Note: This three part series examines the origins of the Han Moo Kwan forms. The first part discussed the history, and lineage of Han Moo Kwan as well as the origins of the Kibon series. The second part reveals the origins of Pyung Ahn series, ShipSu, and No Pe Hyung.
Pyung Ahn series
This series contains five forms and was created by Anko Itsou, a master of Okinawan Karate in 1907 [2], and introduced into the school systems thereafter. In Okinawan this form is called Pinan and in Japanese it is called Heian.
In Bishop’s Okinawan Karate, based on interviews with Okinawan masters, “Itosu had learned the kata Chiang Nan from a Chinese who lived on Okinawa, and later remodeled and simplified into five basic katas, calling them Pinan because the Chinese Chiang Nan was too difficult to pronounce [5]”.
Pinan is most often translated as "well-balanced" and "peaceful". Another translation based on the original Chinese characters is “Safe from Harm” [12, Article 39].
Motobu writes in his book, “As to the Pinan (5 kata) the modern time warrior Mr. Itsou originated this style to use as teaching material for his students [6]”.
According to Nagamine, “He created the five Pinan kata in an effort to introduce and familiarize beginner’s with the fundamental techniques of to-te. To this day, the Pinan (Heian in Japanese) kata continue to serve as the introductory platform in which much of the basis of modern karate-do rest [7].”
Funakoshi changed the Okinawan kata names to Japanese names (therefore Pinan was changed to Heian which translates to “peaceful mind”. As he wrote in his autobiography, “I began to give the kata names that were easier for the Japanese people to use and that have now become familiar all over the worlds [8]”.
Funakoshi in reference to these forms wrote “Having mastered these five forms, one can be confident that he is able to defend himself competently in most situations. The meaning of the name is to be taken in this context [1].”
”Pyung-ahn" is a Korean pronunciation of the term "pin-an". As originally taught by Itsou, the form we call Pyung Ahn 2 was the first of the series taught to the students. Funakoshi reversed the order. “The writer has introduced this change after consideration of their various points of difficulty and ease of teaching [1]”. These forms are taught to Intermediate students in Han Moo Kwan. All five Pyang-Ahn forms are almost identical to those taught in the karate and Korean styles mentioned in Table 1. It is almost certain that Mr. Chun Sang Sup based the Korean Pyung-Ahn series on the Japanese Heian series and brought the series to Korea where he taught it to Mr. Lee Kyo Yoon who, in turn, taught to Mr. Kim who retained them for our Han Moo Kwan club.
Shipsu
Based on the research conducted to date, there is little information available on history of this form. While exact originator of Shipsu is unknown, it is consistently written to have originated from China [3], [5], [9]. In Okinawan, it is called Jitte and in Japanese it is called Jutte. It is most often translated as meaning “Ten Hands” (i.e., the weapon with the power of ten hands).
Bishop indicates Jitte (Jute, Jitti) is part of Kobayashi Shorin-Ryu but not Shorin-Ryu [5]. This would lead one to believe that Anko Itsou integrated the form into Okinawa karate. This is consistent with an article in Fighting Arts.com by Joe Swift. In that article it is stated “Jitte is said to have been taught by a Chinese castaway in the Tomari (the small seaport town nearest Shuri, the capital of Okinawa) region.” He goes on to say “It is not known where Funakoshi may have learned the kata, but Anko Itosu seems to be the best bet. In fact, Sakagami (the karate historian) states that although Itosu modified many kata to fit his physical education tradition, he seems to have left the Tomari kata of Jitte, Jion and Jiin pretty much alone, thus hinting that Itosu did indeed teach versions of these kata (Sakagami, 1978) [9].”
Swift also writes “Although many of the applications of Jitte in the modern Shotokan world seem to rely upon empty hand defenses against a stave-wielding attacker, some believe that Jitte may actually be descended from a bojutsu kata (Iwai, 1992). Unfortunately, neither can be proved with any satisfying certainty [9].”
Funakoshi described this form as belonging to the “Shorei school, and the movements are somewhat heavy as compared with those of the Shorin school, but the stance is very bold. They provide good physical training, although they are difficult for beginners. The name Jutte implies that one who has mastered this kata is as effective as ten men [1].”
Swift writes “Jitte is a kata that clearly distinguishes the upper, middle and lower levels of technique (Shoto, 1914) [9].”
