Cayuga Karate - May 19, 2012 - 1

I have been associated with this karate school at Cornell since near its inception in the 1970s. I earned my black belt here in 1980, and have been teaching the class for past 13 years.

Six years ago, I began to appreciate the surprising overlap between empty hand kata movements, and polearm movements, and this has led to a flourishing study of this concept which I document here on this blog. My students this semester helped me to further that study.

In the West, where firearms have been available for a very long time, we often overlook the role of the spear in the Chinese military as recent as 100 years ago. We only have to look at the swashbuckling pirate movies, from Errol Flynn to Johnny Depp to recognize that bladed weapons have played a significant role in naval combat quite recently as well.

It was only in late April that I fully recognized the value of kata as organized team fighting. I have appreciated for some time that so many kata movements are effective whether the enemy is in front or the rear. That is the nature of the blade traveling back and forth from one direction to another. But what I discovered only very recently is that kata can be used by teams to surround and an enemy and quickly dispose of the threat.

For our last four classes, I requested assistance from my students. They shifted their practice to spear movements only. My returning students were each taught the beginning of a different kata. My first semester students all practiced movements from Pinan Shodan where they worked in three groups, where each student would practice a specific sequence from our kata, and each student would use those movements in a different way. For example, some students would use the movements to advance towards an enemy. Some would use the same movements to retreat. And when attacking or retreating, each would use the movements from the kata to propel the spear in different patterns. Each of ten students had a unique role to play, with individual distinct movements to perform.

Prior to the last class, the students had practiced all facing the same direction. This is how kata has been practiced for hundreds of years. But on the final day of class, I sprung a surprise, one that I had just come to understand. In a eureka moment earlier that day, I realized that kata are superbly designed for team fighting, where the challenge is for each teammate to know what other teammates are doing at any point in time. The solution to this problem is surprising in its simplicity. If everyone does the same general movements, (allowing for some small variations), then everyone always knows what all their teammates are doing at any time.

In the beginner class, the three teams had only an hour to practice in this new paradigm, many against one. And they met this challenge with great success. Below is a description of what they all performed.

In the first section of the class video, (:10 to :30) Santiago, Eduardo, Philip and I perform the opening sequence of Pinan Shodan. Then Philip and Santiago execute a spinning movement to the rear, while Eduardo and I retreat before re-attacking back towards the opponent. Eduardo and I finish with a spin off the line of attack and a stabbing motion back towards the attacker.

In the second section (:50 to 1:05) Debra, Judith, Najla and Melody perform the second sequence (part of what Eduardo and I had just performed). Judith retreats while the others advance towards the opponent, each with a distinct attacking motion. At the end of the forward movements, three students spin back and forth for stabs. Debra, who had been retreating, spins forward to attack with broad horizontal sweeping motions.

In the third section, (1:30 to 1:40) Valerie, Alex, Young and I perform the final part of the kata. Alex and Young initially attack, while Valerie and I use the same movements to retreat. Alex and Young then spin off with stabbing motions, while Valerie and I turn to re-attack with angular up and down sweeping motions.

The remainder of the video clip shows the practice of some of these sequences as they are found in the empty hand kata.

In my later class of returning students, I gave each an opening of a kata that was practiced in Okinawan port city of Naha 130 years ago. In the video clip each student demonstrates with me how each movement can be used, at the same time, by two people, to attack and retreat from an enemy. (Amy - Seinchin, Marissa - Saifa, Jed - Kururunfa, Gabriella - the common opening found in Suparenpei, Shisochin, Seisan and Shisochin, Miriam - Seipei).

The clip ends with Jed, Jose, Gabriella and Marissa performing the initial forward sequence and turn in Pinan Shodan. In addition, Miriam performed the Ryukyu Kobudo version of Chatan Yara no Sai kata that she began learning only 10 weeks earlier.

I can’t emphasize enough the total lack of preparation these students had. For my returning students, prior to two weeks before filming, none had practiced these openings of the Naha kata, empty hand or with the spear. Amy’s Seinchin, Miriam’s Seipei and Jed’s Kururunfa were particularly challenging.

And the beginner students had only a short period to train in their own sequences as well.

And they all performed superbly.

There is an belief in the Native American Hopi tribe that since perfection is God’s work, each basket they weave must include an imperfection.

I gave my students remarkably short notice with which to train in these movements. It was a request to put aside their own training in self defense and help me document how these kata appear to be designed for military purpose, for team fighting.

As noted above, my students were not even informed that they would face each other, surrounding an imaginary enemy, until the day I filmed. But nevertheless, they performed admirably. There were small errors, but I claim them as my errors, since a bit more practice would have ensured near perfection, just as the Hopi weave their baskets.

