This article is
a revised version of the one found in "Insights into Martial
Arts" Issue #5 (May-June 2000)
Shimabuku
Tatsuo (1908-1975) was the founder of Okinawa Isshinryu Karatedo.
He studied martial arts under his uncle Ganeku, Kyan Chotoku
(1870-1945), Motobu Choki (1871-1944), Miyagi Chojun (1888-1953),
and Taira Shinken (1890-1970), among other possible influences.
His Okinawan students include, among others, his sons Kichiro
and Shinsho, Kaneshi Eiko, Shikema Genyu, his son-in-law Uezu
Angi, and Tokumura Kensho. Shimabuku's kobudo was mainly influenced
by his primary teacher Kyan Chotoku as well as the famous kobudo
teacher Taira Shinken. From these two teachers he learned the
arts of bojutsu (wooden cudgel 180 cm long), saijutsu (3-pronged
iron truncheon), and tuifajutsu (wooden, L-shaped weapon consisting
of a shaft and a handle set at 90 degrees)
Isshinryu Kobudo Kata
Tokumine no Kon
This kata was passed down from Kyan to Shimabuku. Kyan is said
to have learned the kata from a direct student of Tokumine Peichin.
According to the story, Tokumine Peichin was said to have been
a teacher of Motobu Choki. Tokumine loved to drink liquor, and
one day got into a drunken brawl in which he injured 20 to 30
constables to the point where they could not even stand up.
For this he was exiled to Yaeyama Island. Kyan, wishing to learn
the cudgel tradition of Tokumine, traveled to Yaeyama to seek
out his instruction. Upon arriving, Kyan learned that Tokumine
had already passed away, but had taught his kata to the old
man who acted as the landlord of the place where Tokumine had
lived. It was from the landlord that Kyan had actually learned
this form. (Jahana, 1978)
Uezu Angi stated
that Shimabuku studied this kata from Kyan, but later relearned
it from Taira (Uezu, 1997). This author, however, has found
no evidence to date that Taira ever taught or even knew this
kata. It is one possibility that Shimabuku studied Tokumine
no Kon under Kyan, but later when re-modifying the kata to fit
his vision of kobudo, may have been influenced by Taira's method
of utilizing the bo.
Urashi Bo
This kata came directly from Taira, and was modified by either
Shimabuku or Taira. This kata is called Urasoe no Kon in Taira's
syllabus, and can be found in Inoue's series. Urasoe is the
standard Japanese pronunciation of the name whereas Urashi is
the old Okinawan pronunciation. According to Nakamoto (1983)
Taira supposedly learned this kata from Mabuni Kenwa (1889-1952),
founder of Shitoryu, which went on to become one of the "big
four" styles of modern Japanese karatedo. Mabuni gained most
of his influence from the likes of Itosu Anko (1831-1916), Higaonna
Kanryo (1852-1915), Aragaki Seisho (1840-1920), etc.
By sheer coincidence,
Mabuni's karate, like that of Shimabuku, is a unique blend of
the various kata traditions that were formerly practiced in
and around the three main "karate areas" i.e. the Shuri, Tomari,
and Naha districts.
Shishi no Kon no Dai
This kata was quite difficult to trace the origins of. The kanji
(Sino-Japanese ideogram) for this kata in Isshinryu are usually
written in a manner that is very similar to the name for a separate
bojutsu tradition called Shushi no Kon. However, upon witnessing
these two kata being performed, one can immediately see that
they are two different kata.
In Matayoshi
Kobudo there appears a kata named Shishi no Kon. However, the
form is quite different from Isshinryu's Shishi no Kon, and
the kanji for the Matayoshi kata are the same as the kata that
in the Taira lineage this is pronounced Soeishi no Kon (Matayoshi,
1996).
Observing this,
this author immediately looked up the kata Soeishi no Kon in
Inoue's series. The similarities are striking. Upon further
investigation, it was found that Shishi is the Okinawan pronunciation
of the kanji. Based upon these observations, this author concluded
that the Shishi no Kon no Dai of Shimabuku Tatsuo is based upon
the Soeishi no Kon Dai of Taira. As with Chatan Yara no Sai,
Taira learned this kata from Kamiya Jinsei. As with the other
Taira-based kata within the Isshinryu Kobudo curriculum, it
is unclear whether Shimabuku or Taira made these changes, or
if it was a collaborative effort.
This
kata is named after the Soeishi family, who, according to Miyagi
(1987) were the instructors to the King. The kata itself, again
according to Miyagi (1987) uses the bo in a horizontal manner,
different from other cudgel traditions. According to Nakamoto
(1983), this kata, along with the previously mentioned Shushi
no Kon, as well as Choun no Kon, are said to have been developed
by a certain Soeishi Sensei, who was a high ranking lord in
Shuri.
Table One: Shishi no Kon
Kusanku Sai
This kata was created by Shimabuku himself, based upon the Kusanku
kata he had learned from Kyan. The following information was
gleaned from a personal communication from A. J. Advincula (1998),
who studied with Shimabuku in Okinawa. Before studying with
Taira Shinken in the late 1950s and early 1960s, Shimabuku only
knew the cudgel tradition of Tokumine that he had learned under
Kyan, as well as a sai kata called Kyan no Sai. It is unknown
whether this sai kata was created by Kyan or created by Shimabuku
from techniques that he learned under Kyan.
