Zempo Shimabukuro - Kushanku (sukunahayashi shorin ryu)

[mvrseibukankarate]

He looks old, but doing kata like a boy,what a amazing man he is.

[tonomaru1]

素晴らしい！

[centauris1234]

sensei shimabukuro is now in is late 60s.....got an oppurtunity two months back.....watched him perform kusanku at a very close range....stood there mesmerised....could move a muscle....am very much fond of other style katas and pratice them for tournaments....but i couldn resist myself from bowing to such an splendid display of traditional okinawan karate...this is pure karate.....

[Pendragon]

@centauris1234 The thing about Sensei Shimabukuro is that he doesn't refine his kata for tournaments, his is nothing but him doing the kata and it's still amazing

[centauris1234]

@Pendragon couldn agree more....omg...the speed and power in punches....still lingers in ma mind...

[centauris1234]

sensei shimabukuro is now in is late 60s.....got an oppurtunity two months back.....watched him perform kusanku at a very close range....stood there mesmerised....could move a muscle....am very much fond of other style katas and pratice them for tournaments....but i couldn resist myself from bowing to such an splendid display of traditional okinawan karate...this is pure karate.....

[blugularis]

what is this style, okinawan, or...?

[hoojo1183]

@MrNickjannini Close... Seibukan Shorinryu.

[jiggahippo]

wow! great job!

[MartinRmoutil]

amazing

[PooKee34]

simply incredible...

[centauris1234]

hi Pendragon...sukunahayashi is an other name which denotes the shorin-ryu seibukan style...sukunahayashi n seibukan r the same....

[Yfarrenheith]

How old is this man?

[Pendragon]

@Yfarrenheith I don't remember the exact age but Sensei is over 50

[AsILayDyingLive]

@Yfarrenheith

67 years old

[AsILayDyingLive]

@Yfarrenheith

67 years old

[Pendragon]

By the way, where did you get that Zempo sensei is Sukunahayashi?

I know that he's Seibukan Shorin Ryu because he's trained me and my senseis.

If you would, please explain.

[grinner213]

simply awesome!!

[SensieSanzashi]

Thank you everyone! This has been a most interesting find. To watch an excellent demonstration of kata Kusanku and read the educated comments was awesome! A practitioner of Shorinjiryu Kenkokan (Hisataka) I am always interested to learn from karate-ka of styles & schools other the my own, of "our" mutual histories, leneages, and commonalities. Kokoru no karate-do.

[SensieSanzashi]

That was truly the best demonstration of kata I've seen in a very long time! Thank you, very much / arigato gozaimassu! Kokoru no karatedo.

[hellothereitsjustme]

excellent kata, humble and kind man.

[abrailsford1]

brill

[miguelmstewie]

Holy S**t!!! That's a friggin master!!

[kempobrad]

kong song koon is the korean translation of kusanku, in shotokan it is called kanku dai i believe. the tang soo do versions are from shotokan i'm almost certain, as it was a practitioner/instructor of tang soo do that told me this. it was during japan's occupation of korea that japanese karate spread to korea, so tang soo do, soo bahk, taekwondo...are all "rooted" at least partially in japanese karate.

[Abdurazz]

AWESOME. I have yet 2 c Master Zenpo Shimabukuro execute kata in person, but each time that I have seen him on tape inspires me tremendously. Thank you for posting, thanks to Master Zenpo and my Sensei, Rex Everett.

[Koryuhoka]

Wonderful execution of Kusanku!

[thankful2one]

THanks for posting. Great video.

[Ronin6575]

Very interesting version and very strong!

[mormanwarrior]

im trianed under shian mike lee the chinese hawian now in newzeland

[CentredOne]

Coming from a different style, I can't quite wrap my head around the shoto uke. It looks and sounds like there is a lot more going on, then a Shotokan shoto uke.

