Roots Of Shotokan:
Funakoshi's Original 15 Kata
Part 3 - Seisan, Wanshu, Chinto, Jitte
& Jion Kata
by Joe Swift
Editor's Note: This three
part series examines the roots of Shotokan karate
through Gichin Funakoshi's 15 original kata. The first
article discussed the controversy over
Funakoshi's classification of Okinawan karate's Shorin
and Shorei traditions by body type, as well as his
knowledge of kata. The second
and third articles focus on in-depth discussions of
the meaning and origin of Funakoshi's core kata.
The Original Fifteen Kata of Shoto: The Last Five
Seisan (Hangetsu)
Meaning
13, some people refer to this kata as 13 hands, 13
fists, or 13 steps. Customarily taught in both Tomari
and Naha (towns on Okinawa), this kata, following
the tradition of Chotoku Kyan, is the first kata the
Isshinryu karate student learns. A move from Seisan
is here demonstrated by Funakoshi in his 1935 book.
It is unclear exactly what the number 13 represents.
Some think it was the number of techniques in the
original kata; some think it represents 13 different
types of "power" or "energy" found
in the kata; some think it represents the number of
different application principles; some think it represents
defending against 13 specific attacks; and some think
that it is the number if imaginary opponents one faces
while performing the kata. Out of all these theories,
this author must disagree with the last, as it is
highly unrealistic that kata teaches one to handle
such situations. On the contrary, kata was designed
to teach the principles needed to survive more common
self-defense situations, rather than a long, drawn
out battle against several opponents (Iwai, 1992).
Akio Kinjo, the noted Okinawan karate researcher
and teacher who has traveled to China, Hong Kong and
Taiwan well over 100 times to train and research the
roots of Okinawan martial arts, maintains that this
kata originally had 13 techniques, but due to a long
process of evolution, more techniques were added to
it (Kinjo, 1999). He also maintains that the Okinawan
Seisan kata derives from Yong Chun White Crane boxing
from Fujian Province in Southern China.
It is unsure who brought this kata to Okinawa, but
we do know that in 1867, Seisho Aragaki (1840-1920),
a master of the Chinese-based fighting traditions
(Toudi) demonstrated this kata (among others) in front
of the last Sappushi (Chinese Imperial envoys), Xin
Zhao (Tomoyori, 1992; McCarthy, 1995, 1999).
The main lineages that include Seisan include those
passed down from Kosaku Matsumora /Kodatsu Iha /Chojo
Oshiro, Chotoku Kyan, Seisho Aragaki, Kanryo Higaonna,
Kanbun Uechi, and Norisato Nakaima, among others.
Shimabuku learned this kata from Kyan. Both the Kyan
and the Shimabuku versions of this kata strongly resemble
the "Matsumura no Seisan" used in some sects
of Shito-ryu (see Sakagami, 1978).
Noted senior Okinawan karate authority Hiroshi Kinjo
(b. 1919) states that there is no evidence of a Seisan
kata being passed down in the "Shuri" lineages
of Sokon Matsumura and Anko Itosu, and that the familiar
"Shuri" lineage Seisan versions such as
the Hangetsu of Shotokan and the Seisan of Kyan lineage
systems, should be referred to as Tomari Seisan. His
reasoning is that the so-called Oshiro Seisan as presented
in the 1930 "Kenpo Gaisetsu" by Nisaburo
Miki and Mizuho Takada was actually passed down from
Kosaku Matsumora to Kodatsu Iha to Kinjo's own teacher
Chojo Oshiro of Yamaneryu Bojutsu fame.
Kinjo believes that Funakoshi, being a school teacher
in Tomari (the small port town near Shuri, Okinawa's
capital city), may have learned same from Iha, and
that as much of Kyan's tutelage seems to have come
from Tomari-based masters like Kosaku Matsumora and
Kokan Oyadomari, the Kyan version could also likely
be traced to Tomari (Kinjo, 2001). This is in direct
contrast to many writings on the lineage of Kyan's
Seisan (see, for example, Bishop, 1999).
