Learning from the past: From the Pangai-Noon-Ryu to the Uechi-Ryu Karate-do
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The origin of the Uechi-Ryu Karate comes from a martial arts style called Pangai- Noon-Ryu, which is a branch of the Southern Shaolin martial arts that developed mainly in China's Fujian province. The style of the Uechi-Ryu Karate is distinguished by the incorporation of the movements of the dragon, tiger, and crane. These techniques are reflected in the Sanchin (three battles), Seisan (thirteen), and Sanseiryu (thirty-six) that are based on Ryu-sohken (dragon fist), Tora-sohken (tiger fist), and Tsuru-sohken (crane fist), which continue to exist in Chinese martial arts.
At the age of 20, Kanbun Uechi, the founder of the Uechi-Ryu Karate, moved to Fuzhou City, Fujian Province, China, and became a student of Shu Shiwa, a prominent figure in the Southern School of Shaolin Kung Fu. Kanbun Uechi underwent 13 years of rigorous training in Shaolin martial arts, Chinese language, and Chinese herbal medicine. After receiving a Shaolin martial arts license and permission to open a dojo from Shu Shiwa, he became the first Japanese to open a dojo in Nanjing, Fuzhou City, where he taught for three years and later returned to his hometown. For 17 years after his return, Shaolin training was kept private for personal reasons. Consequently, he was engaged in searching for a new way to pursue an unceasing self-inquiry in a closed environment.
In 1926 (Year 15 in Taisho Era), Kanbun opened Pangai-Noon Ryukyu Jutsu (Pangai-Noon Okinawan martial art) in Tehira-cho, Wakayama City. The teaching philosophy maintains tradition, he selects only a small number of elites. Each new student required a guarantor, and Kanbun maintained his secrecy that he did not let others watch his rigorous training sessions. The training mainly involved what he learned from Shu Shiwa, such as Sanchin, Seisan, Sanseiryu, Kote Kitae (forearm tempering), and Kakeai (free attack and defense), and the students wore only underwear or shorts without anything on their upper bodies while getting trained. The training mainly consisted of individual instruction, and students received limited time to receive actual instruction from Kanbun. As the students honed their skills, they began to expand into the Osaka and Hyogo areas. In order to strengthen the organization, the Shubu-Kai (the association for the mastery of the martial arts) was formed and the name of the school was changed to Uechi-Ryu at the same time.
Kanbun, who lived in Wakayama Prefecture before and during the war, returned to Okinawa after the war in 1946. He passed away two years later in 1948.
After the top students of Uechi-Ryu school returned to Okinawa, they began the opening of dojos in Nago, Futenma, and Naha under the leadership of the second successor, Kan'ei Uechi, in parallel with the post-war reconstruction efforts.
The second successor, Kan'ei Uechi, strengthened the restart of the Shubu-kai by creating new Kata that maintained the traditional nature of the art while embracing the zeitgeist. The traditional free attack and defense also opened up to young players as competitions as game rules and regulations were put in place. Uechi-Ryu Karate broke away from the closed nature of the style and they began to interact with the outside world by striving to improve its technical skills and spread karate throughout the world. It would be no exaggeration to say that Uechi-Ryu is the only school in the post-war karate world that has achieved such rapid development. Breaking away from their insular nature, they began to interact with the outside world, and they strived to improve their technical skills and promote karate. It is no exaggeration to say that no other postwar karate school has achieved such rapid development as Uechi-Ryu. Although Uechi-Ryu Karate has a short history, they made an enormous effort to get one step closer to the existing senior schools of Shuri-te (Sui-dey in Okinawan), Naha-te (Nafa-dey), and Tomari-te (Twomai-dey)*.
Now in its fourth generation, our history is the fruit of the blood, sweat, and tears of our great predecessors. The heart of Uechi-Ryu Karate continues to beat stronger than ever.
