The history of Shuri-te kata

     I always envy the Naha-te practitioners, because the history of their styles and forms is much better documented as it is a bit more recent history. The lineage of the styles and teachers as well as the roots of the forms are still traceable on the Chinese mainland. A wonderful book on the Naha-te history I would like to mention is ‘Aux sources du karaté’ written by Lionel Lebigot, unfortunately, there’s only a French version for now. As it comes to Shuri-te, the history that comes to us is much less fact based. Lineages are obscure, the oral transmission has been very ‘romantic’ in form. Stories are told like the one about a Chinese pirate who was the only survivor of a shipwreck and lived in a cave and happened to be Martial Arts specialist who happened to come in contact with the Okinawan Martial Arts specialists and started training them and gave his name to a kata. Very colorful stories, but the chance that these are based on facts is quite low in my opinion.

Bushi Matsumura

     If we speak about Shuri-te, we must start with the father of Shuri-te, Sokon ‘Bushi’ Matsumura (around 1809 – 1899), the bodyguard of consecutive Kings of Okinawa. Father of the karate style of the Shuri castle. What does this karate style comprise of? We know there was an indigenous fighting art on Okinawa, practised since many centuries, the Okinawans were an imperialistic people, extending their territory in the area via battle. They were also a very pragmatic people. Okinawa, a tiny little island surrounded by great cultures, needed to adapt constantly to be able to survive and thrive, which they did. No wonder it is the martial art of this tiny island that conquered the world. We don’t know if any empty hand forms were practised in this indigenous Okinawan style. Even after WW II, there were still warrior class practitioners who didn’t practise empty hand forms. But in this article, we will focus on the Shuri-te kata. If we read about karate kata, Kumemura island is often mentioned, where the descendants from Chinese families were residing. As is Fujian province in China at about 600km’s from Okinawa or more precisely the harbour city of Fuzhou in this province. Connected to these locations, we often hear White Crane forms being mentioned as possible source for karate kata.

     Let’s go back to the father of Shuri-te. We have a good idea of which kata he practised and taught to his students. Bushi Matsumura is said to have known Kusanku (Kanku dai), Naihanchi (Tekki) shodan or shodan and nidan, Passai (Bassai dai), Seisan (Hangetsu), Chinto (Gangaku), Useishi (Gojushiho) and Hakutsuru. This last form, Hakutsuru, means White Crane. For most of the other kata, no specific background is ever mentioned, either they come from China, or either they were developed by Bushi Matsumura himself. Other sources also speak of Channan sho and dai. His grandson, who inherited his ‘hands’ was Nabe Matsumura, who was teaching Naihanchi, Passai, Chinto, Seisan, Kusanku, Gojushiho and Hakutsuru. No more mention of Channan sho and dai, which means those kata were either not important enough to teach, or they didn’t exist. I believe the latter, but that’s a subject for another article. It is also said that Bushi Matsumura went on a diplomatic mission to China, possibly for several years, and there he was taught 3 forms by a Chinese military called Iwah. The 3 forms were Sanchin, Seisan (Hangetsu) and Useishi (Gojushiho). The 3-remaining kata, Naihanchi, Chinto, Passai would be either created by Matsumura himself or had other backgrounds. Chinto would come from one of those famous Chinese pirates who survived a shipwreck. Some sources speak about a Chinese Passai and Naihanchi, but that they are no longer practised in China.

     If we leave to the side the Hakutsuru kata, which didn’t survive as a form practised in the mainstream Shuri-te styles, and contrary to the other forms, the background is clear in the name itself, ‘White Crane’, we have the 6 kata that form the Shuri-te style: Kusanku (Kanku dai), Naihanchi (Tekki), Passai (Bassai dai), Seisan (Hangetsu), Chinto (Gangaku), Useishi (Gojushiho).

