Channan: The "Lost" Kata of Itosu?
(c) 2000, by Joe Swift
Introduction
It is commonly held that the series of five
basic kata called Pinan were developed by Itosu Anko (1832-1915)
in around 1907 for inclusion in the karate curriculum of
the Okinawan school system. However, the actual history
of the Pinan series has been the subject of intense curiosity
as of late. There are basically two schools of thought,
one that Itosu Anko developed them from the older classical
forms that were cultivated in and around the Shuri area,
and the other that Itosu was re-working a longer Chinese
form called Channan.
Unfortunately, most of the written references
to the Channan/Pinan phenomenon in the English language
are basically re-hashes of the same uncorroborated oral
testimony. This article will examine the primary literature
written by direct students of Itosu, as well as more recent
research in the Japanese language, in an effort to solve
the "mystery" of Channan.
Itosu Anko
In order to understand the Pinan phenomenon,
perhaps it is best to start off with a capsule biography
of their architect, Itosu Anko (1832-1915). Many sources
state that Itosu was born in the Yamakawa section of Shuri
(Bishop, 1999; Okinawa Prefecture, 1994; Okinawa Prefecture,
1995), however, noted Japanese martial arts historian Iwai
Tsukuo states that he was actually born in Gibo, Shuri,
and later relocated to Yamakawa (Iwai, 1992). He is commonly
believed to have studied under Matsumura Sokon (1809-1901),
but also appears to have had other influences, such as Nagahama
of Naha (Iwai, 1992; Motobu, 1932), Matsumora Kosaku of
Tomari and a master named Gusukuma (Nihon Karate Kenkyukai,
1956).
There does not seem to be much detail about
Itosu's early life, except for the fact that he was a student
of the Ryukyuan civil fighting traditions. At around age
23, he passed the civil service examinations and was employed
by the Royal government (Iwai, 1992). It seems as if Itosu
gained his position as a clerical scribe for the King through
an introduction by his friend and fellow karate master Asato
Anko (Funakoshi, 1988). Itosu stayed with the Royal government
until the Meiji Restoration, when the Ryukyu Kingdome became
Okinawa Prefecture. Itosu stayed on and worked for the Okinawan
Prefectural government until 1885 (Iwai, 1992).
There is some controversy as to when Itosu
became a student of Matsumura. Some say that he first met
Matsumura when Itosu was in his late 20s (Iwai, 1992), whereas
others maintain that Itosu was older than 35 when he began
studying from Matsumura (Fujiwara, 1990). Matsumura appears
to have been friendly with Itosu's father (Iwai, 1992).
Be that as it may, Itosu is said to have mastered
the Naifuanchi kata (Nihon Karate Kenkyukai, 1950; Okinawa
Pref., 1995). In fact, one direct student of Itosu, namely
Funakoshi Gichin, recalled 10 years of studying nothing
but the three Naifuanchi kata under the eminent master (Funakoshi,
1976).
Again, there is some controversy as to where
Itosu had learned the Naifuanchi kata from. Some give credit
to Matsumura for teaching this kata to Itosu (Murakami,
1991). However, others say differently, and here is where
we first start to see reference to Channan, as the name
of a person. It is said that a Chinese sailor who was shipwrecked
on Okinawa hid in a cave at Tomari. It was from this man
that Itosu supposedly learned the Naifuanchi kata, among
other things (Gima, et al, 1986).
In either case, it is known that Itosu was
among the first to teach karate (toudi) publicly, and began
teaching karate as physical education in the school system
as early as 1901, where he taught at the Shuri Jinjo Primary
School (Iwai, 1992; Okinawa Pref., 1994). He also went on
to teach at Shuri Dai-ichi Middle School and the Okinawa
Prefectural Men's Normal School in 1905 (Bishop, 1999; Okinawa
Pref., 1994, 1995).
In addition to his "spearheading a crusade"
(McCarthy, 1996) to modernize toudi practices and get it
taught in the school system, Itosu was also known for his
physical strength. It is said that he was able to crush
a bamboo stalk in his hands (Funakoshi, 1976, 1988), once
wrestled a raging bull to the ground and calmed it (Nagamine,
1986) and one could strike his arms with 2-inch thick poles
and he would not budge (Iwai, 1992).
Itosu's unique contributions to the art of
Karatedo include not only his 1908 letter to the Japanese
Ministry of Education and Ministry of War, expounding on
the 10 precepts of Toudi training, but also the creation
of several kata. These include not only the Pinan series,
but also Naifuanchi Nidan and Sandan (Kinjo, 1991; Murakami,
1991), and possibly Kusanku Sho and Passai Sho (Iwai, 1992).
Another kata that has often been attributed
to Itosu is the Shiho Kusanku Kata (Kinjo, 1956a; Mabuni,
1938), but more recent evidence points to the actual originator
of this paradigm to have been Mabuni Kenwa himself (Sells,
1995). In addition to creating several kata, the other kata
that Itosu taught, such as Chinto, Useishi (Gojushiho),
Passai Dai, and Kusanku Dai, etc., had been changed from
their original guises, in order to make them more palatable
to his physical education classes (Kinjo, 1991).
Itosu Anko passed away in March 1915, leaving
behind a legacy that very few today even recognize or comprehend.
Early Written References to Channan and Pinan
References to Channan can be found as far
back as 1934. In the karate research journal entitled Karate
no Kenkyu, published by Nakasone Genwa, Motobu Choki is
quoted referring to the Channan and the Pinan kata:
"(Sic.) I was interested in the martial arts
since I was a child, and studied under many teachers. I
studied with Itosu Sensei for 7-8 years. At first, he lived
in Urasoe, then moved to Nakashima Oshima in Naha, then
on to Shikina, and finally to the villa of Baron Ie. He
spent his final years living near the middle school.
