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In isshinkaiKarate@yahoogroups.com, "Ian Johnston" <qayak@y...>
wrote:
> Sensei,
>
> An interesting question came up on another list.
The question is:
> why did Shimabuku chose Kusanku as the basis for a
sai kata?
>
> Did he ever mention anything to you about it?
>
> Ian
Ian, good question. Your question "why did Shimabuku
chose Kusanku as the basis for a sai kata?". According
to Maekawa (Major Mike), who started in 1951 with Shimabuku
Sensei, stated that Kyan no Sai was already taught when
he started with Shimabuku. When I started on December
1, 1958, Shimabuku was teaching Kusanku sai kata with
kicks. Later when I returned to Okinawa on January 2,
1961 as a civilian, Shimabuku took the kicks out of
Kusanku Sai. I asked him why he took the kicks out and
he stated that before he had incorporated sai into a
Karate kata so kicks were used. Later he said he was
now emphasizing kobudo so the reason he took the kicks
out because it was now kobudo.
This process is not new with Okinawan instructors. Tokumura
Kensho Sensei is known for his karate but in the past
few years has been creating kobudo kata. Tokushin No
Tekko and Tokushin No Eku. Iha Kotaro Sensei a kobudo
instructor is starting to teach more karate and as stated
before created a short stick kata after seeing my escrima
videos.
Maekawa Sensei also told me that you could use kobudo
weapons in any kata and started to show the first part
of Kyan No Sai stating Seiunchin kata.
Kusanku in my opinion is just as good as any kata to
use because of its unique characteristics. It is one
of the reasons and knowing what
Maekawa told me and because Shimabuku did it with sai
that I created my own Kusanku kama and Kusanku sai.
And as all who have seen these kata know, I also took
liberties at the end adding traditional kama or nunchaku
techniques.
Kusanku sai has some of the following techniques:
Used for either day or night.
Double outward blocks from a double hold
Upper and lower simultaneous blocks blocks (Kusanku
dachi)
Middle extended block or strike (Kihon)
middle block middle punch (Kihon)
Overhand upper strike (Basic kihon taught in all kobudo)
Kamae or middle extended blocks (as a block taught in
all kobudo)
Middle thrust (Kihon)
Upper cross strikes or block (Kihon)
Kneeling stance side block
Middle rising thrust unique to Isshin-ryu
Kneeling back sai strike
Crossover upper strike (Chinto dachi)
Double lower level block evasive (hook stance) found
in other sai kata and Wansu)
Middle outward block (Basic kihon block taught in all
branches of kobudo)
Cross step middle punch (Found in other kata
Down extended block
Double punch in Seiunchin stance
Lower extended block in Seiunchin stance
Middle level cross strikes in Seiunchin stance upper
cross block (Kihon)
Sai throw most probably a modern concept
Double middle punches
Upper and lower simultaneous blocks in Seisan stance
(Found in Chatan
Yara No Sai only in a Seiunchin stance)
Over head block and cross and back strikes
Double inward punch in Seiunchin stance (Also Found
in Kyan No Sai and
Chatan Yara no Sai)
Almost every technique in Kusanku sai can be found in
different styles and branches of kobudo. Other kobudo
kata have kneeling and ducking techniques but so far
I have never seen the low ground stance we use for silhouette
someone.
When I first started kobudo with Iha Kotaro Sensei after
Shimabuku Tatsuo Sensei died in 1975, he asked if I
knew any kobudo. When I replied yes, he asked me to
perform some kobudo for him. I did Tokumine No Kun,
Hamahiga No Tuifa, Kusanku Sai and a Nunchaku basic
form. He jumped on me about my bo and nunchaku and never
said anything about my sai or tuifa. First you have
to know Iha Sensei to understand what I just said. You
never do it right for him. Never! While
I studied with him since 1975, I feel that our sai and
tuifa techniques are equal and to tell the truth better
as I was taught by Shimabuku Sensei. The moving and
placing of the thumb behind the blade shaft was taught
to me by Shimabuku Sensei and the use of blocking allowing
the opponents weapon to slide into the guard was taught
by Shimabuku Sensei. Iha Sensei does not teach this
and one thing I never liked was locking two sai together
to block a bo. While this technique is strong, it always
reminds me of two stag being locked together and then
starve to death because they could not break free after
locking horns. If it happened when I locked my sai together
I would end up like the two dead stag.
Another thing about Kusanku sai is its use in low or
limited light. While fighting in these situations
was taught in other martial art in both Japan and China,
Shimabuku Sensei was first on Okinawa to incorporate
and adapt a kata for this purpose. So Kusanku Sai created
by Shimabuku Sensei was first created so he could have
more kobudo besides Kyan No Sai and Tokumine No Kun.
While Shimabuku Sensei never took Kyan No Sai out of
his teachings as he had done with Seiunchin, Naihanchi
and Wansu, many just forgot it. Plain and simple. But
the good thing is that Shimabuku added parts of Kyan
No Sai to the end of Kusanku Sai. So even if you never
learned Kyan No Sai, if you practice Kusanku Sai, you
are doing several movement of Kyan No sai.
Again about your question "why did Shimabuku chose Kusanku
as the basis for a sai kata" he didn't. Kyan No Sai
was. It was the entry level basic sai and Kusanku Sai
became the advanced level. After he learned Chatan Yara
No Sai it became our middle level kata and is taught
in most of the different kobudo styles or branches.
A kata that can teach specific techniques used for night
fighting is a plus. While most of the kobudo weapons
are ancient weapons and may never again be used in combat,
let me remind you that the San Diego police use a modified
Nunchaku and many police departments use the PR 24 or
modified Tuifa. Another note, the ASP or collapsible
club came from the Jutte or a variant of the sai.
Understand karate and weapons go together. The weapon
dictates the stance and posture. When doing bo kata
we in Isshin-ryu, Uechi-ryu, and Goju-ryu or any style
that uses a higher stance as their primary stance have
to modify these stance to use the weapon. We have to
use a diagonal seisan when using a bo or eku.
When it comes to sai, tuifa, tekko or other weapons
that are held in each hand, then our Seisan stance is
great and basic karate techniques are very similar to
the use of these weapons. Remember that in the case
of short range weapons used in each hand, you are using
basic karate techniques but using the weapon to block
or strike with.
Westerner's are often confused as to oriental postures
or kamae. For example a Samurai armed with a katana
in many case faces you fully and in stance very similar
to our seisan stance.
See >
http://www.boston-kendo.org/guide.htm
<. Look at the kamae and stance. Now in western
type fencing with a foil or epee is quite
different.
See >
http://www.saxonfc.fsnet.co.uk/history.htm <
Now the Samurai is using a two handed sword and needs
both to use. His weapon is use for both cutting and
thrusting so he is forced to face head on to properly
use his weapon to his advantage. Now the fencer using
foil or epee has a weapon primarily for thrusting. His
stance and posture is primarily for thrusting and moving
in and out or forward or back plus his posture makes
for a smaller target and when he attacks, extends
reach.
Now while Samurai and western fencers for the first
time meet, for sure both will think the other isn't
standing in a correct fighting guard. Wrong!
I have heard so many say that we in Isshin-ryu don't
know our kobudo. I think because we stand we stand in
seisan stance which is different then their lower zenkutsu
stance. Kobudo is as old as Shorin-ryu and naturally
the stances and postures will look more like Shorin-ryu.
While Iha Sensei kept correcting my bo and put me into
his zenkutsu dachi, when I do Isshin-ryu bo kata I revert
to a half facing seisan stance. As to my Kusanku sai
kata I perform for him, he never said a word.