Thursday, 23 August 2018

Okinawan Funakoshi Passai [Dai] (2) (Alternative)


The second demonstration of Master Funakoshi's Okinawan passai [dai], illustrated here as an alternative to the first in that a few movements can be performed in more than one way, as taught to me.

Old Okinawan Funakoshi Passai [Dai] (1)


The first illustration of Master Gichin Funakoshi's Okinawan passai [dai] kata.

In Funakoshi passai [dai], the first and last position, being the same, is a version of the palm-over-fist gesture which is derived from Chinese culture and means "to stop fighting". This is significant, as it illustrates the meaning of karate kenpo in the most simple fashion. These positions, like in the beginning of naihanchi, are not for technical applications. That is the opposite of their meaning. It would be against the essence of Okinawan boxing to apply these postures to fighting, regardless of if they are used for defence. Karate / karati is Okinawan and Chinese, and old Okinawan culture was (is) heavily, though not entirely, Chinese-influenced; kara-ti is karate kenpo or Ryukyu kenpo as in it is the Okinawan style of Chinese boxing, basically.

Wednesday, 22 August 2018

Funakoshi Karate Hojo Undo


Some examples of supplementary training in Master Gichin Funakoshi's karate, including iron-body methods such as the makiwara (machiwara), striking gravel with the finger-tips, hitting yourself with your arms and hands as well as with bamboo, conditioning the toes, applying dit da jow (medicinal "fall-hit wine"), and using a stone rolling-pin, and training with testu-sashi (iron kettle-bells in place of padlocks), tiger-style press-ups, and movement and stance training. 

Sunday, 19 August 2018