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*These three schools of karate are traditional Okinawan karate practiced in the 19th century. Shuri-te
was mainly practiced by samurai in the Shuri region, where the Ryukyu Kingdom was located. Naha-te
was mainly developed by the people living in Naha (the present western part of Naha City), which
was the largest commercial center and trading port of the Ryukyu Kingdom. Tomari-te was practiced
by those living in Tomari village (now Tomari Ward), which was the second largest trading port in the
Ryukyu Islands.
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Characteristics and Principles of Uechi-Ryu
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In Uechi-Ryu Karate, the body is pushed to its limits, creating a body-like armor and fists and feet like blades. Because many techniques are performed with open hands (palms) rather than closed (fists), the training extends to the fingertips of the hands and feet, which are normally vulnerable and difficult to train. Through what can only be described as harsh training, the Nukite (spear hands) and toes are forged to be as strong as if they had been passed through the iron wire, and the thrusting Nukite and toe-kick are like sharp spears.
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Founded by Kanbun Uechi, who traveled to Fujian in the late Qing Dynasty and studied martial arts there, one of the main characteristics of Uechi-Ryu is the tremendous body of work, which transforms the raw body into a weapon.
However, of course, Uechi-Ryu Karate is not only about hardness. Kanbun, who had trained in the martial arts in Fujian and returned to Okinawa, stubbornly kept secret the fact that he had lived as a martial artist in Fujian at first. He later moved to Wakayama, opened a dojo after more than a decade of silence, and began taking students. He put up a sign on his dojo that read, “Pangai-Noon Ryukyu Karate Institute.” “Pangai-Noon” means "flexible/soft (pangai) and hard (noon)," or in martial arts terminology, go-ju-so-ji (hard and soft: the need to use both hardness and softness in technique).
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For example, in the body and mind, hardness and softness refer to tensed and relaxed muscles, respectively. In the breathing technique, holding the breath is hard and breathing is soft. When it comes to the state of mind, the elevated state of mind is hard and the calm state of mind is soft. On the other hand, when we look at hard and soft movements and techniques, linear movements are considered hard, and curved movements are considered soft. When it comes to specific tactics, striking techniques such as thrusting and kicking that hit the opponent with great force are hard, while tactics that skillfully use the opponent's strength, such as throwing techniques and reverse techniques, are soft techniques.
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It is important to recognize that hardness is not an absolute state. Rather, softness is always present within hardness, and hardness is always inherent in softness. The true essence of Uechi-Ryu lies in the ability to skillfully shift the balance between hard and soft, and to freely use both hard and soft at will.
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Another principle that supports Uechi-Ryu, along with hard and soft, is Gansei Tebashi. Gansei is the eye that accurately captures an opponent's movements. Tebashi is the technique of dealing with opponents quickly and appropriately, and it stresses the importance of the art of responding quickly and precisely to the opponent's movements.
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The very idea of "Pangai-Noon" in the ancient name of Uechi-Ryu is to be able to flexibly use the hardness and softness of one's body and mind according to the situation and to be in a state of Gansei Tebashi.
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Systematization of Uechi-Ryu
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In Uechi-Ryu, mastering the Kata is the center of training. There are three ancient Kata that Kanbun Uechi brought back from Fujian: Sanchin, Sansei, and Sanseiryu(*Note 1), and these three Kata became the mainstay of Uechi-Ryu Kata practice. After that, full-scale instruction began, and in the process of systematizing the school, five new Kata were created. Kan'ei, Kanbun's eldest son and the second successor of the Uechi-Ryu, created three Kata, Kanshiwa (*Note 2), Seiryu, and Kanchin, while Seiki Itokazu, who is well known as one of the top students of Kan'ei and also a student of Kanbun, created Kanshusha (*Note 3). Furthermore, Saburo Uehara, another highly respected top student of Kan'ei, created Seichin. Each of these Kata was created to complement the Uechi-Ryu structure. Moreover, in order to make practice more efficient, Junbi Undoh (preparatory exercises) was devised for physical conditioning, basic techniques were extracted from Kata and practiced repeatedly, Hojo Undoh (auxiliary exercises) was created to improve basic techniques and aid kata mastery, and Bunkai (breakdowns) was devised to learn the meaning of Kata and gain a deeper understanding of them.