In Korean martial arts, Shipsu can also been seen in literature under the names Ship Soo and Sip Soo. The Han Moo Kwan version of Shipsu is almost identical to those taught in the karate and Korean styles mentioned in Table 1 although there are some differences. It is most likely that Mr. Chun Sang Sup based his Korean version of the form on the Japanese Jitte and brought the form to Korea where he taught it to Mr. Lee Kyo Yoon who, in turn, taught to Mr. Kim who retained them for our Han Moo Kwan club.
No Pe Hyung
While there is a little more information on this form than Shipsu found in the research, it was difficult to track from a lineage perspective. This form seems to have been modified from master to master so greatly that there are fewer similarities in the Han Moo Kwan version versus the Japanese or the Okinanwan versions as compared to the other forms compared in this research.
It is evident that No Pe Hyung is based on forms that are called Rohai which translates approximately to “Vision of a Crane”in Okinawan and Meikyo which translates to “Bright or Polished Mirror” in Japanese. While the exact originator of Rohai is unknown, it is consistently written to have originated from China [5], [6].
In Motobu’s book Okinawan Kempo, he lists Rohai as kata “which have been used in Ryu Kyu from the ancient days” and also noted among a few other kata that Rohai “are not left in China today and remain only in Okinawa as active Martial Arts [6]”.
Nagamine writes “Although the composer of this kata is unknown, it has a long history. The present kata of Rohai has been inherited by karatemen around Tomari village [2]”.
Bishop indicates Rohai is part of Shorin-Ryu but not Kobayashi Shorin-Ryu [5], although other litierature has referred to Itosu’s Rohai. Also according to Bishop, Shorin-Ryu teaches Rohai as three forms, while Matsubayashi-Ryu only teaches one of the three parts [5]. Throughout the research it appears there is a similar trend in Japanese Shotokan, where some schools are teaching one only one form while others teach Meikyo as a series of three forms. This, in my opinion, has added to the difficulty in tracing the origins of this form.
Shoshin Nagamine’s Matsubayashi-Ryu version of Rohai also mostly resembles Matsumora Rohai [2].
In Korean martial arts, No Pe Hyung can also been seen in literature written as Ro Hai. Throughout my research, I have not been able to find a translation for No Pe Hyung.
The Han Moo Kwan version of No Pe Hyung is most similar to the one taught in Matsubayashi-Ryu karate and in the Korean style mentioned in Table 1 although there are some differences.
Since it is obvious that both Itsou and Funakoshi changed this form, the rationale as to why the Han Moo Kwan equivalent is not more similar to Funakoshi’s version (like the other forms) is uncertain. One can postulate that since Funakoshi was a disciple of Sokon Matsumura as well, that he learned that form and it was part of his set of forms he taught at one time. It was this version that was passed along to Mr. Chun Sang Sup who brought the form to Korea where he taught it to Mr. Lee Kyo Yoon who, in turn, taught to Mr. Kim who retained them for our Han Moo Kwan club. This however, is pure speculation, and I have no evidence to support it.
In the final part (Part III), the origins of the Mepojan series will be provided as well as a discussion of the evolution of the forms over time.
Regards,
Kelly
"Even after many years, kata practice is never finished, for there is always something new to be learned about executing a movement." ~ Shoshin Nagamine (1907-1997), Founder of Okinawan Matsubayashi-Ryu Karate
References
1. Karate-Do Kyohan: The Master Text by Gichin Funakoshi
2. The Essence of Okianwan Katate-Do by Shoshin Nagamine
3. Tang Soo Do: The Ultimate Guide to the Korean Martial Art by Kang Uk Lee
4. Tae Kwon Do Classic Forms: 21 Hyung--Novice White Belt through Advanced Black Belt by Ted Hillson
5. Okinawan Karate by Mark Bishop
6. Okinawan Kempo by Choki Motobu
7. Tales of Okinawa’s Great Masters by Shoshin Nagamine
8. Karate-do My Way of Life by Gichin Funakoshi
9. Roots Of Shotokan: Funakoshi's Original 15 Kata by Joe Swift (http://www.fightingarts.com/reading/article.php?id=220, http://www.fightingarts.com/reading/article.php?id=221, http://www.fightingarts.com/reading/article.php?id=2212 )
10. Hidden Karate: The True Bunkai For the Heian Katas and Naihanchi by Gennosuke Higaki
11. Hartman, R. (2006). Taekwondo Tutor [Online]. Available: TKDTutor.com [31 December 2009].
12. http://www.iainabernethy.com/articles/article_home.asp
Unpublished work © 2010 Kelly McInerney.All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.
Monday, March 1, 2010
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