If oral history can be dependable sakugawa was believed to have learned the passai kata in china. In fact there are references dating back to the egyptians and greeks, performing dances that. This diplomat of the qing government, wang ji, is reported to have been a highly educated well rounded scholar for his time. Contrary to many modern karate systems that use muscular tension and external strength, this one focuses on the idea of soft technique, explosiveness, and. Another purpose of this article is to clarify what is traditional okinawan kata. A comprehensive guide for deciphering martial applications lawrence a. For these reasons, passai is usually part of the intermediate curriculum of karate schools. Bassai dai is one of the variations of the passai kata that is practiced in shotokan. It is unknown exactly where this kata originates, although there are many theories. Shorinryu karate is one of the major branches of karate. According to karate historian henning wittwer dai means old and sho means young. As we know kata, meaning form, or a series of movements, looks to the outsider as a dance, and history has recorded these dancelike forms in various cultures. Thoughts on the kata shimpa tan 922018 9 kommentare. Just like most techniques imported directly from china to okinawa, the passai kata was assimilated in different fashion along two of the main branches of karate.
Rather than being exhaustive, it is meant to provide just enough information to prompt deeper study into the topic. Those books are no substitute for learning how to perform the kata with my sensei, but provide a decent reference if i loose my place or get confused over the order of techniques. Further evidence that passai has roots in tomari city is that passai dai starts with the right fist covered by the left hand, like other kata thought to have originated there, such as jutte, jion, jiin and empi. A similar initial movement can also be found in some other kata passai, seiryu. The traditional kata forms have been handed down from instructor to student. Jan 28, 2014 there are some kata that really seem to get around. The quick up and down movements of this kata are reminiscent of a fling swallow. It is a blending of both chinese and native fighting methods that includes simple strikes, vital targetpressure point attacks, and standup grappling.
There are 15 traditional katas and in kobudo okinawan art of weaponry there are 6 weapons with individual katas for each weapon. Thoughts on the kata shimpa tan the heritage of shudokan. When soken began his training under nabe matsumura karate practice was still done in secret. The floating hand techniques are very similar to the movement of tai chi chuan. Reading books and deconstructing karate as it once was popular posts. Beneath these surface differences, both the methods and aims of all okinawan karate are one and the same. The origin of passai, or bassai in korean, is obsure, but it likely originated in china in the mid to late 1500s and migrated to okinowa where it was taught by itosu yasutsune at the turn of the 20th century. One notable point is that bunkai describes it as a defense against a bo. There are other similarities in the shifting of body weight in light stances.
Fine motor control wil be limited due to the adrenaline rush, strikes to the body are to areas which can take hits quite easily and so requires the practitioner to be strong and fast in order to cause ant effect, the fact that after the grab the opponents left hand was left open with the karateka head put forward as easy target is reckless. List of katas in traditional japanese shotokan karate. For example, an instructor could select a portion of a kata in order to show a student how this kata element is used to defend against an attack i. It was born out of the fighting forms, techniques, and traditions practiced in the shuri and tomari villages of okinawa. Although mainland japan prefers the name heian, the pattern remains the same as the traditional okinawan pinan kata passai sokon matsumura taught anko itotsu passai kata. Unlike the movements in shurite, the feet travel on a crescentshaped line. In fact there are references dating back to the egyptians and greeks, performing dances that emulates fighting. When performing a kata the karate practitioner must live and feel each single technique. Sokon matsumura is arguably the most influential karate master who ever lived. Kata are prearranged sets of movements or routines, and they are the very heart of traditional martial arts. Lets look at some theses on the history of this kata.
Contrary to many modern karate systems that use muscular tension and external strength, this one focuses on the idea of soft technique, explosiveness, and the expression of ki for its power. This kata was one of the most popular katas in history and it is believed to have originated in china. In nahate kata, there is a rhythmic, but artificial, way of breathing in accordance with each movement. The creator of the kata was sokon bushi matsumura 18091902 who played a huge role in the development of karate and who was also the chief bodyguard to three okinawan kings. This section focuses on the bunkai used in various branches of shorinryu karate. But among the popular kata list passai holds a special place as there is no form more obfuscated and difficult to trace. Some researchers believe the passai kata is related to chinese leopard and lion boxing. Gup hyung the official site for san kil tang soo do. Even today, while the basic movements of kata are widely known, advanced practical applications and sophisticated techniques frequently remain hidden. In the following article, i will briefly describe the kata of shorinryu seibukan, and their origin. Passai is one of the most popular kata of okinawan karate with many different versions. When you look into the movements you can see that all the main sequences and techniques are there in a slightly different order sagurite.