     Let’s start with Bushi Matsumura’s first form, Kusanku. Chatan Yara (1668-1756) is credited as the originator of the popular Chatan Yara Kusanku, Chatan Yara no Sai, and Chatan Yara no Kon (Bo) kata. He was taught these forms on the Chinese mainland by his teacher Wong Chung-Yoh and/or Kusanku. Chatan Yara was the teacher of Peichin Takahara (1683-1760) who was the teacher of Sakugawa Kangi, who is also believed to have studied with Kusanku. His son was Sakugawa Kanga (1786-1867), also called Sakugawa Satunushi or Tode (Chinese Hand) Sakugawa. Kanga Sakugawa’s most famous student was Matsumura Sōkon. It is safe to say that the kata Kusanku, as well as a Bo and Sai kata were passed on to Bushi Matsumura. Of all the kata he practised, developed, we can say Kusanku was the first and probably functioned as a model of the karate techniques that he practised.

Fuzhou

     There are a lot of theories about ancestors of the other 5 Shuri-te kata, some of them more convincing than others. For example, I’ve never found the Dapochin theory as source for the Naihanchi kata convincing. Let’s start with the kata that exists in both Shuri- and Naha-te styles, Seisan (Hangetsu). The origin of the Seisan kata is quite well known by now. Seisan is one of the so-called Chinese ‘battle forms’, as is Sanchin. The original Chinese Sanchin (San Zhan, Sam Chien) was 3 steps forward, followed by 3 steps backwards. Seisan is a battle form that is a variation on that, with a cross form, sometimes also called ‘cross Sanchin’. It can be found under multiple Chinese names like Shizi Zhan (Cross Battle) or Sam Chien Sip Dee (3 battles cross pattern). And of course, we find these battle forms in Fujian White Crane styles, but not only! There are quite a few good researchers out there who have traced possible ancestor kata. Putting those pieces together forms an image that is much more convincing than stories about stranded pirates (Chinto) or kata created for a woman who carries a child on her back (Seisan).

     The pieces of the puzzle fell together when I read an article on the history of the Chinto (Gangaku) kata. In that article it was mentioned that there is a Chinese form called ‘Chen Tou’ that could be the original Chinto. There are many different versions of Chen Tou on Youtube, one in particular caught my attention. A version where amongst others you can see a front kick followed by turning around on the standing leg, as well as double hand block in front of body (morote jodan shuto barai). When I did some more research, I came across this Chen Tou form in a list of forms from a particular Chinese kung fu style, namely 5-ancestors fist. Also called Great-Ancestor Fist or Ngo-cho Kun, Taizuquan, Wuzuquan. A style that originated in the Fujian province and also consists of White Crane fighting. 5-ancestors style was the main fighting method practised in the city of Fuzhou, which was the above-mentioned trade centre for Okinawans. In that list of forms practised within the 5-ancestors fist, Chen Tou was mentioned as an advanced form. Practitioners would start with some of the over 10 Battle Forms. Battle forms are the first taught as they focus on basic concepts as power generation. The first Battle form mentioned on the list is San Zhan (3 Battles), Sanchin in Okinawa. Shizi Zhan (Cross Battle), the Okinawan Seisan, was also on the list of the Battle forms. Now I had 3 well known karate kata in this curriculum list.

Battle forms

     I checked the list to see if I could spot other familiar names and quickly saw a name that started to ring a few bells, Pingma Zhan, meaning ‘Level Horse Battle’. ‘Ping’ in ping ma, meaning; level, even, flat, calm, peaceful, is the same word as ‘pin’ in Pin-an or in Japanese it is read as ‘hei’ as in Heian, more on that in another article. Zhan or Chien, the word for battle can also translate as ‘iron’. Iron horse being ‘Tekki’ in Japanese. In other Chinese dialects this form is called Pieng Ma Chien or Pieng Beh Chien or Tit Be Chien. Dejan Djurdjevic wrote an interesting article in 2009 about the origin of the name Naihanchi (Naifuanchi – Naifunchin). He points out that this kata is traditionally regarded as the ‘horse riding kata’ and argues that Naifunchin is the Okinawan mispronunciation of Mafuchin meaning ‘Battle in Horse Stance’. ‘Level Horse Battle’ – ‘Battle in Horse Stance’, the similarity of the name of this form that is found in the same list as Sanchin and Seisan is hard to ignore. When looking on the internet for Pingma Zhan, I saw I was not the first to make the connection to Naihanchi, other researchers had done that before. But what about the form itself?

