Well it started out as Sanchin

 Of my original introduction to Karate through Shorin Ryu never included Sanchin, but through my interest in the history of Karate, I always had a hankering to have a look at that kata and Tensho.  I learnt Naihanchi as the fundamental kata of my style, but there were three kata named as fundamental to Karate in the first official meeting of Masters in 1936: A nerd blog, the birth of Karate

First came Tensho; when I asked for a Mentor to show me how to use Karate as a form of breathing exercise, Noah Legel offered to help using that kata.  I didn't learn the sharp breathing normally used with Tensho, and indeed Sanchin, rather slow, deep in through the nose, out from the mouth breathing to accompany the "draw in" and "push out" elements of the hand movements.  This was to help me cope with COPD, and I still use in any kata I have picked up since based on the Goju style. Tensho and Breathing Kata

Then Covid hit, I had been lucky to chat with PJ Broomy before that, due to us both having heart issues.  Covid gave us the chance to train together through some formal online lesson, and then develop on a more personal basis.  PJ kindly agreed to show me his style of Sanchin (Bukai, not strictly Goju), which I happily took on board.  My latest video of this kata is shown below.

Bu Kai Sanchin

Post Covid, I still have strong fears of going into crowded places due to my co-morbidities, COPD and hereditary heart problems.   As a result, I decided to ask Russ Smith if I could study some of his Five Ancestors lessons (very much a precursor to Karate).   Some of the basic moves there suggested something similar to Sanchin but different. (The double outward block. followed by a strike particularly).  So I used the Sanchin embusen to practice these.

5 Ancestors basics on the Sanchin Embusen

I suppose the next development was inevitable, in practising, I merged the two together. Sanchin embusen, final arm positions and punches, with 5 ancestors turns and arm crossings (traps rather than blocks, which resulted in the below hybrid version.

5 Ancestors basics / Sanchin Hybrid

Probably of no practical value other than to keep me practising, but isn't that the same goal for us all? Whether it be for competition, body mechanics, self discipline or health, we all have to have our motivation. Health is mine.

Thank you for reading, and thank you for Ben and Alison (my first Sensei), Noah, PJ and Russel for getting me this far.

REY 09/06/2024

The understanding of a form and (some of) its uses....

I have a penchant for trying to learn kata and forms both for mental stimulation.  I started to try to work out Ho Chien Wat out of curiosity, as I thought it was a beautiful form with definite elements of sharp contrast.   In doing so, I found that I was learning something that was both potentially good for breathing and, for me, good for exercise if performed as close as I can in the manner I originally viewed.

 

Where I am with the latter version of the form now is shown below.

Ho Chien Wat to the Best of my Ability

What I did find in the early stages though, was that although I studied the form many times and wrote down as much details as I could from what I had viewed (Anatomy of a Form: Ho Chien Wat), translating that into a decent approximation of the form.  Then I got a chat from my friend PJ Broomy about doing one of our occasional chats/training sessions.  I had an idea that trying to explain it to someone else from a similar background would help me work things out, so I asked PJ if I could show him what I was up to. 

 

The below videos were made after the video session and can be contrasted with those of the earlier blog.   As to how it worked, I broke the form down into the three elements: Salutation, Mid-Section (repetition) and Final Sequence. Then I showed PJ the movements to each part slowly.  The mid-section, was not as long as it looks here, as I just did the RHS then LHS progression once.   

Ho Chien Wat salutation

Ho Chien Wat middle section

Ho Chien Wat final sequence

Showing and trying to explain what I was doing I found helped my own understanding of the movements involved, and feedback received, helped me to do some fine tuning.   I spent four or five days taking on board the better understood version, and finally felt comfortable in using the form in the same manner I use Tensho, for slow, deep breathing connected to the movements.

 

Ho Chien Wat slow

Given that I sometimes don't have a lot of room to practice in, I had also worked out a static version of Tensho, for specifically just relaxation and clearing the mind.  I have now developed a version incorporating Ho Chien Wat with a part of Tensho.  As this requires more focus to perform than Tensho on its own, I find that this is even better for clearing the mind.  the exercise itself is shown below.

