Kaishugata & Timing Part One

Kaishugata & Timing

A little while ago we talked about what Heishugata is all about.  I know it was just an basic overview, to which you'll learn more and more as you advance with your own sensei as well as figure things out on your own by drilling, asking questions, drilling some more to develop your muscle memory and your breathing. However, Kaishugata is another thing.  Goju Ryu Black Belts, especially those who are training for your Japan Karatedo Federation (JKF) rank must also work on the required Kaishugata depending on their rank.

JKF Requirements Besides Sanchin and Tensho

• Shodan = Saifa
• Nidan = Seiunchin
• Sandan = Sanseiru
• Yondan = Shisochin
• Godan = Seipai
• Rokudan = Seisan
• Nanadan = Kururunfa
• Hachidan = Suparimpei

Now just so that I don't upset the traditionalists or the modernists, I'd like to put out there that I used to practice competitive kata however, now I focus mainly on Shinsa (testing) kata, which is more traditional as JKF Goju Kai is trying hard to bring it back to the roots by allowing the top Goju minds, including Jundokan, to study and deciminate the information back down to its branch organizations. 

Seiwa Kai USA has some good seminars they hold in the USA by inviting certain Goju senseis who really focus on the mechanics as well as take time to break down how they are currently teaching kata in Japan. Said guests to include, Saito Sensei, who is a top competitor in the Japanese National Karate scene as well as Seiwa Kai head, Fujiwara Sensei, who are both phenomenal in how they bring the topic of Kaishugata to the table.  I, myself, have been lucky enough to translate for Fujiwara Sensei and other great senseis who have visited through our sister Goju Kaiha, Seiwa Kai.

Eibu kan, under Hamabata Sensei has had the honor of learning from our Shihan, Hisanaga Yoshihiro, and let me tell you he has been an eye opener when we have the opportunity to have him visit our dojo.  Our dojo training becomes a one or two week seminar to go over all Goju Ryu Kaishugata and sometimes we feel that we can't soak up the information enough.  While it is difficult for many of the beginners to keep pace, our Black Belts assimilate the information as much as we can and then compare notes after each of Hisanaga Sensei's visits.  Shihan's teaching always include kihon mastery.  Without it kata is a disaster.  

Each Goju Kaishugata has meaning and purpose.  I believe that if we don't understand the spirit behind each kata, we will not understand the depth of each kata fully. Unlike Heishugata which focuses on tension, Kaishugata focuses on timing of the tension depending on the techniques executed.  Transition of movement or transition from stance to stance is very important... your embusen... must not be too shallow or must not be too deep depending on the angle of attack or angle of defense.  45, 90, 180 etc degree turns require accurate timing and "kime" however that "kime" can only be determined by the application of said tension at particular points during technique execution within the kata.  This is what makes Kaishugata different from Heishugata, where Heishugata continually maintains said tension mainly throughout the kata without completely losing it, and where Kaishugata you focus on tension at particular points.

My thought is this when practicing particular Kaishugatas.

1. Learn what the objective of the kata is.  What does the name of the kata mean?
2. How can I apply my techniques to meet that objective?  Does the execution of my technique give the kata justice?
3. How can I make the kata mine?  Do I understand the bunkai of the kata?

Just some thoughts that go through my head when I work out any of the 10 Kaishugata in Goju Ryu.  BTW... breaking down bunkai is great!  What's even greater is when you sit down and learn bunkai from some of the current top minds in Goju as they show you how they interpret our katas.  I suggest if you can sign up for some of the upcoming seminars through Seiwa Kai USA or California Goju Ryu Association, I would do so just so that I can experience the mastery they bring to our art.

Heishugata & Tension

Heishugata & Tension

Most casual practitioners may wonder what heisugata and kaishugata are and how they help us develop our Karate.  Goju Ryu is unique in the fact that in the basic curriculum there are only 12 kata, of which, two are categorized as heishugata and the remaining ten katas are considered kaishugata.  Now, its only fair for me to list those, but many of you may already know which is which.

