Kusanku Kata the forge of Isshin and Zanchin

August 03, 2008


 

Everything goes in cycles, especially at the more advanced levels.


Right now I’m teaching/correcting Kusanku kata and Kusanku Sai. Kusanku being one of the most common Okinawa senior forms. Focusing on a high level of technique and body awareness in the kata. I thought it would be interesting to pull some Kusanku material together as well as a rather complete kata video reference library.


As I follow karate discussions around the world on the nets I’m struck by how often karate-ka focus on beginning kata and not the lessons in the advanced kata, including Kusanku. If these older kata were complied each by one instructor, the application lessons they contain are priceless, and Kusanku with it’s wealth of techniques must surely lead the way.


Kusanku presents an particular challenge for the brown belt, they first really come to grips with the responsibility of ISSHIN and ZANCHIN at the same time. Isshin defined as focused awareness where Zanchin is defined as universal awareness. Isshin being the need to perfect each technique, each movement, each body alignment where Zanchin is focusing on the next move and the entire kata.


Most students quickly are awed by the form and are focusing on the Zanchin, to get through it, and often leaving Isshin on the technique lost in the fog. This is a direct result of the length of the form and the variety of techniques.


Yet the true value from Kusanku comes with maturity, finding both the Isshin and Zanchin merged together, where nothing is lost and each find each other.


And of course it can be found in a spit second or lost in the same passage of time.


I wish you all could come to visit, I would really like to show some video of Tristan Sutrisno’s flow through hard attacks, he hardly moves and students are bodies in transition.  His movement defines it better than anything I’ve seen or experienced, and that covers a bit.

 

Charlie Murray in kumite, Harrill Sensei and Kerker Sensei also possess it, and Mr. Lewis’ bo kata the same.


Kusanku is a great forge.