This is the third post in the series covering Shito Ryu kata.
Given the large number of kata that the Shito Ryu style adopts from other karate styles, some Shito Ryu schools only choose a subset of the kata as a part of their curriculum.
Even so, Shito Ryu still has a very large number of kata to learn and quantity does not always equal quality.
It would take one many lifetimes to master all the kata included in the Shito Ryu curriculum and learning many kata superficially is of little practical use.
Even karate masters who dedicate their lifetime to the study of karate often only know a few kata really well.
Therefore, if you are learning Shito Ryu, it’s better to choose a few favorite kata and focus your time on those in order to really know the kata and be able to apply them in practice, rather than just learn how to perform a lot of kata.
However, having said the above, if your goal of learning karate is not self-defense or fighting competitions, feel free to learn as many kata as you like if that keeps you interested.
This post covers the following 19 kata:
- Chinte
- Chinto
- Niseishi
- Sochin
- Unshu
- Hakkaku
- Nipaipo
- Papuren
- Aoyagi
- Juroku
- Myojo
- Annan
- Annan Dai
- Annan Ko
- Heiku
- Wanshu
- Matsukaze
- Shinpa
- Shinsei
Chinte (珍手)
Chinte means “unusual hands”, “incredible hands” or “rare hands”.
Chinte is an old kata of Chinese origin and is said to have been brought to Okinawa by Master Anko Itosu.
Chinte contains a mixture of common and rarely-seen techniques; slow, flowing, and strong techniques; and linear and circular techniques.
Chinte is an advanced kata and its techniques are said to be more suitable for self-defense for female practitioners.
Chinte is practiced in Shotokan, Shito Ryu, and Shorin Ryu styles.
Chinto (鎮東)
Chinto means “battle east” or “fighter to the east” and the kata got its name from a Chinese sailor.
Legend has it that a Chinese sailor named Chinto crashed his ship on the Okinawan coast and had to resort to stealing from the locals to survive.
When Sokon Matsumura was sent to fight off Chinto, he found that Chito had incredible fighting skills and Soko Matsumura sought to learn from him.
Chinto is an advanced kata practiced in Shito Ryu, Wado Ryu, Shorin Ryu Shotokan and a few other styles.
The Shotokan version of the kata has a number of differences compared to the Shito Ryu version. Its name was also changed to Gankaku, meaning “crane standing upon a rock” by Gichin Funakoshi.
Chinto is an advanced and dynamic kata with a variety of grappling and throwing techniques and variations in rhythms.
Many stances are used in the kata, including the unusual crane stance.
Niseishi (ニーセイシ)
Niseishi means “twenty-four” which refers to the 24 steps of the kata.
Niseishi is said to have been brought from China to Okinawa by Seisho Aragaki (1840–1918), an influential Okinawan karate master.
Some say the kata has a Chinese Dragon style origin due to its embusen which features different angles, a mixture of both linear and circular techniques, wave-like rhythm, and diverse speeds.
Niseishi is practiced in many karate styles including Shotokan, Shito Ryu, Shuri Ryu and Wado Ryu.
Niseishi was renamed Nijushiho by Gichin Funakoshi when he adopted the kata for Shotokan.
Like other kata, there are some variations between Niseishi practiced in Shito Ryu and Nijushiho practiced in Shotokan.
Sochin (壯鎭)
Sochin means “tranquil force”.
Sochin practiced in Shito Ryu was taught by Arakaki Seisho to Kenwa Mabuni, the Shito Ryu founder.
The Sochin version practiced in Shotokan looks very different from the Shito Ryu version and it is not clear as to who had created it.
Sochin has a dynamic rhythm and includes series of explosive and strong techniques combined with slow movements. Neko ashi dachi is the dominant stance in this kata.
Unshu (雲手)
Unshu or Unsu means “cloud hands”.
Some sources attribute Unshu to Arakaki Seisho sensei who was a master of Monk Fist and White Crane martial arts.
Unshu contains advanced techniques from other kata like Bassai, Kosokun, Jion, Wanshu, Jitte, Chinto and Niseishi and it is recommended to master these kata before learning Unshu.
Unshu is considered an advanced kata and is usually taught to 3rd or 4th dan levels in both Shotokan and Shito Ryu.
Unshu is a popular choice by elite karatekas to perform at tournaments because it contains many advanced and challenging techniques that allow these athletes to showcase their technical ability.