Heishugata

• Sanchin
• Tensho

Kaishugata

• Gekisai 1
• Gekisai 2
• Saifa
• Seiunchin
• Sanseiru
• Shisochin
• Seipai
• Seisan
• Kururunfa
• Suparimpei (Pechurrin)
• This kata is done differently than you see on YouTube as most are shown in competition.
• Other ryuha such as Shotokan have developed derivatives to adjust to their style.
• Called Hyakuhachiho but in competition may be announced as Suparimpei

While Goju Ryu may not have the impressive selection of kata choices that Shotokan or Shito Ryu offers, Goju Ryu focuses on the 12 above.  Other Kaiha (styles or organizations) within Goju may have developed other kata, training katas, or kata variants depending on the lineage (such as Gekiha (Shorei Kan) or Taikyoku Series (Yamaguchi) kata) but also focus on the above as well.  Many of the kata above, you will see in other Ryuha such as Seiunchin, Seisan, and Kururunfa, which are interesting variants to study.  One thing that I would like to point out is that none of those variants are incorrect, however, there is a depth of understanding the kata and executing the techniques intended by Miyagi Chojun and other Goju forefathers is where the deep understanding comes to life and makes studying the twelve Goju katas very meaningful.

When training kata we may or may not hear the terms Heishugata or Kaishugata.  The funny thing is that if you are at the level where Sanchin and Tensho are mandatory, then you have already begun your understanding of the difference.

Miyagi Chojun taught both Sanchin and Tensho as Heishugata.  While some instructors may breakdown Heishugata as "Closed Hand Kata," as a practitioner just learning Tensho may be confused when told that Tensho is a "Closed Hand Kata" especially when most techniques are open handed. 

The depth of the Heishugata inteded for pratitioners to understand is not if your hands are open or if they are closed.  Heishugata concentrates on the continuous tension required for the kata.  Sanchin was developed for the"GO" aspect or the HARD aspect in Goju, and Tensho later developed to represent the "JU" or the SOFT aspect of our art.  However, just becuase it is hard and soft, this alone doesn't dictate the reason why they are both Heishugata.

Between the two Heishugata in Goju, the best way to describe how tension is held to a beginner, is through the manipulation of tension and muscle memory to acheive a style of body hardening (I think of the image of how a hammer strikes an anvil or pistons when senseis check for tension).  Senseis will be looking at key areas including our core, gluts, traps, lats, quads, hams, all the way down to our toes to see where our tension lies.  A veteran will be able to harness the tension and sync it with their breathing in order to complete the execution of the kata, especially in Sanchin.

Tensho is a different animal.  While the techniques are mainly open handed, your body reacts similarly to that of Sanchin but different in the thought of tension.  While the central mass tension is very similar, arm and leg tension is closer to that one squeezing water out of a wet cloth.  Kiyohara Sensei explained it very clearly to me in Japanese.  He used two specific terms when describing tension in Tensho.  "Nebari" and "Shiboru" are the two terms he used quite often. In simple terms, "Nebari" tension has a viscosity aspect to it.  Think of your "sticky hands" training (if you don't know what "sticky hands" training is consult your sensei)  "Shibori" tension is more of a wringing, squeezing and pressing sensation.  Both types of tension in Tensho are important concepts that must be understood in order to understand the depth of the kata.

So fundementally, both Heishugata are designated by the continual tension that must be applied, learning how to intesify and learning how to relax without losing all of the tension to execute the kata is part of the training that permeates down to basics all the way through Kaishugata, where tension is adjusted to the flow and execution of the techniques involved.

If people are interested in learning more about the flow and applying tension in Kaishugata, please let me know.  I can have another post for that specific topic and we can concetrate on a single Kaishugata at time like if we were breaking down the kata during bunkai.

The Goju Ryu Eibu kan Organization



The Goju Ryu Eibu kan Organization - Who is Sakaue?

A recent search result in my daily blogger analytics sparked the idea for this post.  Many practitioners or web goers who are interested in Goju Ryu Karate in the United States (or around the world - as I have seen inquiries from Canada and Russia) may be asking what is Goju Ryu Eibu kan or who is this Sakaue who maintains an individual blog about his personal travels in studying Goju Ryu Karate?  Before I get into "Who is Sakaue?" Let me give you some background on how Goju Ryu Eibu kan settled here in Southern California.

Uniquely, Eibu kan has multiple roots extending from Shorei kan and Yamaguchi Goju Ryu due to our extraordinary instructors. 