[Octaslash08]

The Kusanku Kata that Zenpo Shimabukuro demonstrated in this clip is from Yara of Chantan who taught it to Chotoku Kyan, the Kusanku kata used in Shotokan is from Anko Itosu though both Kyan and Itosu are students of Matsumura. The katas that Matsumura taught to Kyan which passed down to Shimabukuro are Seisan, Ananku and Gojushiho.

[DrewOchsner]

I would double check your facts, and I will surely double check mine. But I thought Ananku (light from the south) was invented by Kyan after/during a trip to Taiwan (thus the name light from the south.

[Octaslash08]

Yeah you are right about the Ananku kata.

[DrewOchsner]

CentredOne - Perhaps there is more going on. The techniques are used differently in different styles. Shotokan executes and utilizes the shuto-uke much differently than the more original Okinawan application which can vary from a go-no-sen (block, then counter) to a sen-no-sen (simultaneous block and counter) usage, or even a throw in some instances.

[Lady0Lela0the2nd]

Chotoku Kyan learned "kushanku" from Yara of Chatan,its is said to be one of the longest and most beautiful katas in the entire world

[Pendragon]

@Lady0Lela0the2nd Beautiful, yes. Longest, hardly. I know several katas longer than this

Source: I've competed for 7 years :D

[NewEnglandBudo]

@Pendragon What are they?? Home made kata? I can think of a few that traditional kata that are a bit longer than this kata; kusanku dai, pechurin, shihokosoken sho & dai off the top of my head.

[Pendragon]

@NewEnglandBudo Suparinpei, the Goju Ryu kata, is the only one that comes to mind (Kata is almost 4-5 minutes if done right)

But I know Kusanku is Seibukan Shorin-ryu's longest kata

My favorites still to this day are Seisan and Wanchin

[Joshinkan]

Interesting! trained with him in Germany in 97 and met him on Okinawa in 98.

The high sidekicks are very special and is normally seen in the Japanese versions of Kushanku and Kanku dai. Could it be an japanese influence?

Neither Nakazato´s Shorinji-ryu, Matsubayashi or Isshinryu perform sidekicks here. And they all have the kata from Kyan Sensei

[SeibukanIOSSKA]

According to Hanshi it is not Japanese influenced. The Kyan Family says that Hanshi Shimabukuro and Seibukan are the closest to Master Kyan Karate. I have been with Hanshi for over thirty years and have never seen him change a kata other than trying to make it easier for us big guys.

SeibukanIOSSKA

[Joseratc]

Just wanted to add that the kata predates both Chotoku Kyan and Chibana. You have to go way back to Sakugawa and Matsumura. The most likely explanation lies much earlier than these Masters and we might never know where the front kicks or the side kicks variants were introduced. But since Japanese katas are derived from Okinawan katas (Funakoshi altered the katas he learned in Okinawa and created Shotokan later), it's very unlikely that there is any japanese influence here.

[Octaslash08]

The creator of the Kusanku kata was Kusanku himself when he visited Okinawa so this is somewhere in between chinese and okinawan style katas. All in all you're definitely correct that the katas were from Sakugawa and Matsumura.

[Joseratc]

Thanks for your reply, yes Kusanku was the creator (I left out the obvious in my previou post). You have obviously studied the history so I want to ask if you know the answer to this. Based on my studies (started practicing and studying Shorin Ryu in 1978 at the age of 18), Choshin Chibana was the first to adopt the "Shorin Ryu" style name, have you heard or read anything different? Some have called Kyan the founder, others Itosu. Thanks again.

[aiko4321]

both kyan and chibana are students of itosu. But, Kyan had some Tomari te influence and Chibana only learnt under Itosu as I think (even not, he has pure shuri te influence)

[Octaslash08]

You are correct when Choshin Chibana did adopt the Shorin-ryu name. Kyan had a few masters as well as a few legends. As for Itosu he's known as the Grandfather of Karate. Before the Shorin name came to life during Matsumura's time he synthesize the style from Shuri-te as where he's from and Chinese kenpo from him traveling to China. It has been said that Sokon Matsumura was deceptively strong and blindingly fast. I forget the Chinese Kenpo name however do you know this one?