The "Master Seisan Theory," which claims
that the kata was brought from China to Okinawa by
a Chinese martial artist named Seishan (or Seisan),
is uncorroborated myth at best, probably propagated
by well-meaning, but not-so-well-researched instructors.
This legend cannot be found in any of the literature
coming out of Okinawa or Japan.
Wanhsu (Wansu or Enpi)
This
kata is said by many to have been brought to Okinawa
by the 1683 Sappushi (Chinese Imperial envoy) Ji Wang
(Jpn. Oshu, 1621-1689). It is possible that it is
based upon or inspired by techniques that were taught
by Ji Wang. A move from this kata is here demonstrated
by Funakoshi.
The problem with this theory is that why would such
a high ranked government official teach his martial
arts (assuming he even knew any) to the Okinawans?
Also, Ji Wang was only in Okinawa for 6 months(Sakagami,
1978).
Ji Wang was originally from Xiuning in Anhui (a geographic
section of west central China), and was an official
for the Han Lin Yuan, an important government post
(Kinjo, 1999). In order to become an official for
the Han Lin Yuan, one had to be a high level scholar,
and pass several national tests (Kinjo, 1999). Just
preparing for such a position would be such a time
consuming task that is would all but rule out the
practice of martial arts. However, assuming that Ji
Wang was familiar with the martial arts, the Quanfa
(a generic Chinese term referring to martial arts)
of Anhui is classified as Northern boxing, while the
techniques of the Okinawan Wansu kata are clearly
Southern in nature (Kinjo, 1999).
So, was Wanshu named after Ji Wang, or someone else?
This is as yet unknown. However, in the Okinawan martial
arts, kata named after their originators are not uncommon.
Some examples include Kusanku, Chatan Yara no Sai,
and Tokumine no Kon. It is entirely possible that
this kata was introduced by a Chinese martial artist
named Wang (not the offical Ji Wang). As the reader
probably already knows, in the Chinese martial arts,
it is common to refer to a teacher as Shifu (lit.
Teacher-father). Could not the name Wansu be an Okinawan
mispronunciation of Shifu Wang (Kinjo, 1999)?
Other schools of thought are that Xianhui Wu (Jpn.
Go Kenki, 1886-1940) or Daiji Tang (Jpn. To Daiki,
1888-1937), two Chinese martial artists who immigrated
to Okinawa in the early part of the 20th Century,
may have been responsible for the introduction of
the Wansu kata (Gima, et al, 1986). As a side note,
Wu was a Whooping Crane boxer and Tang was known for
his Tiger boxing. They were both from Fujian.
Chinto (Gankaku)
This
kata is said to have been taught to Sokon Matsumura
(1829-1898. The great Okianwan master) by a Chinese
named Chinto, but this legend cannot be corroborated.
According to a 1914 newspaper article by Gichin Funakoshi
(1867-1957, founder of Shotokan karatedo), based upon
the talks of his teacher Anko Asato (1827-1906), student
of Sokon Matsumura):
"Those who received instruction from a castaway
from Annan in Fuzhou, include: Gusukuma and Kanagusuku
(Chinto), Matsumura and Oyadomari (Chinte), Yamasato
(Jiin) and Nakasato (Jitte), all of Tomari, who learned
the kata separately. The reason being that their teacher
was in a hurry to return to his home country."
(sic, Shoto, 1914).
It is believed by this author that the "Matsumura"
in the above excerpt is a misspelling of Kosaku Matsumora,
of Tomari. The fact that Kosaku Matsumora is said
to have taught Chinto to Chotoku Kyan, is evidence
that Matsumora may also have been taught this kata
as well (Kinjo, 1999).
Now, what exactly is Chinto? There is a form (kata)
called Chen Tou in Mandarin Chinese (Jpn. Chinto,
lit. Sinking the Head) in Wu Zho Quan (a.k.a. Ngo
Cho Kuen, Five Ancestors Fist), which was a style
popular in the Quanzhou and Shamen (Amoy) districts
of Fujian, or Fukien (Kinjo, 1999), the southern Chinese
province facing modern day Taiwan, a popular destination
and departure point for both trade and immigration
to an from Okinawa before the 20th century.