Its name and techniques have been jumbled around, remixed, smooshed back together, and randomized for reasons that will. He is thought to have created kata like bassai and naihanchi and passed on forms like channan, kushanku, gojushiho, jutte, chinto and rohai. It is believed that matsumura was taught passai by his instructor, sakugawa. List of shorinryu kata bunkai practical application of kata. Passai sometimes pronounced bassai contains a wide variety of striking and grappling techniques including throws, chokes, locks etc. Like the first edition, it is produced to the highest standard, printed on the finest paper, and bound in the traditional manner as befits a book that is, and will continue to be, the ultimate reference to the art of shotokan karate. List of shorinryu bunkai practical application of kata. The passai kata are usually classed as intermediate kata.
Passai and bassai kata series are almost identical the only difference being their names okinawan vs japanese. Making sense of passai an exploration of origin and style ikigai. In the shotokan kata, the styletypical techniques are repeated from the first to the last kata, again and again. Morihei uyeshiba practiced tenjin shinyoryu jujutsu with tozawa tokusaburo in 1901, but his true martial calling began in 1911 when he learned daitoryu aikijujutsuunder. The pinan kata series was introduced into the okinawan school district. Chotoku kyan learned this kata from kokan oyadomari a famous tomarite karate teacher. Oct 16, 2017 this week we share our brainstorming session on passai kata applications. Shorinjiryu karate is a powerful martial art, with its origins traced back from okinawa to the shaolin temple. Kata focus bassai bassai or passai is found in various martial styles from japan, china, korea and okinawa. Heian kata videos the history of the tekki kata the tekki iron horse kata were derived from a single long kata called naihanchi internal divided conflict which was a part of the shurite and tomarite karate styles in okinawa and was the most basic kata before the introduction of the pinan heian kata set. The kata that i teach now are pinan shodan, pinan nidan, naihanchi shodan, naihanchi nidan, patsaisho and dai, chinto, gojushiho, kusanku, rohai ichinisan, and last, the hakutsuru. The kata name, for many systems with a shorin ryu back ground, has been pinan shodan, but the kata pattern was that of pinan nidan. Okinawan karate forms and use the forms that are more japanese in nature or were created to kowtow to kano jigoro, because neko ashi dachi allows you to easily prevent a judoka from grabbing.
Each series of kata is preceded by a historical and technical introduction. The article should then mention why there are different names, and the minor variations in the kata between various styles. Hence, passai sho is a shorter variation on passai and also bears some resemblances to bassai dai, indicating this kata may have been born out of combining elements of passai and passai sho. A comprehensive guide for deciphering martial applications. The oldest written references to naifuanchis history are probably in the books of the. Part 2 shotoshinkai karatedo association in malaysia. Bunkai is a karate technique where kata is broken down and studied for its offensive and defensive elements. Bassaidai was purposely chosen as the fourth kata of gkr, appropriately. Although the roots of this kata are obscure, there are several theories as to its history. Posted on july 11, 2010 july 17, 2011 by admin as discussed in an earlier posting, the okinawan master, sokon bushi matsumura was a central figure in developing the now familiar linear technique, at a time when most martial artists on okinawa were still using the circular techniques of chinese origin. Calgary chito ryu karate club history of chito ryu katas. The japanese translation of bassai is most closely to storm a fortress or extract from a castle. Sep 02, 2018 dear christian bellina, although i am no authority on the matter i would like to comment that considering the order of the kanji, the kata and may rather be translated as heart waves, short and heart waves, long. History of matsumura shorinryu karate worldbudokan.
This week we share our brainstorming session on passai kata applications. Sensei george tan shihan history karatedo training attitudes terminology tenshinhappo tenpogosoku uke no gogenri kata and bunkai hiji ate goho tensho, bassaida, seienchin, nipaipo, matsumura no rohai. The theory of deciphering kata applications kaisai no genri was once a great mystery revealed only to trusted disciples of the ancient masters in order to protect the secrets of their systems. We are a group on a mission to return karate to its roots through the use of kata as selfdefense. He was instrumental in passing on a martial arts legacy from bushi matsumura and nabe matsumura to his students. Itosu is thought to have created this from a version of bassai practiced in shuri. More about this kata in my book the kata of shudokan, which is expected to be published in 2020. Anko itosu was the top student of matsumura sokon, who was a renowned warrior in his time.