[Joseratc]

So, would it make sense to say that Itosu created "Shorin Ryu" as a unique style but didn't actually call it that, but Chibana later did adopt the Shorin Ryu name? I find this history fascinating. Regarding yMy understanding was that Kempo is the Japanese pronunciation of "Chuan Fa", the ancient chinese boxing that Sakugawa introduced in Okinawa at the infancy of the development of Okinawa Te (Matsumura was supposedly a student of Sakugawa).

[Pendragon]

I was so happy when I got to train with him, he's a lot shorter in real life but god is he intimidating.

[peachfoot]

He makes it look too easy!! That is a difficult Kata.

[bigrobnz]

Amazing speed and power for a man of his age, any age in fact. thanks for posting.

[durs313]

oh yea, thats right....i get the Okinawan styles mixed up sometimes-thanks

[durs313]

His last nae is "Shimabakuro"? wasnt that the last name of the founder of Shorin-Ryu?--Is he related?

[pipedreamingcoyote]

You might be thinking of the late Shimabukuro Tatsuo, founder if Isshinryu karate.

[Pendragon]

Chotoku Kyan, the founder, taught Zenryo Shimabukuro, who taught his son, Zenro Shimabukuro who you see in the video ^^

[Joseratc]

Although many masters practiced "shorin ryu" (shuri te) beforehand, wasn't Choshin Chibana the first one to call his school a Shorin Ryu school? From what I have read, him, Kyan, Miyagi and others were part of the first organized group formed to preserve the Okinawan arts after Itosu died, but I thought Chibana was the first one to officially name his school a Shorin Ryu school. Could you please share your reference, I know many history books differ and I like to read various for that reason.

[aiko4321]

Yes, most reference say Chibana the first one to call his school shorin ryu. and some sayd itosu call his school shorin ryu b4 chibana. Kyan also call his school Shorin ryu, bt with different kanji.

[aiko4321]

Zenpo shimabukuro is son of zenryo shimabukuro, shukunahashi ryu (now seibukan).. tatsuo shimabuku is founder of isshing ryu and no relationship or at least no close relation (coz okinawa small plce and many are relatives) to zenpo or zenryo as i know. Tatuso s brother is eizo shimabukuro, a shorin ryu teacher

[gaugustcrane]

The open hands mark the trajectory of the sai and how to flip them or pull them back. Check out the ko-do ryu video on youtube with nathan performing open sanchin with sai and then read the comment from the guy who learnt open sanchin as the first sai kata.

[anhkhoinguyen]

sorry bullshido has already riped apart nathan johnsons BS book. no one takes his shit seriously only idiots do, when its not based on historical facts or evidence then its not worth anyones time. sanchin is not a sai kata dude, no one in china does it like that, they dont even use sais, kinda kills his theory there.

[gaugustcrane]

The sai existed in China; it was called a san-ku-chu. (It also existed in India and Indonesia under different names, most notably Tjabang, Tekpi and Ticheo.) This supports the research behind Nathan Johnson's idea that the open-hand sanchin and seisan are Chinese kata and for sai usage.

Before criticising the idea have a look at his work and then judge it; The sai applications are remarkable and more logical than many open-hand fighting applications for these kata.

[anhkhoinguyen]

also a weapon thats simliar to a sai doesnt mean its a sai. we dont call a machete a sword even tho its similar. johnsons applications look possible only when u do it in the okinawan fashion, but we all know the kata was chinese and its not done the same style in china, look up sanzhan white crane, the orginal version, heck even look up hakka kuen,tiger-crane,ngo gor kuen ect ect none of there sachins are done with sais....watch it on youtube then you'll see what i mean lol

[gaugustcrane]

The first documented version of Sanchin is the Uechi/Open hand Sanchin studied in Okinawa; it's THE reference from China; it is the purest Sanchin form. Uechi Seisan is the second CHINESE form passed on on Okinawa and once you study certain hand positions, the opening weapons draw, the different strikes you will then see that it is not an open hand kata but a sai form. Try them out first before slagging people off. And if you don't agree, fine; stick to your style and enjoy training.