Chen Tou refers to sinking the body and protecting
the head. In the Okinawan Chinto kata, this is the
first technique, but in the Five Ancestors Fist (style
of kung fu) it is the last (Kinjo, 1999). However,
that being said, this author has never seen the Chen
Tou form to make a comparative analysis. It is, however,
worthy of further investigation.
There are three distinct "families" of
Chinto in modern Okinawan karate: (1) Matsumura/Itosu
lineage (performed front to back), (2) Kosaku Matsumora
lineage (performed side to side), and (3) the Chotoku
Kyan lineage (performed on a 45 degree angle). The
version practiced by Funakoshi is clearly from the
Matsumura/Itosu lineage.
Jitte (Jitte)
There
is very little in the way of written materials concerning
the last two kata on the list, namely Jitte and Jion.
The earliest reference we see to Jitte is in the 1914
article penned by Funakoshi (under his nom de plume
Shoto. He here demonstrates a move from this kata
in his 1935 book) in the January 17-19 editions of
the Ryukyu Shinpo newspaper, where it is mentioned
twice. In the section on the "kinds" of
karate (i.e. the kata), it is stated that Jitte is
a kata that clearly distinguishes the upper, middle
and lower levels of technique (Shoto, 1914).
As already seen in the Chinto section of this article,
Jitte is said to have been taught by a Chinese castaway
in the Tomari (the small seaport town nearest Shuri,
the capital of Okinawa) region. Chinto is said by
many to be related to Jion and Jiin kata (Iwai, 1992,
Sakagami, 1978). It is not known where Funakoshi may
have learned the kata, but Anko Itosu seems to be
the best bet. In fact, Sakagami(the karate historian)
states that although Itosu modified many kata to fit
his physical education tradition, he seems to have
left the Tomari kata of Jitte, Jion and Jiin pretty
much alone, thus hinting that Itosu did indeed teach
versions of these kata (Sakagami, 1978).
Although many of the applications of Jitte in the
modern Shotokan world seem to rely upon empty hand
defenses against a stave-wielding attacker, some believe
that Jitte may actually be descended from a bojutsu
kata (Iwai, 1992). Unfortunately, neither can be proved
with any satisfying certainty. It is also interesting
to note that in the book "Kenpo Gaisetsu,"
there is a unique interpretation of this kata called
Itokazu no Jitte (Miki et al, 1930).
Jion (Jion)
Again, Jion is said to have some connection with
Jitte and Jiin, but exactly what that connection is,
remains unclear and the object of intense curiosity
among karate researchers. First presented in Funakoshi's
1922 book "Ryukyu Kenpo Karate," another
version of this kata was also included in Nakasone
Genwa's 1938 book "Karatedo Taikan," where
it was performed by the legendary Chomo Hanashiro
(1869-1945), a student of Soken Matsumura and Anko
Itosu, who assisted Itosu in his teaching of karate
to young people in the Okinwan school system.
With lack of reliable written resources about the
origins of the kata, we are left with naught but speculation.
One researcher in Japan states that Jion seems to
have descended from a kata utilizing the Tekko, a
kind of Ryukyuan "knuckle duster." (Iwai,
1992)
Tekko
were similar to western 'Brass Knuckles." Most
often one was held in each hand. In their traditional
form (later models were often made of molded brass
or aluminum) Tekko had a grip (usually a round piece
of wood wound in rope) that was held in the palm of
each fist. A rounded studded metal piece then looped
from each end of the grip to cover the front of the
fist (looking like a hand guard seen on many European
swords). They could be quite formidable weapons.
But alas, there is also no reliable evidence that
these small, concealed weapons of Ryukyu Kobudo were
ever codified into formal kata before Shinken Taira
(a student Funakoshi and Mabuni in Japan, and Okinawan
weapons, or Kobudo under Moden Yabiki. He later formed
the Ryukyu Kobudo Hozon Shinkoku) came along. Another
more plausible possibility is that Shinken Taira may
have been inspired by the Jion kata that he learned
from Funakoshi to create a formal kata for the Tekko
(Nakamoto, 1983).