Hakkaku
Hakkaku means “revelation”.
Hakkaku was introduced to Okinawa by Go Kenki, also known as Wu Xiangui (1886-1940) who was a tea merchant but also a master of White Crane martial arts.
Go Kenki trained with or taught White Crane to many influential karate masters such as Chojun Miyagi, Juhatsu Kyoda, Chōmo Hanashiro, Kentsū Yabu, Matayoshi Shinko, Choki Motobu, and Kenwa Mabuni.
Many later went on and founded their own karate styles and the impact of White Crane techniques and forms on these styles can be clearly seen today.
Hakkaku kata is said to have been derived from the movements of a white crane.
The kata begins with slow, calm and fluid techniques resembling a crane walking through the water, looking for food.
Towards the end, it increases in speed and distance and becomes a bit more ferocious, resembling a fighting crane.
Nipaipo (二 十 八 歩)
Nipaipo means “twenty eight steps”.
Nipaipo is said to have been created by Kenwa Mabui based on the “Nepai” form taught by Go Kenki, a master of White Crane kung fu.
Nipaipo is a very advanced kata. It is one of the most difficult kata to learn and can take many years of practice to master.
The kata contains many advanced techniques, fast combinations, and complex footwork.
Papuren (八 步 連)
Papuren, also known as Happoren, means “eight continuous steps”. This might refer to the number of steps in the original version, however, the current version has 64 moves.
Papuren is another advanced kata in the Shito Ryu curriculum that has White Crane origin and was introduced to Okinawa by master Go Genki.
Many versions of Papuren have been developed over time and are still being practiced today.
As you can see in the demonstrations below, there are many differences between these demonstrations in terms of technique, speed, and rhythm.
Some suggest that Papuren has a mix of tension and relaxation and contains many slow techniques with coordinated breathing.
A mindfulness slow-motion practice of Papuren like a moving meditation is said to help with the flow of qi in the body and can even help one feel the qi flow to the fingertips.
However, as can be seen in the tournament version of Papuren below, it’s performed more like a typical Shotokan kata with fast, strong, and explosive movements throughout.
Aoyagi
Aoyagi (also sometimes called Seiryu or Aoyanagi) means “green willow”.
Aoyagi was created by Kenwa Mabuni (the founder of Shito Ryu) and Konishi Yasuhiro (founder of Shindō Jinn-ryū) with assistance from Ueshiba Morihei (the creator of Aikido).
As a result, Aoyagi contains elements of jujitsu and aikido and is more suited for female self-defense.
The name “green willow” refers to the principles of being flexible and going with the force and using it to one’s advantage rather than using force to deal with force.
Juroku (十六)
Juroku means “sixteen”. Some say the name refers to “16 steps” or “16 positions”. Others say the name refers to the year of Showa 16 when the kata was created.
Juroku was created in 1941 by Kenwa Mabuni and reflects the five principles of receiving attacks in the Shito Ryu system (“Uke no Go Gensoku”).
Juroku is an intermediate to advanced level kata.
Myojo (明 浄)
Myojo means “morning star”.
Myojo was created by Kenwa Mabuni who named the kata after a Japanese High School where he taught students self-defense.
Myojo contains self-defense techniques that Kenwa Mabuni taught to those high school students.
Myojo was a private kata and Kenwa Mabuni did not teach or demonstrate it to the general public. However, it was later on taught to some shihans by Kenzo Mabuni.
Myojo contains many basic techniques and is a beginner to intermediate level kata.
Annan (安南)
Annan is the old name for Vietnam.
There are several theories as to the origin of Annan.
One is that the kata was brought to Okinawa by Norisato Nakaima who learned it from Master Ryu Ryu Ko in Fujian.
Another theory is that the kata was introduced by a Chinese monk who came from Vietnam and the kata got the name Annan because it was what Vietnam was called at the time.
Whatever its origin, the kata was preserved within the Nakaima family of the Ryueiryu style for a long time before it was taught to the general public in the early 1970s.
Annan contains palm-heel strikes, evasive footwork, crane fist techniques, and grappling techniques.
Annan is an advanced kata that is widely performed at competitions.
Annan Dai
Annan means “Vietnam” and Dai means “large”.
Like the Annan kata, the origin of Annan Dai is not clear.
There is a theory that Annan Dai was created from Annan solely for competition purposes by Sakumoto Tsuguo sensei who is a multiple-time world champion and a kata coach for the Japanese National Team in kata.
