Koryu Uchinadi

Koryu Uchinadi Kenpo-jutsu (traditional Chinese hanzi: 古流沖縄手拳法術) translation; Old Style Okinawan Karate: is a synthesis and contemporary reinterpretation of those classical fighting arts handed down from later part of Okinawas old Ryukyu Kingdom.

Historical Foundation

Restored, revived and systemized by Patrick McCarthy, Hanshi 8th Dan, the legacy of Koryu Uchinadi Kenpo-jutsu can be traced back to China’s Qing Period (1644-1911) Fujian Chinese-based quanfa (kenpo) practices haphazardly introduced and secretly cultivated in Okinawa, during the later part of the old Ryukyu Kingdom.

Originally pursued for its brutally effective defensive applications, Koryu Uchinadi Kenpo-jutsu is based on the Fujian Chinese-based quanfa (kenpo) disciplines of (1) Hsing (Kata); the original Chinese defensive paradigms vigorously embraced by men of wealth and position; (2) Qinna (Torite); techniques of seizing and controlling employed by local law-enforcement officials; (3) Shuai Chiao (Tegumi); an old Chinese-based method of clinching & grappling practiced by boys and young men of every age; (4) Tigwa; a plebeian form of percussive impact brought to the island from the Kingdom of Siam and (5) Buki-gwa; the art of weapons. These practices were synthesized with the existing local defensive practices and were constantly reinterpreted by law-enforcement authorities and like-minded enthusiasts over time.

Historical and Modern Figures Contributing to the Development of Koryu Uchinadi

Sakugawa Kanga (1733-1815)

Waixinzan (DOB?)

Iwah (DOB?)

Ason (DOB?)

Anan (DOB?)

Matsumora Kosaku (1829-1898)

Kojo Taite (1837-1917)

Aragaki Seisho (1840-1920)

Nakaima Norisato (1850-1927)

Xie Zhongxiang (1852-1930)

Higashionna Kanryo (1853-1917)

Zhou Zhihe (1874-1926)

Uechi Kambun (1877-1948)

Wu Xianhui (1886-1940)

Kyan Chotoku (1870-1945)

Motobu Choki (1871-1944)

Tang Daiji (1887-1937)

Miao Xing (1881-1939)

Kiyoda Juhatsu (1886-1967)

Oshiro Chojo (1887-1935)

Hanashiro Chomo (1869-1945)

Richard Kim (1917-2001)

Kinjo Hiroshi (1919)

Patrick McCarthy (1954)

Classification of Techniques

Koryu Uchinadi Kenpo-jutsu includes a broad range (Hybrid) of fundamental physical skills consisting of blocking, kicking, punching [kihon-waza] , joint manipulation and limb entanglement (kansetsu-waza), pinning/restraining techniques (katame-waza), seizing nerves and attacking tendons (tori-te waza), attacking anatomically vulnerable points (kyusho-jutsu), blood and air deprivation (shime-waza), balance displacement (nage-waza), ground fighting and grappling techniques (ne-waza) and escapes and counter (gyaku-waza).

Physical Practice and Theory

Koryu Uchinadi Kenpo-jutsu is generally characterized by its vibrant body dynamics, efficacious ashisabaki and taisabaki (foot/body movements), classical kata (forms) and is its application-based partner exercises known as tegumi futari-geiko.

Kata型 (Forms)

Kata are a cultural phenomenon of human movement acting as a catalog of individual "waza" (technique), linked together into geometrical routines forming a specific reference work that preserves the art and bears the imprint of those who passed down the art to succeeding generations.

There are seventeen empty hand kata that are practiced in Koryu Uchinadi Kenpo-jutsu today:

Sanchin - Tai Sabaki - Chokyu (Gekkisai) - Kume Hakutsuru - Yara Kusanku - Naihanchin (Tekki)- Nanshu - Happoren (Paipuren) - Nepai (Nipaipo) - Matsumura Bassai - Rakan-ken - Ryushan - Aragaki Niseishi (Nijushiho)Aragaki Seisan - Aragaki Sochin - Aragaki Unshu - Wando (Wanduan)

Tegumi 手組　 (lit. uniting/cooperating/grappling hands, used in 2-person drills)

Koryu Uchinadi Kenpo-jutsu emphasizes partner practice drills called tegumi futari- geiko (Te = hand or hands. Amongst its many interpretations “gumi” means to unite, cooperate, and grapple. In this context Tegumi refers to trapping and grappling with one’s hands. Futari-geiko means contineous practice or flow drills.), as one of its main forms of training. Practice, of this nature, incorporates the reenactment of realistic attacks, i.e. chokes, grabs, bear hugs, etc., and a corresponding defense from both a standing position, called tachi-waza, and from the ground, called ne-waza with partners alternate roles between active and passive, attacker and defender. Through the practice of tegumi, the meanings and principles of the movements and postures (defensive composites), integrated within kata, are revealed to the learner.

When practicing tegumi the learners apply various methods of stomping and kicking with the feet, checking, trapping, hooking and deflecting with the forearms and hands, bumping with the body, grappling, joint locking and striking the vital points with the knuckles, fingertips, etc., in a "continuous flowing" motion using relatively short drills consisting of defensive composites extracted from traditional kata. Concentrating on a limited sequence of movements enables the learner to become accustomed to the feel of the drill quite quickly and allows techniques to become a reflexive action. In this respect, tegumi training is vitally important because in an actual self-defense situation it is important that the execution of techniques is intuitive and automatic, i.e. made on the basis of reflexes; this reflexive response comes from numerous repetitions of tegumi drills.

Moral Philosophy and Spiritual Foundation

While physical practice and theory of Koryu Uchinadi Kenpo-jutsu provides for technical competency, it is not seen as an end in itself. The core mission of physical practice and theory is to provide a conduit in which human growth occurs and where the meaning of all things is seen in the context of the whole and thus each thing is done for its intrinsic value, a process in which learner expresses, listens, absorbs, responds, and find them incrementally enlightened through their effort. Thus, Koryu Uchinadi Kenpo-jutsu teaches us that the development of the inner self develops personal humility, respect and tolerance for all things of the universe and it is through this austere training that the learner is able to avoid life’s obstacles and overcome insurmountable odds in order to live happily and without conflict.

References

McCarthy, P. [http://www.amazon.com/dp/0804820937 Ancient Okinawan Martial Arts Volume 1] (Tuttle Martial Arts)

Nagamine S. [http://www.amazon.com/dp/0804820899 Tales of Okinawa's Great Masters] (Tuttle Martial Arts)

Kim R. [http://www.amazon.com/dp/0897500415 The Weaponless Warriors]

Hokama T. [http://www.amazon.com/dp/0920129196 History and Traditions of Okinawan Karate]

Kinjo A. (1999) Karate-den Shinroku (True Record of Karate's Transmission)

McCarthy, P. (1995) [http://www.amazon.com/dp/0804820155 Bubishi: The Bible of Karate] . Tokyo: Charles E. Tuttle, Co.

McCarthy, P. (1996) "Capsule History of Koryu Karate." Koryu Journal Inaugural Issue. Australia, International Ryukyu Karate Research Society.

External Links

[http://www.meibukanmagazine.org/Downloads/MeibukanMagazineno7.pdf Karate-do Kurofune] . Joe Swift

[http://www.seinenkai.com/salute-mccarthy.html Hawaii Karate Seinenkai Salutes Patrick McCarthy]

[http://www.koryu-uchinadi.com/ International Ryukyu Karate Research Society]

This article contains Chinese text. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Chinese characters.