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Reverend Sogen Sakiyama
One World Dojo has a spiritual approach to Kata.
The ten Koryu Classic Kata of GoJu-Ryu, were handed down directly from Kanryo Higashionna or created by Chojun Miyagi. These Kata are based on the Buddhist Sutras and Taoist principles. Advanced fighting techniques and spiritual components are merged in these Kata as can be seen in the various ancient Mudra (hand positions).
Kata can be merely fighting. It can also be a blessing or a spiritual exorcism. When you perform a Kata, you are borrowing the Kata temporarily. You are also borrowing the area of practice, and the time of practice. The opening of Kata is performed as a ritual, opening the gate to “the other world”. The closing of Kata is just as important, as this ritual closes the gate and keeps the two worlds from colliding. This brings a whole new depth to the concepts of the Kata opening – bowing when Kata begins and ends.
Embusen (Mandala) are lines of direction forming a pattern on the floor. Kata follow Embusen. Perpendicular directions signify death while diagonal directions signify life. There is also a vertical component of Kata in rising of the body to heaven and falling to earth. When we practice Kata along the Embusen lines, rising and falling and using various Mudra and Mantra (kiai), we become the Mandala and are temporarily at one with the spirit world.
Done correctly, that is to say when the spine is in proper alignment, hands are in the proper position, breath is coordinated, mindset is placed, and emotional content is added, the Go and the Ju unite. Then Kata can bring us to a moment of Samadhi, an awakening, a touching of heaven, an ecstasy or a religious experience which, besides self defense, is an original purpose of the ancient portions of Kata.
In other words, you become a conduit for many spiritual forces. Be mindful of your feelings when practicing Koryu Kata.
Kata Class is for Platinum OWD Members Only
• Bible Kata • Three Battle Conflict •
Sanchin Kata is the first “Bible” Kata and the basis for all of GoJu-Ryu.
Sanchin is designed to harmonize the mind, body, and spirit. It is referred to as “moving Zen”. The basic principles and strategies of defense and attack are buried in Sanchin: Rooting, grounding, voiding, deflection, projection, absorption, repelling, ripping, tearing, gouging, locking, breaking and throwing. Sanchin teaches us how to coordinate specific breathing patterns with physical movement, mindfulness and sense of higher spiritual power (the three conflicts of mind, body and spirit). When doing Sanchin, concentrate on the connection between the Dandian, back of the neck and between the eyes.
Sanchin is an emotionally neutral Kata.
Sanchin is performed with deep, slow breathing into the Dandian and intense rhythmic dynamic muscle tension developing a body capable of withstanding powerful blows. This development is called the iron shirt or invisible armor. Sanchin is considered to be a Go, or hard Kata, but in reality it is a fine balance of hard and soft. Chojun Miyagi said, the goal is to connect and balance all of these elements and reach a state of “Sanchin ecstasy”. It is possible that the ecstasy you feel is the result of feel-good chemicals produced in the brain due to the straight spine and arm alignment in coordination with the specific breathing patterns, emotional and spiritual placement within your consciousness.
During the early developmental days of GoJu-Ryu, Chojun Miyagi supposedly required new students to practice Sanchin every day for three years before learning any other Kata. Sanchin is necessary to develop a firm understanding of the basics of GoJu-Ryu Karate and a body strong enough to practice the art. While Sanchin may seem to be a simple and easy Kata to perform, it is not. The intense torqueing of the arms and legs, coordinated with the deep breathing and body locking, makes this Kata very hard to do.
It is the only Kata where the instructor checks the student’s strength and body alignment through a ritual called “Sanchin Shime”. During Sanchin Shime, the instructor feels the muscle and bone alignment, tests the strength of the body and stance by striking, pushing and pulling various parts of the student’s body, and manipulates the student’s Chi by projecting or absorbing his own Chi into or out from the student. In this ritual, the student suffers pain which he must ignore and endure. This is the heart of the iron body training and the beginnings of learning compassion.