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In addition, training is essential for mastering these techniques to the fullest. The well-trained fists and feet do not simply attack an opponent, nor do they simply receive blows in Uke-Waza (receiving techniques). The main purpose of the trained fists and feet is to use the well-trained limbs to flick off the opponent's punches and kicks, knock them down, inflict painful damage, and crush the opponent's fighting spirit. In order to achieve this type of fighting style, the Uechi-Ryu uses training that turns the body itself into a weapon.
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While practicing Kata and training to weaponize the body are important core practices of Uechi-Ryu, it is difficult to make it work as a martial art through this type of training alone. Therefore, Uechi-Ryu adopted Jiyu-Kumite (free sparring) from Okinawan karate early on. Kata and Jiyu-Kumite are complementary to each other, and through training in Jiyu-Kumite, students develop essential elements of martial arts that cannot be acquired through solo training, such as a sense of interpersonal interaction and overcoming fear.
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Uechi-Ryu, systematized in the process of teaching and supported by the three pillars of Kata, training, and Kumite, has been passed down to the present day, maintaining the same martial characteristics from the time of Kanbun Uechi, the founder of the school.
　
*Note 1 Sometimes called ``Sandile.''
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*Note 2 When this Kata was first created, it was called "Kansabu", a combination of the names Kanbun and
Shusabu, but in the 1970s, when Shusabu was identified as Shu Shiwa, the name was changed to "KanShiwa".
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*Note 3 This Kata was originally named "Second Seisan (thirteen),'' but it was renamed "Kanshu" in the 1970s,
just like "KanShiwa."
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Source: Okinawa Prefectural Board of Education Karatedo/Kobudo Basic Survey Report
Source: Okinawa Karate Style Research Project Uechi-ryu Commentary
The Shinjo family built a martial arts tradition over three generations
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The Shinjo family is a distinguished family that has built a martial arts tradition over three generations.
The first Shinjo Kiyoyoshi entered the school of Uechi Kanbun in Wakayama City in 1934, and the second Shinjo Seiyu also entered the school in 1939. In this way, the father and son Shinjo were always close to their master as students of Uechi Kanbun, and received great guidance from him in both mind and technique. The martial arts-based family tradition handed down in the Shinjo family is what established the family's prestige. The third Shinjo Kiyohide began studying karate under his master and father, Shinjo Seiyu, in 1960, and continues to do so to this day. It can be said that the prestige of the family was established by the third generation of the tradition.
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Shinjo Kiyoyoshi pioneered the wilderness, the second Seiyuu built the foundation, and the third Kiyohide further refined it. In this way, the three Shinjo Kiyoyoshi, Seiyuu, and Kiyohide families have protected Uechi-ryu karate as the family martial art for three generations. Although they are warriors of the same lineage, there were naturally differences in their attitudes toward martial arts and their formalities. The first Kiyoyoshi inherited the techniques from his master Kanbun with a sense of chivalry, the second Seiyuu added a wild and tough nature to the first, and the third Kiyohide injected intelligence into the techniques he had been taught rigorously by his father, refining them and elevating them to the realm of mind and technique. In this way, the martial arts techniques and mind and technique of Uechi-ryu karate handed down in the Shinjo family have been linked together over history, and have come to be refined in both mind and technique as they are today.
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Source: Okinawa Karate-do: Its History and Techniques
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Kenyukai Memoirs – Kiyohide Shinjo​​​​
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My grandfather, Kiyoyoshi, who was born on Iejima in the early Showa period, lived in Wakayama to broker jobs at spinning factories in the Kansai region for young people on the island. At that time, Uechi sensei was teaching karate at the Hinomaru Sangyo Co., Ltd. company housing dojo, and he became his student. My father, Kiyoyoshi, was born in Wakayama in 1929. He also became his student at the age of 10. My father joined the Air Force Preparatory School immediately after graduating from Wakayama Technical School, but the war ended soon after. He returned home (to Iejima) and married my mother, Yoshi, there.
