Funakoshi Sesan

Funakoshi Okinawan sesan gata, performed with kicks that thrust instead of snapping the knee (which I have found to be detrimental to the body, in my experience). 

The Wrong Path

We are on the wrong path. 

Selfishness, carelessness, ignorance, laziness, thoughtlessness, and greed are the traits we exhibit as a species. Not absolutely everyone behaves like this. There are innocent tribes dotted in various parts of the world. Our modern way of living is unnatural. We are impatient and stressed out. We need to change, as a collective. Like fighting a war or a sudden disaster, we need to ban together and each do our bit. I have not experienced a war, but I have experienced urgency, for I am South African and lived in Zimbabwe in the late 1990s when the government started expelling ethnic Europeans. The media elsewhere have noted the time as being the early 2000s, but I can assure you that it began in the ’90s. We had our bags packed ready to leave at a moment’s notice, and we went to England with no more than about £600. So I know difficulty. We, humans, are on the wrong track. And why? Simple, really, when you think about it. We are our own worst enemy. As in Chinese and Okinawan boxing, the real battle is with ourselves. We need to see our problems as us being at war with ourselves so that we take it deadly seriously with an absolute sense of immediacy. 

The Art of Okinawan Boxing

To fight effectively you have to relax. This is a point I struggled with for years. I eventually came to understand what it means, though I of course always continue to try to understand it better. It’s one of the key basic points that contains some of the secrets of boxing. Speed, mechanics and dynamics contain further secrets. All of these elements affect the effectiveness of the techniques executed. Additionally, whether you tense or not for the impact into your opponent is relevant but does not affect the mass that you deliver. Strength is useful sometimes, but speed which is increased by the correct muscular development is more important. You can be very strong and very slow and that’s no good. Applying strength in your blows is sometimes useful but naturally tensing is always effective as swift speed and the right amount of strength are most useful. Accuracy, aiming for vital points, is also necessary for the greatest efficiency. Following through your opponent is the mindset of complete intent applied to the highest degree for the most effective application. Your great energy must be delivered smoothly directly through the target. The technique should be a relaxed flicking twisting wrist with exact and conditioned form. Certain techniques and methods benefit from strength, such as grappling in certain instances but certainly not all, and gripping techniques. Above strength, harden your body, but remember that speed is everything. Practise striking a hard surface softly so you can strike a soft target hard but with speed over tensing and strength. Timing your correctly-distanced actions & reactions, waiting for the last moment, remaining ready, poised, calm and composed, when the attack comes you must have courage and no thought, and somewhat single-mindedly move in accordance, sharply, like lightning. 

Passai nu Bo

Funakoshi passai [sho] gata interpreted as a bojutsu gata. This is updated from the version which appeared in Origins of Shotokan produced in 2013. 

The Okinawan Fist and the Standard Fist: Applications

The Okinawan fist is useful, for a special grip against the nerve, and for punching a wall with the knuckles of the index and middle fingers by softening the clench of the fist to absorb the blows instead of just damaging your hands. It is also good for using the first knuckle of the thumb to attack the neck artery or throat, as well as forming chuko ippon ken, as in both instances the fist is supported by the index finger’s unusual position. This is particularly true for me as my thumbs are “double jointed”, as such, so I can fold them over my hands more so than most people. Sometimes in boxing having a difference in physique is useful and enables the application of alternative techniques. 

However, the regular fist formation is better for fighting because when moving quickly there is more freedom in the wrists. The special grip can always be applied anyway, and the thumb can be pressed against the folded index finger to create the same strong feeling felt when forming the Okinawan fist. Furthermore, the quick use of the Okinawan fist can give a jolt in the nerves due to the unnatural position of the index finger. You have to be relaxed and sharp to fight effectively. I feel the Okinawan fist should be applied in certain ways but not used in every instance. 

Sean R. Marshall

Okinawan Funakoshi Taikyoku Nidan and Sandan

The Okinawan style of Funakoshi taikyoku nidan and sandan gata. The variations laid out by Master Gichin Funakoshi are important because they represent the principle of varying each kata and that of making movements free. These two are the standard alternatives described in Karate-Do Kyohan. They did not feature in the first edition of this text.

Taikyoku [Shodan]

SRM

Funakoshi Wansu no Bo (Funakoshi Wansu nu Bo)

In my opinion, Funakoshi kobujutsu should be studied primarily through the techniques found in the open-handed kata which most definitely apply to this or that weapon, specifically the bo and sai. In addition, the techniques demonstrated by Master Funakoshi and his students should be studied. This is an illustration of Funakoshi wansu nu bo. 

Tenryu no Kon (Tenryu no Konbo / Tenryu nu Bo)

Tenryu no Konbo, a bojutsu kata that may have been practised by Master Gichin Funakoshi, found in some relevant karate schools, though there is no real evidence proving that any particular kobujutsu kata was practised and taught by Master Gichin Funakoshi.