I visited him one day at his home near the
school, where we sat talking about the martial arts and
current affairs. While I was there, 2-3 students also dropped
by and sat talking with us. Itosu Sensei turned to the students
and said 'show us a kata.' The kata that they performed
was very similar to the Channan kata that I knew, but there
were some differences also. Upon asking the student what
the kata was, he replied 'It is Pinan no Kata.' The students
left shortly after that, upon which I turned to Itosu Sensei
and said 'I learned a kata called Channan, but the kata
that those students just performed now was different. What
is going on?' Itosu Sensei replied 'Yes, the kata is slightly
different, but the kata that you just saw is the kata that
I have decided upon. The students all told me that the name
Pinan is better, so I went along with the opinions of the
young people.' These kata, which were developed by Itosu
Sensei, underwent change even during his own lifetime."
(Murakami, 1991; 120)
There is also reference to Pinan being called
Channan in its early years in the 1938 publication Kobo
Kenpo Karatedo Nyumon by Mabuni Kenwa and Nakasone Genwa.
Mabuni and Nakasone write that those people who learned
this kata as Channan still taught it under that name (Mabuni,
et al, 1938).
Kinjo Hiroshi, one of Japan's most senior
teachers and historians of the Okinawan fighting traditions,
and a direct student of three of Itosu's students, namely
Hanashiro Chomo, Oshiro Chojo, and Tokuda Anbun, wrote a
series of articles on the Pinan kata in Gekkan Karatedo
magazine in the mid 1950s. In the first installment he maintains
that the Pinan kata were originally called Channan, and
there were some technical differences between Channan and
the updated versions known as Pinan (Kinjo, 1956a).
Again according to Kinjo Hiroshi, Miyagi Hisateru,
a former student of Itosu who graduated from the Okinawa
Prefectural Normal School in 1916, stated that when he was
studying under the old master, Itosu only really taught
the first three Pinan with any real enthusiasm, and that
the last two seem to have been rather neglected at that
time (Kinjo, 1956b). Although one can speculate about what
this means, it is nevertheless a very interesting piece
of testimony by someone who was "there."
Sakagami Ryusho, in his 1978 Karatedo Kata
Taikan as well as Miyagi Tokumasa in his 1987 Karate no
Rekishi both give extensive kata lists, and both list a
kata known as Yoshimura no Channan (Miyagi, 1987; Sakagami,
1978). It is unknown who Yoshimura was, but he may have
been a student of Itosu.
American karate historian Ernest Estrada
has also stated that Kyoda Juhatsu (1887-1968), a direct
student of Higashionna Kanryo, Wu Xianhui (Jpn. Go Kenki),
Yabu Kentsu, etc. and the founder of the To'onryu karatedo
system, also knew and taught a series of two basic blocking,
punching and kicking exercises known as Channan (Estrada,
1998).
Shiraguma no Kata
According to Iwai Tsukuo, one of Japan's most
noted Budo researchers and teacher of Motobu Choki's karate
in Gunma Prefecture, Motoburyu Karatejutsu, which is being
preserved by Choki's son Motobu Chosei in Osaka, contains
what is known as Shiraguma no Kata, which he maintains used
to be called Channan. He also states that this kata is "somewhat
similar to the Pinan, yet different." (Iwai, 1997).
The Other Side of the Coin
The flip side to this theory states that Itosu
did not create the Pinan kata, but actually remodeled older
Chinese-based hsing/kata called Channan. This theory states
that Itosu learned a series of Chinese Quan-fa hsing from
a shipwrecked Chinese at Tomari, and reworked them into
five smaller components, re-naming them Pinan because the
Chinese pronunciation "Chiang-Nan" was too difficult (Bishop,
1999).
It has been argued that the source for these
Channan kata was a Chinese from an area called Annan, or
a man named Annan (Bishop, 1999). On the other hand, others
say that the man's name was Channan (Iwai, 1992). Still
others go into even more detail, stating that Itosu learned
these hsing/kata from a man named Channan, and named them
after their source, later adding elements of the Kusanku
Dai kata to create the Pinan (Gima, et al, 1986; Kinjo.
1999).
There is also interesting oral testimony
passed down in the Tomari-di tradition that is propagated
in the Okinawa Gojuryu Tomaridi Karatedo Association of
Tokashiki Iken that states that Itosu learned the Channan/Pinan
kata from a Chinese at Tomari in one day. The proponents
of Tomari-di said that there was no need to learn "over-night
kata" and that this is the reason that the Tomari traditions
did not include instruction in the Pinan kata (Okinawa Pref.,
1995).
This sentiment also echoes the statement by
one of Itosu's top students, Yabu Kentsu, made to his students:
"(sic) If you have time to practice the Pinan,
practice Kushanku instead (Gima, et al, 1986, p. 86)."
Conclusion
While more research, such as in-depth technical
analysis of Motobu's Shiraguma no Kata, needs to be done,
the evidence at hand seems to point not to a "long lost
kata" but rather to the constant and inevitable evolution
of a martial art.
Although there is opposition, most of the
primary written materials point to the fact that Itosu was
indeed the originator of the Channan/Pinan tradition, based
upon his own research, experience, and analyses.
However, in either case, Itosu Anko and his
efforts left a lasting mark on the fighting traditions of
old Okinawa, and will probably always be remembered as one
of the visionaries who were able to lift the veil of secrecy
that once enshrouded karatedo.
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About the author: Joe Swift
Joe Swift, native of New York State (USA),
has lived in Japan since 1994. He works as a translator/interpreter,
and serves as an assistant instructor at the Mushinkan Okinawa
Karate Kobudo Dojo in Kanazawa.