In some cases, instructors who are not properly educated in Sanchin Shime will strike the student too hard in the wrong places or at the wrong times. This is dangerous and must not be tolerated on the Dojo floor. It will cause unnecessary suffering on the student’s part and may result in either bodily, emotional or spiritual damage to both student and teacher.
When done properly, Sanchin is a wonderful Kata. If I only have time in my day to do just one Kata, it will be Sanchin.
• Bible Kata • Misty Rotating Palms • Clearing •
Tensho is Chojun Miyagi’s creation and his answer to the hardness of Sanchin. It means “Misty Rotating Palms”. Miyagi developed Tensho based on rotating palm and wrist techniques he learned on his trips to China. Tensho is part two of the Bible of GoJu-Ryu.
Tensho focuses on soft circular hand, wrist and arm movements with coordinated breathing to generate, control and project Chi. It is a Kata of calm control. The key in Tensho is to let go of all tension, allowing your energy to flow into your hands and feet, projecting it outwards. A supplementary exercise is moving your hands as if they were fish or lobster tails swimming in water.
Tensho is a clearinghouse of physical and spiritual blockages. The Kata wipes the student’s emotional slate clean. It is considered to be a Ju or soft Kata but similarly to Sanchin, it is a blend of both hard and soft.
Tensho, like Sanchin, is also an emotionally neutral Kata.
Too many students misunderstand the relationship of Tensho to Sanchin, and attempt to perform them the same way – with full body tension and loud breathing. The idea in Tensho is to soften the body and perform the techniques with fluid motions, while projecting power into and out of the hands and feet. The breathing in Tensho has more of a lively feeling than the heavy breathing in Sanchin.
If tension is added to the Kata, it is focused to the hands and fingers, maximizing the bending and twisting of the wrists and strengthening of the fingertips. The direct result is the development of strong forearms and fingers facilitating the joint breaks, tearing and ripping we find throughout the GoJu-Ryu Kata.
The hand movements in Tensho, as in all Kata, are combat based, but they can be also interpreted as gestures to convey a message or writing “words of power” in space. Keeping this in mind adds yet another layer of spiritual complexity when deciphering this Kata’s deeper meaning and purpose.
The key Mudra in Tensho are fearlessness and compassion. The rising, falling and sideways hand movements are also reminiscent of a religious sign of power. I don’t know if Miyagi had experienced a religious realization during his travels, experimentation or interactions with religious groups on Okinawa but it may be a possibility due to the similarities in the physical motion and spiritual work involved with Tensho.
Much of Miyagi’s original intentions are unknown and, therefore, any attempt to nail down the what and why of Tensho is shrouded in mystery.
Perhaps that is the intent of Tensho, to explore the mystery of the misty rotating palms.
• Breaking Stones Ten Times • Smash, Rip and Tear • Rage •
Saifa Kata is the first Koryu Classic Kata of Traditional Okinawan GoJu-Ryu Karate.
My teacher once told me that in order to build a new and better building, you must first destroy the old one standing in the way. He said: “Go practice Saifa”.
The word “Saifa” means breaking stones ten times. The purpose of this Kata is to destroy, annihilate, and defeat the opponent by pounding, pulverizing, smashing, ripping and tearing. In essence, Saifa is a violent, destructive Kata.
The base human emotion is rage. This is the first emotion we address in the Koryu Classic Kata, since it is the most destructive and most easily stimulated. Some people lose their temper and quickly become angry. Some people are slow to anger and some even have a very hard time expressing anger at all avoiding it at all costs. Sometimes a person becomes angry and does not express it but holds onto it for a long time becoming passive aggressive whereas others release their anger quickly.
Use Saifa Kata to practice controlling your feelings of rage. The goal is not to become angry, but rather to use anger as a tool, as you would use a block, punch or kick. The result is to turn your anger on and off at will instantly, infusing its power into the techniques.
A punch thrown with no emotion is not as powerful as a punch thrown infused with rage. It not only contains kinetic force, but spiritual force. Synchronized with the breath, this is your most powerful punch.