     Forms evolve all the time. How many different ways of performing Naihanchi (Tekki) do we know today? Such a ‘simple’ form was spread in Okinawa coming from one source, Bushi Matsumura, and underwent lots of changes. It must be the same on the Chinese mainland, also there the forms have evolved and changed compared to how they were performed 200 years ago. If we look at the structure of the original Chinese Naihanchi, there are differences in different 5-ancestor lineages.

     The standard 5-ancestor opening salute for each and every form, with the 4 main principles of float – sink – swallow – spit out, is reminiscent in the simplified ‘classic’ Naihanchi opening, where the ‘salutation’ followed by the ‘sinking’ movement is kept. But as well in further movements like the Hikite against the open hand, which is the ‘holding the seal’ movement in the 5-ancestors opening sequence. One of the most interesting versions I found on Youtube is the Pieng Be Chien form performed by Jose Paman. Here we find inside leg kicks, Empi against open hand, sideway strikes.>

     The basic concept of most battle forms is 6 steps, 3 steps forward, 3 steps back, with or without a turn. In some versions we see shuffles instead of steps, or inside foot sweeps between the steps. Some versions go straight ahead, other versions have more a zigzag pattern. The comparison with this Chinese battle form dismisses the theory that the original Naihanchi was a longer kata that was separated into 3 smaller parts. The other theory that Naihanchi was originally practised with open hands is partly true. We see slightly more open hand techniques in the original Chinese version, but closed fist techniques as well. The Okinawan Naihanchi form is also based on 6 steps, but the direction is different, instead of going forward, the steps are sideways, left-right, right-left, left-right and also has foot sweeps or inside leg kicks in between. Either this was the original way taught to Bushi Matsumura, either he changed that based on concepts he wanted to emphasize or maybe even for a banal practical reason like he wanted to train it on his porch in front of his house for example. We know he had a porch, where training Naihanchi sideways is very possible, but not with steps forward. We also find the side way steps in Useishi (Gojushiho) and interestingly also in one of the 5-ancestor Emperor Fist forms (Tai Chor). Hanshi Peter Polander’s teachings show that movements in kata are principals or concepts or symbols. Steps forward or sideways doesn’t change much, the concept is the same, pointing your tows outwards means moving your body mass forward for example, and putting your heel out means pulling back.

     Matsumura adapted all those forms he was taught in China to fit into his Okinawan fighting style, where the Kusanku kata stood as the model, using some of the patterns and movements but adapting them to fit his own style. It looks like Bushi Matsumura, inspired by the 5-ancestor battle forms, created his own battle form, or more probably a set of battle forms, as some of the very specific hand movements from Naihanchi Nidan and Sandan can also be found in other 5-ancestor battle forms. Needless to say, this is why many Shuri-te styles start with Naihanchi or with Seisan as basic ‘battle form’. A common practise in ‘pre-Itosu’ styles.

