KAKIWAKE-UKE: THE INTRUDER

All practitioners of Shotokan Karate know very well that in the Heian yondan kata two kakiwake-uke are performed. What most of them don't know is that the schools that derive from Funakoshi Gichin sensei are the only ones to perform this technique in that kata. In fact, if we examine the corresponding kata of the other styles, we immediately realize that this technique is not present.

 

 

Before delving into the topic, we must first take a small step back... As everyone knows by now, the 5 Pinan kata were created by Itosu Anko sensei, grouping and simplifying the already existing kata techniques, such as the Naihanchi, the Passai, the Kusanku, Chinto, etc. There are various theories and clues relating to the origins of these kata, however this is not the topic of this article, and furthermore, the definitive versions that were handed down to his main students fully correspond to what I wrote above. Among Itosu sensei's main students we find Yabu Kentsu, Funakoshi Ghichin, Hanashiro Chomo and Chibana Choshin; the younger Toyama Kanken, Mabuni Kenwa and Shiroma Shinpan should also be mentioned.

 

All these masters handed down the 5 Pinan kata (Heian according to the pronunciation later used by Funakoshi) to their students, with slight technical differences, mainly due to the fact that each of them studied in a different period and context with master Itosu. In general we can say that those who studied Karate at the Shihan Gakko (e.g. Toyama, Shiroma, etc.), or were involved in the project of teaching Karate in schools (e.g. Yabu, Funakoshi and Hanashiro), handed down very similar versions, while those who remained totally outside the public education environment (e.g. Chibana) handed down slightly more complex and sophisticated versions. Before continuing, however, I would like to underline how the kata handed down by Mabuni sensei - see the book Karatedo nyumon (Mabuni, 1938) - were very similar to those of Chibana sensei, probably due to the fact that Mabuni frequented Chibana sensei at the Ryukyu Tode Kenkyukai (of which he was co-founder), as demonstrated by the fact that he learned the kata Matsumura no Passai, a kata that only Chibana sensei learned from his brother-in-law Tawada Peichin.

 

To compare the various versions of the Pinan yondan kata, we need access to primary sources, which are books and photographs of the time. In cases where these are not available, we must rely on secondary sources, such as videos, photos or texts published by the students of the masters mentioned above. Among the primary sources consulted we have Ryukyu Kenpo Tode (Funakoshi, 1922) and the original photos of Chibana sensei published in the manuals of the Okinawa Shorin-ryu Karatedo Kyokai. Among the secondary sources we have videos of the kata of the Bugeikan school regarding the lineage of Hanashiro sensei; videos of the Shito-ryu style regarding Mabuni sensei's lineage; and Toyama Kanken's books regarding Yabu sensei's lineage. In fact, Toyama studied the Pinan at the Shihan Gakko, where the teaching was mainly directed by Yabu sensei (Karate-do, 1953 Miyagi Hisateru).

 

In all these sources, with the exception of Ryukyu Kenpo Tode (Funakoshi, 1922), we always find the same sequence: chudan-uke (soto or uchi, depending on the nomenclature adopted by the style), maegeri, and two/three choku-tsuki. The only source in which kakiwake-uke is present is that relating to the lineage of Funakoshi sensei. Furthermore, the fact that the technique already appears in the 1922 book excludes the possibility that this was a modification made during the years of his stay in Tokyo.

 

This suggests two possible scenarios: in the first we have a modification of the kata performed by Funakoshi sensei, to include a different technique starting from Pinan yondan and not present neither in the other Pinan nor in other kata (with the exception of Jion and Gojushiho); in the second we instead have the aforementioned modification inserted in the version of the kata taught at schools, with the exception of the elementary school where Hanashiro sensei taught, but only after 1911, the last year in which Toyama sensei practiced at the Shihan Gakko.

 

Where does kakiwake-uke come from? The most "ancient" kata in which the technique is present is undoubtedly Gojushiho, a kata of Chinese origin, taught by Matsumura Sokon sensei to several of his students. And Jion? Except for some mere speculations on this kata, it does not appear in the list of kata imported to Okinawa by the famous Chinese castaway cited by Funakoshi sensei (the only kata he taught were Chinto, Chinti, Jiin and Jitte), and all those who taught it to own students, had to deal with the Shihan Gakko. This suggests that the kata was created for students of Okinawa schools, assembling parts of other kata, such as Jiin and Gojushiho.

 

Although the kakiwake-uke is not present in the Pinan yondan of Shorin-ryu, I believe that its addition in the kata handed down by Funakoshi sensei is a noteworthy technical enrichment, compared to the more common chudan-uke.