[MadMonk108]

Wrong, there are several versions of Sanchin found in China that predate Uechi, and none of them use the sai. Johnson's research was limited, and completely factually incorrect.

[gaugustcrane]

I don't see the link with swords or machetes. We are talking sai or San-ku-chu (in Chinese) and its use in 3 key CHINESE forms studied on Okinawa in their most recent but purest version: Sanchin, Seisan and Kusanku. The Okinawans learnt the forms diligently and passed them on but part of the message has been lost; the sai in the kata.

[TheOneNo20]

That's quite different from the Wado version.Must admit - really did'nt like the lean foward at the opening, why do that?

[the2703]

Think of it more as a "shifting of the hips" than a lean. Some of the better bunkai I've seen are an escape from a bear hug and defending against grabs, especially w/ 2 hands. It's a little different from the versions I've learned, but very close.

[the2703]

This is a response to TheOneNo20's comment below.

[wiz8642]

I guess he needs to work on his pull back and balance.

[soredewa]

Clarification: Seibukan means more "Holy martial school" or "Sacred Fighting School". The "Kan" at the end just means building, which refers to the dojo. Kyan Chotoku's style was Shobayashi (alternatively pronounced Shorin) and he was the teacher of Shimabukuro Zenryo, Zenpo's father. The style was named Seibukan just to distinguish it from the many Shorin Ryu styles out there. It is not Sukunahayashi Shorin Ryu, which is an alternate but incorrect way of reading Shobayashi Shorin Ryu.

[gaugustcrane]

we have reason to believe that Open-hand sanchin and seisan are sai kata; and sai have a place in Chinese history as well. seisan is the advanced sai kata with open sanchin as the base kata; this version of sanchin is not the same as miyagi's closed hand sanchin and the such. He modelled his sanchin on the open version as documented in many history books. I don't think he learnt sanchin from the chinese.

[kempobrad]

he never claimed to, he learned it from higaonna sensei. some goju groups actually practice two sanchin kata, higaonna's open hand, and miyagis closed fist kata (i was told he did this to make it more in line with other okinawan methodology)

[yamashitashorinryu]

These kata's are what was used against sword and pike and Samuarai- to say they are not fighting oriented is absurd.

[bafcoofgurl]

i do shorin ryu too, do u know sensai legacy

[drooooopy]

If I had looked at this without seeing the description I would have thought this was Okinawin Uechi Ryu. Its interesting to how similar but not exactly the same differnt martial arts can be. Thank you for this movie. Bookmarking it.

[rannieboy23]

but im sure u guys are aware that this thing ur talking about will not work against grappling or jui jitsu...u can test it how effective it is in a real street fight or in a no holds barred matches...this thing did'nt exist in MMA fights..but nice to watch this vid..just like dancing with a good choreography...thanks..lol...

[soutinge]

The "real" fighting to which you refer may happen on the ground or standing up. Cross training is the only answer to have advantage over a student of just a single approach.

Kata is one approach to conditioning and visualizing the fight. This Kata contains power and the practitioner has real strength.

Train both for striking and submissions/finishes or you will be at a distinct disadvantage on the street or in a cage.

[kirvin2]

You are really showing your lack of knowledge of Traditional Martial Arts.

[kirvin2]

MMA is a sport with rules. It is not true combat. This is a kata that is only part of a complete system, that includes joint-locks and groundfighting. There are no superiour arts, just superiour practitioners.

[Shrekka]

Recent discoveries? Next you will be saying he found the "secrets" of karate. Nathan Johnson doesn't know his arse from his elbow.

[gaugustcrane]

of course you are both right, but following recent discoveries by Nathan Johnson it seems conclusive that open-hand sanchin and seisan are in fact weapon-training kata without the weapons, due to a ban at the time. So both kata were passed on as open-hand forms.