When beginning Saifa Kata, fill your mind with the feeling of rage. Picture disturbing events from your life in which you became angry, sad and hurt. Imagine people who have done bad things to you. Think about times you may have been bullied, cheated on, stolen from, abused or beat up. Then, as the anger builds to a peak, dive into the first sequence with full physical and emotional force. That technique completed, stop and let the anger go, and calm down. Then build up the anger again into the next sequence. Release and continue through the Kata this way.
By turning the rage on and off through the Kata, you will gain control of your anger.
At first it will be hard to do. However, as you practice Saifa this way, your Kata will get stronger and you will become proficient at raising the rage quickly and letting it go quickly. The speed of this transition is very important. The faster you can cycle the emotion on and off, the better.
You have now added anger to your Martial Arts toolbox.
Don’t let anger control you.
You control the anger.
Use it as needed.
• Control, Supress, Pull Off Balance • Pull Into Battle • Balance The Heart •
Love creates life. Love is the bedrock of compassion. Love is a very powerful emotion.
Seiyunchin means to control, suppress, pull off balance, grasp and pull into battle making the enemy fight your fight. You have your opponent completely under control.
If Saifa Kata teaches us how to control and use our rage, never again becoming angry, Seiyunchin teaches about the other end of the emotional spectrum – love. If you can convince a potential opponent that he has nothing to fear, he may let down his guard, and allow you to control the situation and get a tactical advantage or hopefully avoid a confrontation.
Seiyunchin primarily moves along the diagonal lines of the embusen signifying life. Also, love is a primary motivator in creating life.
The body has several energy centers (chakras). The chakra most focused on in Martial Arts is the Dantian. In Seiyunchin we also pay attention to another vital chakra; the heart. We concentrate on balancing the heart chakra, located in the center of your chest.
When you begin Seiyunchin Kata, fill yourself with loving thoughts. Think about the people you have affection for, when you got your first job, your first love, and your first accomplishments. As these feelings reach a peak, step into the first frame of Seiyunchin. As you perform the Kata, notice that your hands cross the body’s centerline. With each hand motion, you actually manipulate the energy of your heart.
During the first three movements, your hands open the heart chakra and then offer love to your opponent. The Kata then takes us through several manipulations of the heart energy. We project out from, and absorb into, the heart. We rip and tear at it, balance it through vertical movements and turn it over in the double elbow sections. We finish the Kata by holding the heart gently between our hands.
The goal is to infuse peaceful, soft and loving feelings into your technique as you manipulate and project your heart energy.
An observer may even be able to detect a slight smile on your face while doing Seiyunchin Kata.
In addition to the emotional aspect of Seiyunchin, the Kata’s physical principles include: Rising and falling, expansion and contraction, synchronization of foot and hand, and build up of power with a sudden explosive release. This Kata has elements from the internal Taoist art of Xing-Yi (Mind-Boxing) mixed with the Shaolin arts.
Several sections of Seiyunchin are performed lively but slowly, giving the Kata a meditative quality. Aside from Sanchin, this Kata is the one most likely, in Karate circles, to be categorized as “moving meditation”. Contrary to this belief is that while moving slowly in Seiyunchin, you are generating intense, but controlled, physical, emotional and spiritual energy.
Being able to control our emotions is vital in the Martial Arts. Saifa and Seiyunchin Kata are designed to teach that important lesson.
• Thirteen • Sancification • Purification •
Seisan is the next of the Buddhist numbered Kata (13) after Sanchin.
The opening of Seisan Kata is a double-handed, closed-fist, chest block. But if you open your hands, they are in the same position most religions of the world use to pray. With hands raised you give your love and ask for grace from whatever you believe to be a higher spiritual power. Opening Seisan this way gives us a feeling of sanctification, purification and a connection to the universal powers underlying everything we do.
Throughout the various Mudras in Seisan Kata, you can feel a sense of a higher power and purpose. The Mudras connect heaven, man and earth through rising palms, forward palms and downward palms in various combinations.
Seisan Kata multiplies the three conflicts of mind, body and spirit, by the connection of heaven, man and earth plus the four directions – north, south, east, and west in which the Kata is performed, giving Seisan its Buddhist number of thirteen: 3 x 3 + 4 = 13.