I have just three more tasks to bring closure to my teaching career at Cornell, and I will update this post with video, as I complete them. First, Jose and Jed and I will demonstrate team-fighting for Chinto and Naihanchi. Second, I will post some of the empty hand applications my students and I practice in class that come from kata.

Finally, Gabriella and Marissa performed complex sequences from Passai for their black belt test.

-Mike Eschenbrenner

Kusanku in the historical record

Kusanku is a leading figure in the history of Okinawan karate. In 1762, a Japanese writer, recorded stories of his presence in Okinawa. In his 1934 essay, A Historical Outline of Karate-Do, Martial Arts Of Ryukyu Chojun Miyagi wrote:

“When we consider how karate was introduced to Ryukyu, we have various opinions without any historical evidence. We have not yet come to a correct conclusion on this matter. There are three main opinions, namely “Thirty-six Chinese Immigrants”, “Oshima Notes” and “Importation in Keicho Period”.

(2) Oshima Notes

In 1762, the merchant ship of the Ryukyu Kingdom was caught in a heavy storm on the way to Satsuma (= Kagoshima prefecture now), and cast ashore on the coast of Oshima, Tosa (= Kochi prefecture now). Shiohira Pechin, a high rank official of the ship, was an intelligent person. He was helped by Choki Tobe, an intellectual who lived in Oshima. Tobe wrote down Shiohira’s interesting stories about the Ryukyu Kingdom. His notes was called “Oshima Notes”. The 3rd volume of “Oshima Notes” says “Koshankun, a kungfu warrior, came from China to Ryukyu bringing his disciples with him.” According to the Notes, at that time people called the martial arts “Kumiaijutsu” instead of karate. This notes is [sic] the most reliable literature on karate.

Thanks to Sanzinsoo for the translation.

There is uncertainty about who trained with Kusanku. Some writers claim that Sakugawa did so. The Sakugawa Wikipedia entry states he lived from 1733 to 1815, which would have made him of age (in his 20s) when Kusanku was living in the Ryukyu kingdom.

However, other sources contradict these dates. Sakugawa is known to have taught Sokon Matsumura, who, by most accounts, was born in 1809. (See Bishop.)

Nagamine’s text, above, states that according to family lore, Sakugawa was born in 1782, 20 years after Kusanku had returned to China.

There are some sources on the web that state a Yara of Chatan trained with Kusanku, and that his kata survives today through Chotoku Kyan, who learned it from another, more modern Yara of Chatan.

Kusanku - A family of combative arts

A thorough analysis of the Kusanku kata sequences for use with the spear should begin with a set of kata from which to consider for evaluation. There are quite a few that have survived, and been preserved for posterity, on Youtube. The list below includes both older more common versions as well as some that may be of more recent vintage. Over the next several months, I will provide a number of comparisons that contrast empty hand sequences from these kata to those where a spear is held.

1. Kyan’s Kusanku (Zenryo Shimabukuro)
2. Kyan’s Kusanku (Nakazato)
3. Kyan’s Kusanku (Nagamine begins at 2:08)
4. Kyan’s Kusanku (Mabuni)
5. Soken’s Kusanku
6. Shukumine’s Kusanku
7. Akamine’s Kusanku
8. Chibana’s Kusanku
9. Higa’s Kusanku
10. Chitose’s Kusanku (begins at 2:08)
11. Chibana’s Kusanku Dai (Shorinkan)
12. Mabuni’s Kusanku Dai
13. Funakoshi’s Kusanku Dai
14. Chibana’s Kusanku Sho
15. Mabuni’s Kusanku Sho
16. Funakoshi’s Kusanku Sho
17. Mabuni’s Shihokosokun
18. Takemura’s Kusanku Sho
19. Takemura’s Kusanku Sho (Bugeikan)

Analysis of Kusanku as a maritime defense art using a short spear

I begin with an analysis of several movements from two two kata, Funakoshi’s version of Kusanku Dai and a version of Kyan’s Yara Kusanku (Begins at 2:00).

The following clips illustrate the concept of that many kata movements provide effective fighting combinations whether the enemy is to the front or to the rear. The sequence is shown from four directions. The movements are found at the end of the Funakoshi Dai version. In the first set of clips, the spear movements are shown with a synchronized set of movements from the empty hand kata from four angles.

Cayuga Karate - April 7, 2012 - 1
Cayuga Karate - April 4, 2012 - 1
Cayuga Karate - March 26, 2012 - 1

The next clip shows the same concepts, with a single video using the spear.
Cayuga Karate - April 2, 2012 -1

The remaining clips show similar concepts.