Takafumi Hamabata, Kyoushi

7th Dan Eibu kan

7th Dan JKF

Goju Ryu Karatedo Eibu kan, Chief Instructor


Katsuhide Kinjo, Renshi
6th Dan Eibu kan
6th Dan JKF
Goju Ryu Karatedo Eibu kan, Senior Instructor

Hamabata Sensei hails from both Shorei kan and Yamaguchi Goju Ryu and has taught Goju Ryu Karate in Southern California, mainly through the East San Gabriel Valley Japanese Community Center in West Covina.  Kinjo Sensei comes to us through Okinawa, where he learned Goju Ryu Karate through his high school club.  Both Senseis are currently under the tutelage of many different Goju Ryu and Goju Kai Senseis in Japan but mainly through Eibu kan's Founder, Yoshihiro Hisanaga.



Yoshihiro Hisanaga, Hanshi

8th Dan JKF

Kagoshima Goju Kai

JKF Goju Kai, Okinawa Region Kyushu Prefecture Chairman

Goju Ryu Karatedo Eibukan, Soke

The three instructors above are the lifelines to Goju Ryu Eibu kan in Southern California.  Along with our sister Goju Ryu organizations such as Seiwa Kai (headed by Vassie Naidoo Sensei - Santa Monica, CA) and Okinawa Kyokai (headed by Ramon Veras Sensei - Houston, TX), Goju Ryu Eibu kan is one of the leading dojos supported by instructors from the Japan Karatedo Federation (JKF) to promote traditional Goju Ryu Karate here in the United States.



Kinjo Sensei, Left; Hisanaga Shihan, Center; Hamabata Sensei, Right

While Eibu kan is a small dojo with roughly 30 active Karateka, our roots grow deep as one of the earliest Goju Ryu dojos developed in the United States.  Where Eibu kan is relatively unknown, the reason being was that it was taught as Goju Kai Karate at the East San Gabriel Valley Japanese Community Center since the mid to late 1960s and at most demonstrations it was only publicized as "Karate."

Now going back to "Who is Sakaue?" again... I am Sakaue, however, the story you want to hear is about my father, Masato Sakaue, not to be confused with Masataka Sakaue, who is my uncle and a principle instructor at Covina Kendo Dojo also which is also being taught at the East San Gabriel Valley Japanese Community Center.

Just a little background... (sorry no pic... like Saigo Takamori, he doesn't like to take pictures much)

Masato Sakaue, Renshi

5th Dan Eibu kan

5th Dan JKF

Goju Ryu Karatedo Eibu kan Advisor (Ret)

My father grew up in a small town called San Dimas, CA (some of you may know it from the movie Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure... yes it does exist) after my father's family immigrated to California from Kagoshima, Japan.  During the 1960s, the Japanese-American community was still very small, especially for Post WWII Japanese-Americans, and many gravitated to Japanese Community Centers.  There families gathered and exchanged knowledge and helped each other and coincidentally is where he met Hamabata Sensei.

Both Hamabata Sensei (and Albert Ige Sensei, another Eibu kan Instructor) and my father took lessons under Kiyonori Ikumura Sensei, Shorei Kan (who was Hisanaga Sensei's Kohai, at the time it was unknown) until he was recalled to Kagoshima, Japan.  The recall to Japan was so abrupt, that Ikumura Sensei was to leave a sole black belt at the time to take over his classes so that training could continue without his presence.  While there were no issues with training continuing, the fact that there was no true authority figure to help guide their training left a fundemental worry that my father could not ignore. To quench that worry, my father traveled to Japan to re-established connection with Ikumura Sensei.  That meeting led to Ikumura Sensei introducing his senpai and the founder of Eibu kan, Hisanaga Sensei, to my father.

Hisanaga Sensei's tutelage has helped evolve the organization's Karate to what it is today.  While still training using traditional methods, Eibu kan's instructors has found an equilibrium to develop their karatekas not only with the traditional methods but training using those methods as the foundation as we learn from some of the top Goju Ryu Karate minds from Japan.  Through our collaboration with Seiwa Kai and Okinawa Kyokai, we have had the honor with training with the late Tasaaki Sensei and his successor Fujiwara Sensei as well as Shiomi Sensei, Muramatsu Sensei. and Kiyohara Sensei... all high level Goju Kai Instructors in Japan.

So, "who is Sakaue?" He was one sensei of many who were acting as a catalyst in developing Goju Ryu Karate in Southern California.



Kay Sakaue

5th Dan Eibu kan

2nd Dan JKF Goju Kai

Goju Ryu Karatedo Eibu kan, Instructor