Interestingly, the four compass directions signify death (whereas the four diagonals signify life). I find this interesting because when we enter the Dojo we consider ourselves dead, and when we leave we are given the gift of life once again. In other words, upon entering the Dojo we face our death in possible combat and strive to purify our spirit by training in the space between the worlds of the living and the dead.
Performing Seisan Kata should feel like a religious prayer. This is why opening the hands and pausing slightly upon the opening double chest blocks is important. As you open, breathe in deeply and fill yourself with the universal energy. Absorb the energies of the students surrounding you. Suck it all in and sink it into your Dantian. This way of approaching Seisan will give your opening three punches tremendous spiritual power that will sustain through to the end of the Kata.
Seisan is a powerful Kata meant to fight close quarter, hand-to-hand against other unarmed people. Like Sanchin Kata, Seisan contains virtually everything one would need in a non-weapon altercation. The Kata is designed for in-close fighting with short range, powerful yet simple techniques.
Historically, Seisan Kata is a direct descendant of the Luohan Quan Buddha Palm; the root style that most Shaolin Kung Fu and many other non-Shaolin styles are based on. It was handed down by the Buddhist monks who escaped Shaolin’s destruction.
There are many versions of Seisan Kata practiced by different Karate styles. The GoJu-Ryu version is a simplified one containing the core and main principles of the original Shaolin form, complete with the ancient Mudras.
Purifying ourselves through Seisan Kata clears the way for us to move from an emotional space to a character building practice as we will see in the next Kata, Seipai.
• Eighteen • Confidence •
Previously we learned to control our emotions with Saifa and Seiyunchin and purified ourselves through the sanctification of Seisan. Next we start building confidence through Seipai Kata.
Seipai Kata is a Buddhist form originating from the Shaolin Temple combined with circular elements of the Internal Taoist art of Bagua.
Interestingly, while Seipai is a Buddhist form, the first three sequences are not done the same way as the other Buddhist forms of Sanchin, Seisan, Sanseiru and Peichurin (Suparumpei) – with a double chest block/punch sequence. Although, upon closer examination, the opening right knife hand parry of Seipai is just a variation of a closed hand chest block and the next two movements combining chest blocks and punches are just like in the other Buddhist Kata. Look closely and you will see the chest block and punch. The difference is the hands are clasping each other rather than apart. It is another variation on a theme showing alternative fighting applications.
Seipai means eighteen (18) which is the product of the unification of mind, body and spirit (3) multiplied by heaven, earth and man (3) multiplied by the duality of Yin and Yang (2). This Kata primarily utilizes circular and evading techniques while advancing toward your opponent. It contains energy redirects, joint breaks and throws.
While Saifa, Seiyunchin and Seisan Kata all involve fighting against the unarmed opponent, Seipai Kata is designed to fight against an opponent armed with a mid to long range bladed weapon such as a spear, sword or knife. Facing a bladed weapon requires a different mindset and strategy from facing an unarmed opponent. You cannot retreat while blocking the weapon since the tip of the blade will chase you down and cut you to ribbons. You must sidestep into the attack creating a void then counter with a disarming and finishing technique such as a limb or neck break.
Seipai is aggressive in nature and it teaches us how to close the gap between an opponent several feet away while avoiding his long-reaching blade, disarming and defeating him. The only way to prevent getting cut is to move forward with extreme confidence in yourself and your techniques.
The opening posture, as well as several others in Seipai Kata, will give you a sense of confidence and self-assurance. When moving into and holding these postures, keep confidence in your mind and take command of the floor. It cannot be stressed enough how important it is to have confidence is in life and especially in Seipai.
As you move into the higher Kata, confidence is required. You will be facing more difficult challenges, in the physical, emotional and spiritual sense. Your fortitude will be tested.
• Four Direction Conflict • Clarity •
After we have built our confidence through Seipai, the next step up the ladder is to rid ourselves of any doubts, or delusions. We do this with Shisochin Kata, meaning four direction conflict and battle. Another way to think about the lessons contained in the “four directions” is to see everything clearly aound you.