     It is said that Bushi Matsumura came back home from China with 3 forms: Sanchin, Seisan and Useishi. In ‘The Bible of Ngo Cho Kun’ the most basic form Sam Chien (Sanchin) is named Tit Be Chien (Naihanchi). Confusing those 2 forms is understandable, looking at the original Chinese forms, we can see the very close resemblance. And as such maybe not that surprizing to understand that Sanchin became the corner stone of Naha-te karate styles, and the other one, Naihanchi, the corner stone of Shuri-te karate. Bushi Matsumura probably came back with a lot more forms, battle forms and advanced forms. And from these forms he distilled the new 5 Shuri-te kata. We find traces of Naihanchi (shodan, nidan and sandan), Seisan, Chinto in 5-ancestors fist. I’m quite sure with a bit further investigation, Passai and Useishi (Gojushiho) can be traced to the same source. Looking at the already mentioned middle section of Useishi (Gojushiho) in both versions, meaning the ‘drunken man’ version with the outside leg kick as well as the version without this outside leg kick, we see the big similarity with Naihanchi. And the very distinct shuffle steps with Nukite are also present in other 5-ancestor fist forms. It is also curious to notice that a classic ending motion of the 5-ancestor forms is Morote Teisho Uchi, an ending movement we see in Seisan, Niseishi and in most of the Naha-te kata. If we have a look at Kobudo, we find most of the Okinawan Kobudo weapons also in the 5-ancestors arsenal. And the handling of those weapons looks identical on many occasions.

Karate Jutsu versus Karate Do

     When Bushi Matsumura came back to Okinawa, he added multiple forms to his package. This package contained now multiple empty hand forms, Tuite that is not obviously visible, but hidden in these forms, point striking or Kyusho Jutsu and weapons forms. The practise of Kata, Kihon and Kumite is not what I call a whole package.

     Karate Jutsu, the ‘esoteric’ karate, not in a spiritual sense, but in the sense of highly secretive, only taught to the very few, is fighting at medium and close distance, taking control of the opponent in as little time as possible. Karate Jutsu is the combination of Atemi Jutsu, Tuite Jutsu and Kyusho Jutsu. It is an Art that is very brutal. First contact with the opponent should be immediately intensely painful, this is Atemi Jutsu, second step is to take control of the opponent’s body or movements, Tuite Jutsu, and the third step is ending the fight, Kyusho Jutsu. With Tuite Jutsu I don’t mean ‘please grab my wrist and I will do a wrist lock on you’. Tuite Jutsu is the art to control the opponent’s limbs and body, putting him in a situation where he is no longer or less harmful to you. Tuite Jutsu cannot be done in Zenkutsu dachi, that stance is too long and too slow and not mobile enough. In Okinawan Kempo we use Sankaku dachi.

     Karate Do, the ‘exoteric’ karate, meaning taught to the masses, is training for physical and mental purposes, introduced at schools by Anko Itosu. This training is practiced at long-distance in stances like Zenkutsu dachi, with movements that are done one at the time. You step forward in Junzuki, I step back and block with Age uke. This manner of training ultimately led to sports karate, kumite.

     Karate Jutsu was not taught to everybody. There was a lot of rivalry between individuals, but also between clans. Not only in Okinawa, but the same counts for the Chinese mainland. It appears that Bushi Matsumura taught karate Jutsu to Anko Azato and not to Anko Itosu nor to Gichin Funakoshi. The teaching method of those two latter is the long-distance training karate. Practising forms, kata, is Karate Do, by definition. Hanshi Peter Polander’s mission is to put Jutsu back into kata.

Conclusion

     As we said at the beginning, some researchers mention White Crane kung fu as source for the Okinawan Karate, other researchers are looking into Southern Monk Fist. Both these styles are included in 5-Ancestors fist. The souple, lightning-fast movements with very short ‘Kime’, representative for Shuri-te before it was taught to the masses in schools and became more static, is very similar to 5-ancestors fist.

     After many years of searching for the original Naihanchi kata, for me all the pieces of the puzzle finally came together, which gives me great satisfaction. Reading about the history of our beloved kata is a nice way to spend time, but far more important is to train our Naihanchi every day and to get deeper understanding of the wealth of applications that can be discovered within this Battle Form. Thanks to the genius of people as Taika Seiyu Oyata (1928-2012), who uncovered the treasures hidden in Naihanchi, we can reach that deeper understanding if we work hard enough.

Dagmar Uythethofken
Shiro Washi Ryu Kempo