Jion seems to have been passed down to Funakoshi
from Itosu, but if it is indeed a kata passed down
in the Tomari area, then it is also possible that
Funakoshi picked it up during his time as a school
teacher in that district. Jion is also the second
standardized kata for JKF competitions from the Shotokan
lineage.
Reader Notes:
In Part
1 of this series, the classification,
i.e. dividing Shorin-ryu and Shorei-ryu by the body
types of the practitioners, can be traced, however,
as far back as 1914, when Funakoshi penned an article
on karate for the Ryukyu Shinpo newspaper, based on
the talks of his main teacher Asato Anko, and writing
under his pen name Shoto.
In Part
2 in the section on the Pinan kata,
In their early, formative years, these kata seem to
have been called Channan, but later the name Pinan
was adopted by Itosu, apparently upon hearing the
opinions of the young students (Kinjo, 1956a; Mabuni
et al, 1938; Murakami, 1991; Swift, 2000).
For an overview of the Pinan/Channan controversy,
see an article on this subject on FightingArts.com:
Channan:
The "Lost" Kata of Itosu?.
A note about Kanku Dai (the modern Shotokan version
of the Itosu Kushanku Dai kata) discussed in Part
2 of this series of articles. This kata is one of
two standardized Shotokan forms designated by the
Japan Karatedo Federation (JKF) for kata competitions.
In these articles reference to various Funakoshi
books are: (1922) refers to Ryukyu Kenpo Karate, (1925)
refers to Rentan Goshin Karatejutsu, and (1935) refers
to Karatedo Kyohan.
The JKF has designated two kata from each of the
"big four Japanese styles" for their kata
competitions. They are: Kanku Dai & Jion from
Shotokan, Seishan & Chinto from Wadoryu, Bassai
Dai & Seienchin from Shitoryu, and Saifa &
Seipai from Gojuryu.
Bibliography
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Karate: Teachers, Styles and Secret Techniques, 2nd
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Fujiwara, R. (1990).
Kakutogi no Rekishi. Tokyo: Baseball Magazine.
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Ryukyu Karatejutsu. Tokyo: Airyudo.
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no Kenkyu Part 2,î Gekkan Karatedo. 1:3, July-August
1956. Tokyo: Karate Jiho-sha.
Kinjo A. (1999) Karate
Den Shinroku. Naha: Okinawa Tosho Center.
Kinjo H. (1991b) Yomigaeru
Dento Karate: Kata I. Video Presentation. Tokyo: Quest
Ltd.
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Interview. Kinjo Residence, Hiratsuka, Japan, 30 June
2001.
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G. (1938) Kobo Kenpo Karatedo Nyumon. Tokyo: Keibunsha.
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2. Boston: C.E. Tuttle.
McCarthy, P. (2001)
Funakoshi Gichin & Karatedo Tanpenshu. Brisbane:
IRKRS.
McKenna, M. (2000) "Jion:
What You See is Not What you Get." Journal of
the Shotokan Research Society International 2:2. http://user.netomia.com/srsi/
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(1930) Kenpo Gaisetsu. Tokyo: Tokyo Daigaku Kenpo-bu.
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no Karate-jutsu. Tokyo: Toudi Fukyukai.
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Times Issue #18. This article also appeared on FightingArts.com.
About The Author:
Joe Swift, native of New York State (USA), has
lived in Japan since 1994. He works as a translator/interpreter,
and previously served as an assistant instructor
at the Mushinkan Okinawa Karate Kobudo Dojo in Kanazawa.
Swift now resides in Tokyo and will be opening a
a branch of the Mushinkan Dojo (Okinawa Shoreiryu)
in that city. A well know karate historian and researcher,
Swift has published articles in the Dragon Times
and other leading martial arts journals and on a
variety of martial arts sites around the world.
He is a Contributing Editor for FightingArts.com.
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