沖縄剛柔流唐手琉球古武道

Return of Toudijutsu.com

2011-04-07T22:14:00.001-07:00

Well it's official. I am working on re-establishing Toudijutsu.com. So far it's just a site for my own person dojo, the Ryuhokan. However I will be posting some technical topics inside the members area for my students.

Best wishes everyone.

Saifa 砕破

2011-01-29T14:21:00.000-08:00

Saifa (砕破, To Smash and Tear) is one of those kata that no matter how you research it, it's nearly impossible to put your finger just exactly on where it came from. The traditional story is that Higashionna Kanryo brought it back with him from China. However there is no Chinese form currently existing that even resembles Saifa. There are techniques in Saifa that resemble movements from the Tiger Fist system, however it also resembles the Lion Fist system.

Akio Kinjo has suggested that Saifa may have it's origins in the Lion Fist system from Fujian. If you play with the kanji you will find that 獅法 (or Lion Law) is pronounced as Shifa in Mandarin. This could be a potential link to where the kata originated.

Based on the theory that Higashionna Kanryo trained with the same Ru Ru Ko as Nakaima Kenri and Sakiyama Kitoku, I would have to say it's unlikely that this kata came from the same source. Additionally Kyoda Juhatsu was noted as saying that Higashionna Kanryo only taught four kata which were Sanchin, Sanseiru, Seisan, and Pechurin. So this leads back to the original question of where did this kata come from?

Personally I believe that this kata originated with Miyagi Chojun. I am unsure if it came form China or if he based it on techniques that he saw while he was in China, but there is no other Naha-Te type system that used a kata by this name prior to the turn of the century (1900).

I have posted the way that I perform the Saifa kata. My kata comes from the Seiko Higa lineage, which is slightly different than the more common Meibukan and Jundokan versions that many people are familiar with.

Akemashite Omedetou Gozaimasu!

2011-01-16T08:35:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! In reflection of everything that has happened in 2010 I have decided to take this blog in a new direction and focus on the technical points of Goju Ryu and Ryukyu Kobudo.

I have been practicing karate for a long time, this year is going to be my 27th year, and even after this much time I am still constantly learning new things and breaking old things apart. Karate is wonderful because it's a never ending process. One can dedicate their life to karate and never truly master it. The challenge is not against others, but against yourself. What is best for you, what works for you, and what can you physically do? Constant evaluation and reevaluation, this is what makes a normal karateka into a great karateka. Like I have often said, it's not always about theory but what can you do on the floor. So while some of these posts this year might get long, I will also be posting videos, showing how I do things when I'm on the floor.

So if you are interested in what I do, please keep checking back from time to time for updates. I am going to try to get at least one post out a month, but there may be several per month based on how much time I have. Thank you for stopping by and I hope you continue to check in.

Best Wishes, and I wish you all a wonderful 2011.

Gambatte!