
It's somewhat between the Fukyu-gata of Nagamine, and the Pinan / Gekisai series, in terms of technical content.
1. Saluation & ready posture
2. LF to L into zenkutsu and LH side block.
3. RFF along same line and RH middle level punch.
4. RF to R (180 degrees) into zenkutsu and RH side block
5. LFF along same line and LH middle level punch
6. LF to front in zenkutsu and LH down block
7. RFF and RH upper level punch
8. LFF and LH upper level punch
9. RFF and RH upper level punch
10. Spin to L of RH to face rear right diagonal in LFF zenkutsu and LH down block
11. RFF on same diagonal line and RH shuto-uke
12. RFF to the R to face rear left diagonal in RFF zenkutsu and RH down block
13. LFF on same diagonal line and LH shuto-uke
14. LF to rear of kata line into zenkutsu and LH down block
15. RH middle level reverse punch
16. RF front kick
17. Set RFF and LH middle level reverse punch
17. LF front kick
18. Set LFF and RH middle level reverse punch
19. RF front kick
20. Set RFF and spin to the L to face the front and perform a LH down block
21. Drop to the right knee and RH punch
22. Stand up and bring RF to the LF, stack hands at R hip.
23. Perform a LF front kick and LH punch directly to the L
24. Set LFF on the same line and perform a RH reverse punch
25. Pull the LF to the RF and stack the hands at the L hip
26. Perform a RF front kick and RH punch directly to the R
27. Set RFF on the same line and perform a LH reverse punch
28. Face the L forward diagonal in LFF cat stance and perform a mawashi-uke & push (LH down, RH up)
29. Quickly face the R forward diagonal in RFF cat stance and perform a mawashi-uke & push (RH down, LH up)
30. Leaving the LF in place, bring the RF and the hands to face the direct front on RFF cat stance.
31. RFB to LF in attention stance and perform ending salutation.
Pretty straight forward.
Joe
After receiving the above post from Joe, eventually I decided it could be a reasonable form for my own students. I was interested in the youth learning what was being taught in Okinawa in gym class. I taught it between our kata sho and our annaku.
I never took many videos of our use of Kyozai kata. My videotaping my students was never to show a perfect form, rather to show what they were doing at that time.
This video shows some of the differences I made to the form.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EuVcLAdSbyE
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