Annan Ko (安南光)
Annan Ko (also called Ananko and Annanko) means “southern light” or “southern peace”.
Annan Ko was created by Chotoku Kyan (1870 – 1945), an Okinawan karate master who was student of Matsumura Sōkon, Kosaku Matsumora and Kokan Oyadomari.
Chotoku Kyan had some significant influence on the formation of Shorin Ryu style later on.
There is a theory that Chotoku Kyan either created the kata himself or learned it from his father and modified it later to suit his body type.
Another theory is that Chotoku Kyan learned the kata during a trip to Taiwan, South of China and hence the kata was named “Southern Light” or “Southern Peace”.
Annanko is an advanced kata and is a requirement for the second dan grading at some Shito Ryu schools.
Heiku
Heiku (also known as Heihu and Eiku) means “white tiger”.
Heiku is another kata from the Nakaima family. Master Norisato Nakaima originally learned the kata from Master Ryu Ryu Ko in Fujian, China.
Heiku is a powerful and dynamic kata that requires a good level of balance and coordination.
Heiku contains strong and sharp techniques, supple and complex techniques as well as many grabbing and throwing techniques.
Heiku is one of the high-level kata like Annan or Unshu.
Wanshu (晩愁)
Wanshu means “flying swallow”.
Wanshu was named after a Chinese military attaché who visited Okinawa in 1683.
Wanshu is one of the oldest Okinawan kata.
Wanshu was developed by Anko Itosu from a kata that he learned from Sokon Matsumura.
There are two versions of Wanshu. “Wanshu” or “Itosu no Wanshu” is the version taught by Anko Itosu. “Tomari no Wanshu” is the original version.
In Shotokan, Gichin Funakoshi renamed the kata Empi and also made some modifications to it.
The kata has a number of throwing techniques, quick changes of direction, and rising motions mimicking the movements of a swallow.
Matsukaze (松風)
Matsukaze means “wind in the pines”.
Matsukaze is attributed to Anko Itosu and Kosaku Matsumora.
The kata’s original name was Wankan but was renamed Matsukaze by Kenwa Mabuni.
Matsukaze is an intermediate-level kata.
Shinpa (シンパー)
Shinpa means “new rupture” or “new break”.
Shinpa was created by Kenwa Mabuni in 1925 after he met Master Uechi Kanbun (the founder of Uechi Ryu) during a trip to Japan.
Kenwa Mabuni was especially interested in the kata Suparinpei that he practiced with Uechi Kanbun during this trip.
Inspired by this kata, Kenwa Mabuni created a kata and named it “Shinpa” which was the short name for Suparienpei used by Uechi Kanbun.
Shinpa contains self-defense techniques that Kenwa Mabui learned from Uechi Kanbun.
Shinsei (新生)
Shinsei means “new life” or “new birth”.
Shinsei was created by Kenwa Mabuni together with his friend, Master Chojun Miyagi, the founder of Goju Ryu.
Both Kenwa Mabuni and Chojun Miyagi realized that “beginner” kata like Sanchin and Saifa was too difficult for new students and a simpler form was needed.
As a result, Kenwa Mabuni created Shinsei and Chojun Miyagi created Gekisai Dai Ichi and Gekisai Dai Ni.
Shinsei contains many techniques similar to those in two kata, Gekisai Dai Ichi and Gekisai Dai Ni practiced in Goju Ryu.
Shinsei, Geisai Dai Ichi and Gekisai Dai Ni are all beginner level kata.
Please check out other posts in the Shito Ryu kata series below:
A Complete List of Shito Ryu Kata with Videos (P. 1)
A Complete List of Shito Ryu Kata with Videos (P. 2)
A Complete List of Shito Ryu Kata with Videos (P. 3)
A Complete List of Shito Ryu Kata with Videos (P. 4)
Other posts you may be interested in:
Choki Motobu’s Wisdom in “My Art and Skill of Karate”
How to Systematically Improve Your Karate Sparring
What Is the Philosophy of Karate? – Karate Philosophy
The Intended Meaning of Karate Ni Sente Nashi
Karate – Its Ancient Origin and Evolving History
How to Do Seiza Properly in Karate?
A Comprehensive Guide to Karate Etiquette
References
International Shito Ryu Federation
Some Thoughts On Gokenki and the Transmission of His Crane on Okinawa