Shisochin Kata is related to Seiyunchin Kata. Miyagi may have formulated these Kata based on his experiences with Xing-YI Quan, a Taoist internal Martial Art meaning, “mind boxing”.
As in Seiyunchin, the basic physical principles of Shisochin are: Rising and falling, expansion and contraction, synchronization of foot and hand, and build-up of power with a sudden explosive release. The drop elbow sequences are straight out of a Chi-Gung handbook for power development.
The key to Shisochin is the Mudra, a swiping block followed by an arm break or throw. This movement, in terms of Mudra, means to wipe away all delusion with the Sword of Enlightenment. Imagine the movement as drawing open a curtain, which has shielded, masked or distorted the true nature of things. This Mudra is performed in the four diagonal directions, signifying life, for total clarity of reality.
Delusion is an idiosyncratic belief or impression that is firmly maintained, despite being contradicted by reality, or rational deduction.
Shisochin Kata deals with ending delusion.
We all have preconceived notions about ourselves and the world. Most of our beliefs have been shaped through our own filters and the perceptions of those around us. Unfortunately, our views of reality often substantially differ from actual reality. Things aren’t always what they appear to be. Often the truth is masked in response to inner turmoil, lack of confidence, jealousy, insecurity, etc.
Karate is not just about fighting. It is also about living with other people. In order to interact mindfully, we must be able to see through other people’s self-created images (or delusions) they build around themselves.
As we move on to the next Kata and reach higher spiritual planes, we need to see the world and ourselves clearly, without distortion.
Do not doubt your techniques and ability. Strive to see the world as it truly is – not through your predefined filters. Strive to know your true self without ego getting in the way. Cut through the delusion and see clearly. The ability to see reality clearly is a fundamental stepping stone on the path towards enlightenment.
Wipe away all doubt and delusion with Shisochin Kata.
• Thirty-six • Projection •
So far in our Kata journey, we have mastered our emotions with Saifa and Seiyunchin, achieved purity through Seisan, gained confidence in Seipai and achieved clarity by wiping away any remaining doubts or delusion with Shisochin. We are now ready to leave the Dojo, and project ourselves out into the living world.
Sanseiru is the next Buddhist based Kata. We arrive at Sanseiru’s meaning of thirty-six by multiplying the nine of Seisan (mind, body and spirit x heaven, earth and man) by the four compass points (north, east, south, west).
While the previous Kata teach fighting against man, Sanseiru Kata works on the spiritual plane of psychic projection. The four perpendicular compass point directions of the Kata signify death. The danger of doing Sanseiru lies in the connection of death and psychic projection. If you do not finish the Kata properly, closing the door between the two worlds of the living and the dead, strange and unpleasant things may occur in your life. In Sanseiru you are, in essence, battling death so you may live. This Kata must be trained under the supervision of an advanced teacher.
Sanseiru Kata teaches how to channel your energies to project yourself into the world.
The techniques in Sanseiru Kata are done with a feeling of “reaching out and touching someone”. The double kick and following kick elbow sequences, as well as the double block into double punch, teach us to shoot our powers out in all directions.
Through Sanseiru Kata, and the focus on projecting outwards, we examine how others perceive us; who we are, and what we have in our lives. How you dress, wear your hair, walk, talk, act, and how you interact with others is the spiritual key to Sanseiru Kata. Look at your achievements. Look at your failures. Look at your family and friends, your work and hobbies, and your health. Equally important, is how others feel about you and the actions you take.
You can see how you project yourself out into the world by looking at the results of your projection. Do people like you or are they afraid? Are others attracted or repulsed by you? What kind of life do you have?
There are people who change the world for the better through their projection, those who make almost no difference and those who cause destruction and pain.
After learning Sanseiru, I began imagining fights everywhere I went. Getting into fights was the last thing I wanted and I knew if I kept on that course I would attract the very thing I did not want. I also began to notice, in the Dojo, that junior students were reacting to my “projecting” at them during two person drills. They were passing out before I even touched them. It freaked me out and I stopped training at the Dojo for several years. I used the time to study and train on my own. I realized that in order to reach enlightenment through the Martial Arts my techniques had to be deadly, but moreover, that intent needed to be projected in the Kata.
