So often people bash Japanese karate, really not knowing
what they are talking about. Of course it began with Funakoshi, Ginchin. And
his focus when he stayed in Japan to spread karate, was to focus on the
universities. Knowing the strongest hope for the continuation of Japanese
karate, was to get the right class of Japanese involved with it. It wasn’t
kids. It wasn’t the person off the streets, Rather the future administrators,
businessmen and military leaders who would have gotten their starts through the
universities. So he shaped his karate towards those who could begin in a 4 year
university program.
But those people also were trained to think and question, at
least some of them were. Andso the
instructors that arose from those programs did think. Some went to Okinawa,
sought other training, and through their efforts began to make changes in their
art. Some of them wrote books on their thoughts and training experiences. Some
of them conducted research and development of new ideas.
One of the more interesting of Funakishi Ginchin’s students
was Egami Shigeru. Loyal to the karate he learned under Funakoshi. At the same
time he did go to Okinawa to learn new things and then incorporated them into
the way he practiced then taught karate. He observed the ways the JKA was
changing what he originally learned, not agreeing that was the strongest karate
could become for him.
Eventually he did not believe in what the others following
those changes were accomplishing. Broke with them and formed the Shotokai
organization. There he continued to make changes to make the karate he taught
stronger to his mind.
Among them were changes he made to the way of striking that
had been created in his karate. A trip to Okinawa proved to him this was
necessary. Not that others on Okinawa did not understand what he was doing, for
they were already doing it, but that he developed a need to make his karate
stronger. And the acted on that need.
I was taught
Karate in the era where tournament karate was a big deal.
And as it turned
out many of the competitors I had to compete against were national champions.
That competition did help sharpen me without question.
Back about
1985 after moving to the New England area I became less, and less interested in
tournaments. For the most part I was not much interested in being a competitor.
Focused more
and more of my time on instruction.
At times I
would compete, to once again push myself.
However,
many of the tournaments I went too, the standards the judges were judging by,
were not standards as I knew them. And that met many times I had no interest in
having those judges judge my students. They of course were free to follow their
standards, but I was also free to do other things.
So fewer and
fewer tournaments. My own interests were on other things.
The last
time I competed was just that, to push myself one last time, Facing surgery I
decided to teach myself a form I did not really know, and push myselfto compete with it. And I did.
Nowsuch things are way beyond my ability to
accomplish.
And while I
am very interested in understanding karate better,
I have
absolutely no interest in Tournament anywhere in the world.
Of course I
wish everyone to find their own fulfillment.
It
is however that my focus is very much elsewhere.
There is a great
amount of focus on developing the most powerful technique to end an attack. Of
course there is logic to that. At the same time little attention is paid to
using the least amount of power with a technique to conclude an attack.
No less arduous to
train for, and there is a lot of logic behind doing things more subtly.
Use of single
knuckle strikes, the entire range of fingertip strikes, using your body
alignment to create more powerful force behind the slightest technique. All the
above are examples of potential lighter strikes.
Using less
powerful strikes to end an attack, allows you to go under the radar of others
who may be observing you at the same time.
This may be a
subtle as a slight step backward to remove yourselffor a target zone, at the same time using the
space created by their strike or a more textured response.
This does not take less training, rather a very different focus of what a response can be.
The end goal is
the same, but the power needed is so much less.
Conditioning the Spear Hand is not something I have
heard come up before.
I do remember Charles Murray describing a training
device he experienced in Agena Okinawa back about `1972.
He described how being struck by the Shimabuku
Shinso, was extremely painful.
He described the nature of the hand formation of
Shinso was more the fingers all being the same length. And that his fingers
were not so structured Shinso had him hold his fingers such as they would all
strike at the same time.
Charles also described a Makiwara
(or something
for striking with the spear hand)
As a box on the wall, a frame with a piece of tire
inner-tube stretched across it.
So you would strike into the rubber covering to
condition spear hand strikes.
I have never seen this in the States,
nor heard of anyone doing serious Spear Hand conditioning.
Of course that does not mean it doesn’t exist, just
I haven’t heard of it.
On the other hand I just saw this photo of Miyagi
Sensei
Observing his students conditioning their Spear Hand
strikes a different way.
There are times
I wonder if I am cursed to remember almost everything I have seen and read.
About 1976 I purchased a copy of a book by Shigeru Engami, ‘The Way if Karate’ Beyond Technique
about his journey in karate. He had been a student of Funakoshi Ginchin and
experienced the changes of the art through his life experiences, and personal
efforts.
I did not know
at that time there were differences in Okinawan and Japanese Karate.
Interestingly he did research on the most powerful punch on Okinawa as well as
in Japan.
But his
description of the Toe Kick method he was originally taught, I have never seen
described anywhere else. And these photos came from his book.
Engami’s own
words: “The form of the foot in the front kick when I began practice was with
the toes folded down. The part of the foot that struck the opponent was the
first joint of the big toe. Since the toes had to be strong—otherwise they
might be broken—we were made to practice standing, even walking, with our toes
folded, as shown in the figure.
Having mastered
this, we practiced jumping with our toes in this position, and I was eventually
able to perform a double kick (nidan-geri) in this fashion. Although this kick
was performed in demonstrations, because of its interest, it had no relevance
to training, and few practiced it because it was so painful.
The form of the
foot presently used is striking with the ball of the foot. The toes are bent
back as far as possible…”
I have slightly
altered the text because I have not scanned the passage, but it is very close
to the actual text. He goes much further into the front kick and toe kicks. The
book is worth acquiring. He began training in college under Funakoshi Ginchin, when he was 20.
This would
suggest that things then were very different from the karate today.
It does not
explain where this method of striking with the foot originated, but the pain
experienced why this is most likely no longer practiced. Of course the world is
vast, and one cannot say with certainty it is no longer practiced anywhere,
just not so it is discussed.
I feel from
reading the entire book, it is most likely something Egami experienced.
I feel a foot
properly conditioned and trained might be more penetrating using this foot.
Of course with
modern footwear, it is also likely the older Chinese traditions of kicking with
boots or footwear on their feet, likely is more powerful than any empty foot
kicking.
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 withtwo 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 Fugkyataa 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
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.
I do not know where Mr. Sells or Mr. McCarthy
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.
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.
This
Shorin Ryu kata came from Shorin Ryu Honda Katsu, as taught by Carl Long in Pennsylvania.The name means “Light from the South”. It
was taught at green belt level.
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’
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’
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.