Static Slow Breathing exercise

With more confidence, I found I wanted to use Ho Chien wat more often as exercise, and with that came the quicker articulation of the form as shown in the first video.  I make no claim to understand the form as a tool for fighting, that I acknowledge would take years of work.  However, as a tool for deep breathing, mindfulness and exercise, I believe that there are clear benefits to the form, for me at least.

Hope you enjoyed reading.

Thank you to Russ Smith and PJ Broomy for their support and input.

REY 31/01/2024

Muutudii and Sanchin - by and shared with permission of Motobu Naoki

 

(Translated to French by Jean-Charles Juster, to English from French by Robert Young, Shared with Permission of Motobu Naoki)

https://medium.com/@motobu715/muutudii-et-sanchin-c2c61cd07040

 

The Motobu Udun dii has basic forms called Muutu dii. There are two kinds, called ichi (one) and ni (two). The first is done with clenched fists, the second with open hands. The images below show Muutudii ni performed with open hands. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7A5k4emukhA

It resembles the Sanchin of the Gōjū school, but according to Master Uehara Sekichi, it is very different from the kata of the Gōjū-ryū. In fact, in this school one performs this kata with clenched fists, and, in this case, one performs Muutudii with open hands. In addition, Sanchin is accompanied by a particular breath called ibuki (forced breathing), whereas in Muutudii is natural. In addition, in the Gōjū, the toes are oriented inwards, according to an "internal hachimonji position: uchi hachimonji", but in Muutudi, they are roughly parallel. And also, the general posture or the way to lock the knees is also different. 

Master Uehara learned it from Master Motobu Chôyû, but as in other schools there is no Muutidi, I initially thought in the past that it was a creation of Master Chôyû. However, several decades ago, I heard disciples of Master Uehara from the 1950s say, “Back then, we called him Sanchin!” ", I then came to think that perhaps Muutudi is Sanchin". In this case, this would mean that originally, the Sanchin of the Gôjû school was done in a form close to an execution with open hands and with natural breathing.

The current Muutudii is carried out according to the model: move forward three steps and turn around, move forward again by three steps and turn around, and once again move forward three steps. I learned from disciplines of the time that this form was established around the time of the first Motobu-ryû Sashiki Demonstration which took place in Sashiki (now Nanjô) in 1974. Until then, it seems that the The execution model consisted of starting from one wall and moving towards the opposite wall, and when you reached it, you turned around and moved forward again. In other words, it was not a kata with a fixed form.

According to Higa Kiyohiko who had learned with master Uehara in the years 1950–1960, there was this format, but also a fixed form and his father (Higa Seitoku) had learned it. So would this mean that from the beginning, there was indeed a fixed form for Muutudii? As Master Uehara taught different movements to different disciples, this is a plausible version. Otherwise, there is also a Sanchin transmitted by Matsumura Sôkon, called “Shô Sanchin” [“Shô” being the other reading of the pine character “matsu” which happens to be the first sign of Matsumura’s name].

So, was there a Sanchin in the shurite?, many intrigued people will ask.

In fact, in addition to Master Uehara, the current sôke, Motobu Chôsei, heard from Mr. Miyagi Chôjô, a person originally from Okinawa who lived in his neighborhood, a testimony according to which Master Chôyû taught Sanchin.

  (Photograph: from left to right: the family of Motobu Chôsei, Uehara Seikichi, and jumping a person Miyagi Chôjô: Osaka, 1976)

It seems that Mr. Miyagi learned a little karate from Master Chôyû for a short time. And according to him, the latter then taught Sanchin. Furthermore, this same Mr. Miyagi told the legatee of our school the following thing. “Among Master Chôyû’s disciples, there was a truly gifted young man who was extraordinarily powerful. When he made Sanchin, the grass that passed under his feet was torn out.”

This is how there was indeed a Sanchin in the shurite. However, why did this kata suddenly disappear? This is another mystery in the history of karate.