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I was born on Iejima in 1951. I only lived there for about four years, so I barely remember it, but I heard that my mother was playing alone while working in the fields and disappeared in the forest, causing a big commotion among the whole island to search for her. I have vivid memories of when we moved to Asato in Naha City. My father established the Asato Research Institute, and we started from scratch. After that, I had three younger siblings, and although we had many fun times, I don't think life was easy.
I moved to Kadena Town Rotary after being introduced by an acquaintance in the second semester of my third year of elementary school. I transferred to Miyamae Elementary School (now Kadena Elementary School), but the Rotary was outside the school district, so I was transferred back to Yara Elementary School one month later. My father borrowed money to set up a house and dojo with a tin roof. Living next to the base, he accepted many American soldiers as his students, knowing the risks. At the time, the Vietnam War had just started and the American soldiers were mentally rough, and many of them were violent and had no sense of etiquette. The local students were no less hot-blooded, and perhaps due to the rebellious spirit of Okinawans who had been forced to fight on the ground, every day of practice at the dojo became a battlefield. Windows and mirrors were broken, floors fell, and front doors flew off! Rather than training people, he was putting his body on the line to teach them. Under such harsh conditions, the American soldiers who had worked so hard to develop both their mind and technique completed their military service and opened branch dojos one after another in their home countries (mainly in the US, but also in South America, Europe, India, etc.), contributing to the continuation and development of Kenyu-kai to this day.
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My father was stricter with me than with his students, and I was made to clean the dojo by myself, and if I missed practice I wasn't even allowed to eat. My father was very strict when it came to karate, but in everyday life he was a very loving and gentle father to his children. I lost my father at the young age of 52. As the third generation in my family, I continue to teach, even though I may not feel entirely capable. Nonetheless, I am dedicated to deepening my understanding of karate. I will never forget to be grateful to all the help I received from my students and to my family for their support, and as the person responsible for the succession of the tradition, I will continue to discipline myself and work even harder.
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In 2020, Kenyukai will celebrate its 60th anniversary, and although we feel a certain sense of emotion, we are not satisfied with this and have a mission and responsibility to protect Okinawa's traditions and the original form of Uechi-ryu karate-do. However, we cannot ignore the young energy that has grown strong with each passing year. Nurturing young buds based on tradition is also an important task that is indispensable for the future outlook. We would like to challenge the history that repeats itself between tradition and reality, and enjoy the journey of karate together with our disciples, colleagues, acquaintances, friends, and family.
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Source: Kenyukai 60th Anniversary Tournament Program
Dragon's hand wrapped in gold
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Symbolizes righteousness in the southern school of Shaolin Kung Fu. It is based on the Uechi-ryu open technique, Boshi-ken Kamae (thumb-fist stance).
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Octagon
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Represents eight existing Kata in Uechi-ryu. The three tomoe (comma-like swirl symbol) in the center represent the symbol of Ryukyu (Okinawa). They also characterize the three Kata in Uechi-ryu that originated in China.
The five claws of the dragon surrounding the gold indicate five Kata that were developed later.
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Three tomoe and circle
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Exemplify Okinawan civility and human love coming to fruition.
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Foundation of the emblem
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Dragons lurk in the ocean, that is the source of life, reviving all living things and bringing prosperity to people.
The shape of a dragon's five claws encircling gold symbolizes righteousness that represents justice. This symbol embodies a dignified commitment to the welfare of the world and its people.
It is our wish that the love of humanity that respects civility and personal quality and is worthy of Shurei-no-Kuni* will spread from Okinawa to the World forever.
*Shurei-no-Kuni means “the country of Ryukyu (Okinawa) values civility.” This is written on a plaque placed at the first gate to the Shuri Castle. The plaque was created during the era of King Shoh-ei (1573-1588).