Kusanku was,
along with Chinto and Passai, Kyan's specialty, and this may
have influenced Shimabuku's decision to create a sai kata from
this form. According to Advincula (1998), Shimabuku originally
included kicks in the kata, but later removed them. Upon being
asked why, Shimabuku stated that when he first created Kusanku
Sai, he knew little about kobudo, but after gaining more experience
apparently removed the kicks.
Chatan Yara no Sai
This kata was also passed down by Taira, who is said to have
learned it from Kamiya Jinsei. It was either created by a master
called Chatan Yara or based upon his teachings. Yara was, according
to Nakamoto (1983), a karateka who lived before Bushi Matsumura
(1809-1901), and studied under Kusanku who came from China in
1762. He also states that Yara, who held the title Peichin,
lived during the time of King Sho Boku who reigned from 1752-1795,
and held a stipend of land in Chatan, where he carried out the
last years of his life. This kata can also be found in Inoue's
series.
Hama Higa no Tuifa
This was another kata taught to Shimabuku by Taira. In the now-famous
1966 film taken of Shimabuku during his second and last visit
to the United States, this kata is often denoted as Chie-fa
in English. However, this is nothing more than a misspelling
of a misspelling.
It is said
that Shimabuku always referred to the weapon as tuifa. On the
1966 film, the katakana syllabary for this kata reads Tsuifa,
an innocent misspelling, apparently made my the Japanese translator,
which was then misspelled again as Chie-fa in English.
According to
Perkins (1998) Tokumura Kensho, a direct student of Shimabuku,
stated in an interview that Shimabuku never taught the kata
on the film in Okinawa. There is speculation that this kata
is what bits and pieces Shimabuku remembered from the longer,
older Hama Higa no Tuifa as taught by Taira.
This longer, older version can be found in Inoue's series as
well as in Taira's own book. On the film, one can clearly see
him fumbling for movements and techniques. However, there are
still Isshinryu groups in the United States and elsewhere who
still refer to this kata as Chie-fa no Tonfa, apparently because
that's what it says on the film.
The following
account of Hama Higa Peichin is a summary of an essay written
by Taira Shinken, and can be found in the 1998 republication
of his 1964 Ryukyu Kobudo Taikan (pages 183-184). Hama Higa
accompanied King Sho Shin and Prince Nago Chogen on their trip
to Edo, where he played a game of go with the famous Japanese
master Hon'inbo Dosaku on 17 April, 1682. It is also said that
with the permission of Shimazu Hidehisa of Satsuma, Hama Higa
also performed Toudi (Karate) and Saijutsu in front of the 4th
Shogun Tokugawa Tsunayoshi. This sai kata later became known
as Hama Higa no Sai, and is still practiced in Okinawa kobudo
today. (Taira, 1998)
Table Two: Tuifa Mis-spellings
Other "Official" Isshinryu Kobudo Kata
In addition to the solo kata exercises, Shimabuku, like many
other kobudo teachers, also developed a series of two-man weapons
exercises, to teach practical applications of the kobudo implements.
These are Bo tai Bo Kumite and Bo tai Sai Kumite. Each teaches
a set of ten basic but important applications to the bo and
the sai.
The Okinawa
Isshinryu Karate Kobudo Association (OIKKA) founded by Uezu
Angi in 1990 and taken over by Uechi Tsuyoshi upon Uezu's retirement
in late 1995, also teaches what is known as Nunchaku Kihongata,
a basic form for the nunchaku. This kata is the same as found
in Sakagami Ryusho's booklet Nunchaku (1966), and teaches the
basic aya-furi (figure-8) and reverse figure-8 swinging pattern
of this formidable weapon.
Conclusion
Shimabuku Tatsuo's life work is exemplified in
his karate and kobudo system. While retaining the kata from
his teachers, he modified them, sometimes subtly, sometimes
radically, until Isshinryu took on the shape recognized the
world over today. However, when examining Okinawan martial arts,
one should not look at the differences in the "styles" propagated
today, but at their common roots and the principles upon which
they rest. There is only one kobudo, but many ways of teaching
it.
Table Three: The Kobudo Kata of Isshinryu
Table Four: Isshinryu Kobudo Kata Lineage
Tokumine no
Kon |
Tokumine Peichin
- Landlord - Kyan Chotoku - Shimabuku Tatsuo |
Urashi Bo |
Mabuni Kenwa - Taira Shinken - Shimabuku
Tatsuo |
Shishi no Kon |
Kamiya Jinsei - Taira Shinken - Shimabuku
Tatsuo |
Kusanku Sai |
Created by Shimabuku Tatsuo |
Chatan Yara no Sai |
Kamiya Jinsei - Taira Shinken - Shimabuku
Tatsuo |
Hama Higa no Tuifa |
Yabiku Moden - Taira Shinken - Shimabuku
Tatsuo |
References