[soutinge]

Bull Shit

[lipovec]

This is one of the biggest bull shit I ever heard. What kind of research did Nathan Johnson cunduct. It's all his immagination.

[kempobrad]

im no historian, but i'd tend to agree. even when holding sai...your hands are usually closed.

[anhkhoinguyen]

you say sanchin and seisan were sai kata, passed on open handed kuz of the weapons ban? lmao the okinawans learned sanchin from the chinese and there WERE NO WEAPONS BAN IN CHINA, and if u look on youtube there are 10 chinese styles that use sanchin aka sanzhan that DONT USE SAI! so how do u explain that? nathans just tryin make money off dumb ass like u, or your one of nathans lackeys tryin spead the false word, since ur spamin this shit

[gaugustcrane]

It's nice to see that you are passionate about this BUT can we stick to the topic and avoid the insults, please. Apparently you haven't read or tried Johnson's theory; maybe you should before tearing it apart. You should also read more about sai in China and weapons bans, which existed.

[nekosan333]

dont forget Kata is practice interpretation, not the actual fight.

[gaugustcrane]

And where are the sai? This is a sai kata. Like Uechi Sanchin and Seisan. Does no-body know except Nathan Johnson and his Ko-do Ryu club?

[Seibukan76]

I'm not sure about Ko-du Ryu, but Sanchin and Seisan were both taught to me as open handed katas.

[soutinge]

I have never seen seisan or Sanchin done with sais. My study and practice is primarily Okinawan.

[Bujin80]

The uechi version of Sanchin was not present on Okinawa until the 1920's. Gokenki and Higaona both had different versions that were learbed from Chinese instructors and being that the sai is a police instrument found in Okinawa (know in Japan as a Jitte) not of Chinese origin the facts don't hold up.

[MadMonk108]

Nathan Johnson's conclusions are widely rejected by most scholars of Okinawan and Chinese martial arts. He has very little historical basis for most of his claims.

[gaugustcrane]

35 years of study with some of the big masters! Maybe he needs more time. I have seen other Okinawan-trained Americans performing open-hand sanshin with sai, just as their masters taught them underground.

[MadMonk108]

Name one of them.

Any of them.

Further, name any Chinese system that teaches what Johnson claims.

None of them do.

Johnson's research is bullshit.

[Seibukan76]

Excellent video. Zempo's my Shihan's Shihan. I loved it, since i've unfortunately never seen him perform. I dont get to learn Kushanku til I get my 3rd dan... and thats a way down the road.

[nekosan333]

what does Seibukan mean?

[Seibukan76]

Seibukan is the name of my dojo. (Karate school) It means "Holy art school"

[Seibukan76]

"Holy art school" is the literal translation for the word Seibu. The "Kan", or at least the way my Sensai explained it, means "enjoy", which is a popular predicate at the end of a dojo's name.

My name on the site is "Seibukan76" because my dojo's name is Seibukan, and it was founded in 1976 :)

[soredewa]

The "Kan" just means building and has no connotations of enjoy. Zenpo Shimabukuro named his style Seibukan because he wanted to distinguish his style from all the schools that were called Shorin Ryu The karate of Chotoku Kyan was Shobayashi, definitely not sukunaihayashi. Kyan Sensei was the teacher of Zenryo, who was the father of Zenpo. But, the style's name as it is now is Seibukan. It's not so much "holy art" as it is "sacred fighting" or "holy martial" school.

[aiko4321]

kan means school. sei means some thing like holy or universal as u mentiond and bu means martial... tht s how budo word came.. bu = martial do = way

seibu doesnt has a prt means 'school' unless added kan at end. rgds

[nekosan333]

Verry good. I did not seem to be rude. However there are some that dont know. How long have you studied Small forrest style.?

[ronin752]

This kata was performed at the University of Maryland in College Park in 1999. I had the opportunity to see shimabukuru sensei perform this kata, as well as the opportunity to learn wansu from him. Extremely powerful man.