People perceive and react to who you are, based on your projection. So take a good look at your life, and if you don’t like what you see, change it. Project yourself out into the world, the way you want, and live life to it’s fullest. Sanseiru Kata will give you that ability.
• Holding Ground • Joy •
Kururunfa Kata is related to Saifa Kata. Whereas Saifa focuses on the emotion of rage, Kururunfa focuses on eradicating the source of rage; suffering.
Once we learn to project ourselves into the world through Sanseiru, we look around through the clarity of Shisochin and see how much suffering there is in the world. Every one of us has suffered sometime in our lives. For many, this suffering is constant and debilitating. For others, it is the driving force behind destructive actions that hurt others.
Suffering is like having a dark cloud hanging over your head affecting every aspect of your life.
Besides the advanced fighting techniques contained in Kururunfa Kata, it is also designed to end suffering resulting in a joyful life.
Kurununfa Kata’s opening contains movements that stretch the hip joints, since this Kata relies on hip torqueing to achieve maximum power. The sequences in Kururunfa build your Chi by driving forward, projecting power from the Dantian and building to climactic explosions.
The animal most referred to for Kururunfa is the Dragon. The Dragon is powerful and wise yet remains hidden and unseen. It has tremendous patience and will wait eons to emerge. When it does, it comes forth with its whipping tail, fire breath and tremendous strength. Many of the techniques in Kururunfa mirror these qualities of “holding and striking suddenly”.
The “full nelson release” sequence is the spiritual heart and center of the Kata, and involves raising your hands in joyous prayer, then reaching into that dark cloud of suffering hanging over your head, yanking it down (Kiai is “Ha”) and discarding it by tossing it into the ground (Kiai is “Hey”). It is a spiritual cleansing of the highest magnitude.
The first time you do this properly, as you drop to the earth, you will be overcome with sadness. This is your body processing the suffering, converting it to Chi in your Dantian, and then dissipating it by throwing it away, into the ground. It is an extremely powerful movement.
When I first discovered this, I found myself sitting on my butt in the sand at the beach, sobbing uncontrollably. It felt as if all my troubles were suddenly lifted off my shoulders. All that was left was the deep blue sky, lightly lapping waves, a slight breeze in the air and a feeling of wonder and absolute joy. It was a watershed moment in my Martial Arts training and profoundly changed my experience of GoJu-Ryu Kata.
Kururunfa means “to hold ground”. Perhaps the spiritual interpretation of this is to stand firm against the suffering of mankind, defeat it and release the joy that springs forth from the universe.
This is a powerful Kata that paves the way and prepares you for the final and ultimate Kata of GoJu-Ryu, Peichurin.
• One Hundred And Eight • Fearless Compassion •
Peichurin (Suparumpei) Kata is the highest form in the Buddhist Martial Arts and specifically GoJu-Ryu. On the first day of the New Year, Buddhists ring a bell 108 times to rid themselves of the 108 passions of man. 108 is a meaningful number in Buddhism, and is applied to this Kata.
The foot patterns of Peichurin Kata follow the eight compass points signifying both life and death. The primary hand positions in Peichurin are Abhaya & Varada Mudra, meaning “I am not afraid of you so therefore I can be compassionate to you – I do not fear you, so I can give freely”. Servicing others is the highest form of human interaction.
In Peichurin you will face all 108 passions, or emotions, as you move from gate to gate of the Mandala. You use the correct Mudra and Mantra, to request entrance or crash through each gate, merging with the deity guarding the gate. Finally, you enter the heart of the Mandala and become one with the Kata.
Practicing Peichurin, with these thoughts in mind, will elevate you beyond “skin and bones” Karate and the simple fighting that the Martial Arts have developed into today. It is the Martial Arts of the enlightened person, who seeks to make the world around him a better place, free from suffering and full of joy.
As you walk through the world projecting who you are, no longer subject to your own emotions, delusions and suffering, you walk the path of loving kindness based on fearless compassion. This is the purpose and end goal of studying the Kata of GoJu-Ryu.
“I do not fear you. I have compassion for you.”
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