Kanku Sho Bunkai?

[Poseidon33]

Anyone know what the bunkai is for Kanku Sho? The 4th move is a stepping puch and then a wrist turn over. What is this wrist turnover, an escape? Slow or fast tempo?. Any knowledge on this move would be appreciated. Thank you.

[Wastelander]

Anyone know what the bunkai is for Kanku Sho? The 4th move is a stepping puch and then a wrist turn over. What is this wrist turnover, an escape? Slow or fast tempo?. Any knowledge on this move would be appreciated. Thank you.

We do Kusanku Sho, rather than the Shotokan version, but it does have a sequence at the beginning where you do oi-tsuki and then that turns over to chudan-ude-uke. We typically apply it as an elbow dislocation--you control their arm with the hikite of the punch, punch them to hurt/distract them, and immediately roll your arm over so that the top of your forearm presses against the elbow. We do the chudan-ude-uke movement pulling back into neko-ashi-dachi, which helps extend the arm for the ambar and also takes our weight off the lead foot so we can kick or knee with it at the same time.

All that said, you have to remember that Kusanku/Kanku Sho was modified by Itosu (and then Funakoshi) to fit into his "school-safe" curriculum, so it's entirely possible that he always intended for it to really be a punch followed by a block. For practical applications, I would look more into Kusanku/Kanku Dai, instead. The same goes for Passai/Bassai. They were still modified, of course, but the Dai versions seem to have been changed less than the Sho versions.

[ps1]

As far as bunkai, I've seen several things for this over the years. My advice is to ask your sensei what he/she believes it should be. If that doesn't work, come back and let us know.

Here's a video of the pacing for the kata:

[mal103]

I see this move as simply twisting your arm out of a wrist grab, I see the similar routine from Bassai as more of a choke after a strike.

Play around with it against a partner, but ensure you don't try to match it to another MA strike. Maybe the punch isn't a punch, it could be a push then a sharp pull back? It's followed by a decisive punch with a Kiai, I don't think it should be seen as a block but that could just be the way I think.

[ps1]

I see this move as simply twisting your arm out of a wrist grab, I see the similar routine from Bassai as more of a choke after a strike.

Play around with it against a partner, but ensure you don't try to match it to another MA strike. Maybe the punch isn't a punch, it could be a push then a sharp pull back? It's followed by a decisive punch with a Kiai, I don't think it should be seen as a block but that could just be the way I think.

I tend to agree with you here.

[sensei8]

Excuse me for asking this...have you asked your Sensei? I ask because the different viewpoints of any said Bunkai of any said Kata run a very wide gambit of its possibilities. I could say it's an escape release or I could say that it's a block [but I don't teach it that it is] or I could say that it's a way to do this or that.

Ask your Sensei!!

[Poseidon33]

Thanks for the help guys. So yeah basically it could technically be a lot of things. Whatever you want it to be lol. It is a pulling grabbing motion.

[pers]

I see this move as simply twisting your arm out of a wrist grab, I see the similar routine from Bassai as more of a choke after a strike.

Play around with it against a partner, but ensure you don't try to match it to another MA strike. Maybe the punch isn't a punch, it could be a push then a sharp pull back? It's followed by a decisive punch with a Kiai, I don't think it should be seen as a block but that could just be the way I think.

That is what we have told too ...it is a great kata , one of my favourites.

[sensei8]

Vastly EXPLORE that particular application and I believe that you'll find more than what you've been told by your sensei/instructor. However, it'll be hard to explore in the beginning because your mind will not release what your sensei/instructor has taught you...at first.

Stay with it and you'll see other effective applications!!

[GojuRyu Bahrain]

I have learned a very much related form in Kobudo, where the whole kata (very similar to Kanaku Sho) is performed with two jifa (okinawan wooden hairpins). These jifa look like tiny tonfa held one in each fist so that two ends protrude out on the thumb and little finger sides and the third end peeks out between index and middle finger. All three ends are pointed (sharp!).

Holding a jifa makes the punches much more effective (Key in fist - principle). The Uchi Uke pull-back motion after the punch then becomes a ripping motion (with the pin sticking out on the thumb side of our fist) to attack the inner side of the attackers arm. (Thats where some main arteries are ) The jifa also makes the remaining moves in the kata (a lot) more effective because with a jifa, those moves always rip open the attackers arms. I know its a freak explanation - but hey!

Another, more serious way of looking at this technique is from the Goju Ryu / Uechi Ryu perspective, where several Kata show exactly this punch block, also repeated three times at the beginning of the form (i.e. Sesan, Seishan, Sanserui, Suparimpai, Shisochin and Sanchin, albeit sometimes performed slowly and always in Sanchin Dachi). One explanation (that I don't like very much) is a simultaneous punch vs punch-block scenario. Hoowever, I see this move as a return to a very chinese gamei position that is fundamental to Uechi Ryu and its white crane and feeding crane ancestors. After all, why would one let the arms linger around with an extended (vulnerable) elbow joint? Get it back - keep it safe!