traditional kata

[Kirves]

It is the kind of kata that the original designer had real life fighting/combat experience, he designed the kata with an exact real life fighting bunkai in mind and taught it on to his students. Compare this with the modern kata, that are either the traditional kata with the bunkai lost, or kata designed by modern "masters" with no real life battle experience.

[Sho-ju]

IMO, Traditional doesn't exist. Tradition means to follow after someone and do things the way they did them. All kata are traditional in this way...we all perform kata like someone else.

 

I guess the question is, How do we know which kata are being done the way so and so taught and which are not? I don't think an answer can be given.

[Kirves]

There are lineages of tradition that have proof. For example, Sukunaihayashi Shorin-Ryu (Seibukan) has the certificates from Chotoku Kyan that they have all the bunkai Kyan taught. Not many can say that for their teachings (because many people who advertise they studied under Kyan, only actually did it for a couple of years and now show around a pic of their master sitting near Kyan and say: "see, our master was a student of Kyan!"). A photo of you sitting near some master is no way near the kind of proof if you have a certificate signed by the master saying you know everything he does about the stuff. Someone stayed with Kyan (or Motobu, or any other master) for a year or two. Someone stayed with them for 5 years. Someone stayed with them for 30 years. Guess who of them knows most about the stuff. Kyan developed katas. His students, like Zenryo Shimabukuro learned them and even added his own kata to the pool. Now his son is teaching the stuff, certified by his father that he learned all the stuff Zenryu put in his own kata, and all Kyan taught Zenryo. And they have Kyan's certification saying he taught everythin about his kata to Zenryo. And all who were students of Kyan know that Zenryo was there for the longest period of time. So there can be proof.

[Shorin Ryuu]

I do Kobayashi Shorin Ryu and I've learned all of our empty hand kata (Naihanchi Shodan, Naihanchi Nidan, Naihanchi Sandan, Pinan Shodan, Pinan Nidan, Pinan Sandan, Pinan Yondan, Pinan Godan, Passai Sho, Passai Dai, Chinto, Kusanku Sho, Kusanku Dai, Gorin, and Gojushiho). The only non-traditional one (I still haven't really decided if the Pinan kata are traditional or not; as watered down as they are, they were still created by great karate masters) is Gorin, which the head of my school created for a demonstration in the Olympics in the 1990s, I believe. Needless to say, it isn't my favorite one.

 

I like most of them, but I enjoy the Pinan kata and Gorin much less than the others.

[Bl4cKtH0rN]

Good!!

 

Karate is a secret!!