He taught masters like itosu, azato, kyan, motobu, yabu and funakoshi, his life spanned almost the entire 19th century. What are some good sources to remind me of the order of. One must remember that a kata, by itself, is a complete fighting system, and a book could be written using one kata as a subject source. Kyudokan training hall for learning the do waypath to selfenlightenment the okinawan shorinryu karatedo kyudokan school, now known as the higa family school of karatedo, is a traditional school renowned throughout the world because of its history, its accumulated culture and the traditions handed down over the centuries by the fore fathers of karate in okinawa. To the observer, a kata resembles a series of defensive and offensive fighting moves designed to neutralize multiple opponents. A lot of tomari history is speculation and tomari kata are often named after. This is the right way to do it since, as we all know, one cannot practice enough if one wishes to master a technique completely. Making sense of passai an exploration of origin and style. This three part series examines the roots of shotokan karate through gichin. When you look into the movements you can see that all the main sequences and techniques are there in a slightly different order sagurite, yama uke. Up until the 1950s master soken referred to his martial art as matsumura shurite, then he began calling his style matsumura seito orthodox shorin ryu in order to differentiate it from the other emerging shorin ryu styles.
These videos and instructions will help you to master the shorinryu katas for your next belt test. Shotokan kata contain plenty of very important elements which one needs to practice according to the karatekas personal level of training. Chinto kata has a fascinating history and it is necessary to have some understanding of that history if we are to understand the kata itself. As discussed in an earlier posting, the okinawan master, sokon bushi matsumura was a central figure in developing the now familiar linear technique, at a time when most martial artists on okinawa were still using the circular techniques of chinese origin. Learn about the katas used in shorinryu karate and matsubayashiryu. This represents a short introduction to the history of chito ryu and its katas. Jan 29, 2012 as we know kata, meaning form, or a series of movements, looks to the outsider as a dance, and history has recorded these dancelike forms in various cultures. Choshin chibana was a top student of the great master of shurite, anko itosu.
He taught passai dai matsumura no passai and according to takao nakaya, he notes that the kata did not originate in tomari village nakaya, 1983 even though it has a long history there. The last one is my favorite kata that i demonstrate because it is easier to do. That isnt to say that the way shotokan influenced schools do the kata is wrong, simply that you cannot use the words classic kata of shorinji ryu. Did you know this was not always the first kata pattern learned. Thus passai was learned by sokon matsumura from shuri, and the oyadomari family in tomari, from the teachings of teruya kishin. History this form has been used and practiced in many cultures, including china, okinawa, japan and korea. Whether matsumura or others originated the form or brought it back from china is unknown.
To quote chibana sensei, karate is teaching kata form we have taken from forefathers without changing it at all. Here is oyata seiyu performing passai, followed by the author. As discussed in that posting, matsumura was also the. Gichin funakoshi renamed many kata in order to make. This three part series examines the roots of shotokan karate through gichin funakoshis 15 original kata. Shitoryu karatedo english a traditional art of self defence by. In the early 20th century when itosu anko took karate training into the school systems of okinawa, the true civilian combative elements of the kata were downplayed, and kata became physical exercise routines, almost like dances. Nov 18, 2012 the shorinryu version of passai bears a close resemblance to oyadomari no passai, and is a much softer kata than shotokans bassai dai. When we take a look at the kata of shidokan shorin ryu of miyahira katsuya we find a passai dai and a passai sho. His teacher masonobu china told him that this kata goes back at least 200 years in the village of shimabuku. Mar 16, 2016 chotoku kyan learned this kata from kokan oyadomari a famous tomarite karate teacher. The links below contain videos that demonstrate a number of practical applications and combinations associated with each kata bunkai is a karate technique where kata is broken down and studied for its offensive and defensive elements. The first article discussed the controversy over funakoshis classification of okinawan karates shorin and shorei traditions by body type, as. Some researchers believe the passai kata is related to chinese leopard and lion boxing forms, with some sequences bearing a resemblance to leopard boxing the opening blocking.
When i was studying my underbelt katas i could always refer to master jhoon rhees books covering the kata. Kata consists of a prearranged series of movements designed to provide the student. Okinawan karate researcher akio kinjo feels that the passai kata is related to leopard and lion boxing forms kinjo. The second, expanded edition of this landmark book is now available. This is a compilation drawn from numerous existing documents. I came across an interesting article by sensei robert teller that the this footage of kate passai is one of the oldest forms of this kata. This is the first of the required katas of our dojo. Passai sometimes pronounced bassai contains a wide variety of striking. All the kata and techniques he learned were inherited from bushi matsumura. The japanese martial art of aikido way to unify with your kiwas founded by morihei uyeshiba in 1942. The passai kata has perhaps spawned the greatest number of confirmed versions than any other kata in the okinawan selfdefense traditions. It is one of the most traditional kata in shotokan. All of these techniques are performed in order, moving according to a set of predefined footwork. Passai dai is the matsumura passai the old form and passai sho is the itosu passai the younger form.
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