Cayuga Karate - March 21, 2012 - 2
Cayuga Karate - March 25, 2012 - 1
Cayuga Karate - June 5, 2011 - 1

Any short light stick can be a useful training tool. I routinely train with short bamboo sticks between 3 feet and 5 feet in length.

Combat Weapon Length

The length of the spear is driven by several requirements. Most important is that the weapon be very mobile. A sailor needs to be able to reorient the blade in different directions instantaneously. This kind of mobility is readily found in bladed weapons found in Western arsenals for hundreds of years. Cutlasses and sabers provide for just such mobility, so that a sailor, after killing an enemy can redirect his blade instantaneously to another direction and another enemy.

The second requirement is resiliency. The shaft of the spear needs to be thick enough, and elastic enough to not break on impact with an enemy blades. These two requirements are mutually exclusive. The thicker the shaft of the pole-arm, the less mobile it is, all things being equal.

The third requirement relates to the first. The weapon requires similar mobility to a cutlass or saber in fighting a single enemy. The sailor needs to be able to slash, and when required, swing the spear just like a baseball bat. This requires that the spear be held at one end.

The final requirement is, in essence, the sum of these three requirements. The spear must be as long as possible, but short enough such that the sailor can utilize the movements in kata to propel it. If the spear is too long, for example the length of a rokushaku bo, then it becomes too unwieldy to use empty-hand kata movements to propel it.

If the spear is too short, the sailor reduces a key advantage found in the spear, namely its reach. Longer spears allow one to strike an enemy further away, a critical requirement when pirates may be all around.

The average height of an Okinawan at the time the Chinese military authorities were teaching them kata, was perhaps 61 or 62 inches, maybe a bit more. The rokushaku bo was around 72 inches, too long for a sailor to wield holding it at the end. The ideal length of the weapon would be 58 to 60 inches. The stronger the sailor, the better he could maneuver a spear an inch or two longer.

Okinawan karate training, which included hojo undo and makiwara training, was ideally suited to develop the physical strength of the Okinawan sailors, and those that participated in tribute missions, such that they could have utilized the longest weapon feasible.

An ideal length for an Okinawan short spear would have been between 60 and 64 inches, well short of the 72 inch length of the rokushaku bo.

In addition, it is important that the beginner learn to accurately hit a target with the spear, and therefore the use of slow, continuous movements, is a valuable training mechanism. Especially in Naha kata, we find numerous examples of slow movements that can be used to propel the spear in a deliberate and accurate manner.

Once the beginner has reasonable familiarity with the movements, they can be practiced much more quickly. If one wants to simulate the way one moves in combat, one has to go as fast as one can. This high-speed movement should be an essential component of any training regimen.

In this light, one can view a kata as akin to a race, that includes an obstacle course, or Formula 1-like circuit. The goal is to figure out the fastest way through the course. The faster the kata can be done in practice, the faster the movements can be executed in combat.

Once a student has enough proficiency to propel the weapon at top speed, training should include the proper balance of slower practice, occasionally with tension, speedier practice with pauses to ensure accuracy, and full speed execution. The proper mix depends on the experience and age of the student, and the number of times the kata is practiced in a given session.

Practice in the these three methods collectively leads to the most rapid mastery of the kata.

Specific empty hand sequences, can typically be used to propel the spear in different patterns. Perhaps most useful is the flexibility that most sequences provide to address attackers in different directions, often enemies on opposite sides of the sailor.

These bidirectional capabilities inherent in many of the kata sequences allow the sailor to use them whether attacking, or retreating.

The steam engine eliminated a critical weakness in sailing vessels. The Chinese had long utilized incendiary projectiles to burn a ship’s sails. The steam engine allowed a ship to move without relying on the wind.

Advances in firearm design increasingly made the practice of spear combat increasingly obsolete. While the development of muzzle-loaded muskets were a significant advance over the arquebus, these weapons still required near 20 seconds to load, a time-delay that put the sailor at great risk between firings. These firearms may have been effective in killing pirates at a distance, before they boarded. But once pirates were able to successfully board vessels, especially in significant numbers, the reload time of muskets severely limited their effectiveness.

First, by thrusting the knee high, one can cover greater distance. A kicking type motion that uses high knee thrusts allows the sailor to cover the maximum amount of ground in a single stride.

Second, to step over an obstacle, one must raise one’s foot. Likewise, should there be a ramp or stair (common on ships) kicking motions simulate driving one’s weight up and over obstacles, as compared with sliding one’s foot along the ground as is the norm with most steps within kata.