WHAT'S NEW AT NORTHWEST ARKANSAS SHORIN-RYU KARATE & TAIJIQUAN:
Thank You, Mr. Grigsby!
Sensei Phil Grigsby is leaving to become a big rig driver, and we'll miss him at NWA Shorin-Ryu. He is a good friend and a great martial artist and we wish him the best of luck in his new career! Come back soon!
SCHEDULE:
Taijiquan - Friday 5:30 - 6:30 p.m.
Kenpo Karate: Mon/Thurs/Sat 12:30 - 1:30 p.m.
(Above) Mr. Geoff Jensen with instructor Randal Seyler (left) and Jeremy Hess (right).
WELCOME to the webpage of Northwest Arkansas Shorin-Ryu Karate & Taijiquan. We practice traditional Okinawan karate and kobudo and taijiquan.
Taijiquan classes are taught by Randal on Friday at 5:30 p.m. and by appointment at the Washington Regional Medical Center's Center For Exercise.
Fees are $30 per month for all karate kenpo classes. No contracts required, and no belt testing fees are charged. There are no testing fees for the shorin-ryu karate program. Come by and experience taijiquan and traditional Okinawan shorin-ryu karate. Women Self-Defense classes are also offered, and private lessons are available upon request.
Taiji classes are $40 per month for all classes. Discounts are available for family plans and Center members.
Phil Grigsby is a 2nd degree black belt in Okuhara-Ha Shorin-Ryu and is an instructor in jeet kune do and filipino martial arts, having studied with the late Terry Gibson of Tulsa, Oklahoma. He also holds a black belt in taekwondo under USTF master instructor Randy Edwards and is a member of the World Black Belt Bureau.
Randal Seyler, chief instructor and founder of Northwest Arkansas Karate & Taijiquan, began studying taekwondo in 1978 and shorin-ryu in 1979, and holds a 3rd degree black belt in shorin-ryu and a 1st degree black belt taiho-ryu karate. He also teaches Yang taiji and studies shaolin kung fu, which he began studying in 1990 under Mike Snyder and Dr. Zhou Cheng. He teaches the tai chi for arthritis short Sun-style taiji form along with the Yang inspired 24 Forms. A member of the Tai Chi for Heath Community and the World Black Belt Bureau, Seyler has written for Black Belt and Karate Illustrated magazines.
For more information go by the Center for Exercise, or contact Seyler at 479-267-4340, email kyanshorinryu@yahoo.com.
WHAT IS KARATE?
Shorin-ryu karate is derived from southern China's Shaolin (pronouced "shorin" in Japanese) kung fu schools of White Crane, Tiger, Dog, and 5 Ancestor Boxing. The Shaolin Temple was the birth place of Chinese kung fu, as well as Ch'an (Zen) Buddhism, according to legend. Ta Mo is said to have brought Buddhism to China's Honan Provence over 1,500 years ago.
When Chinese kung fu combined with indigenous Okinawan and Japanese martial traditions, the result was the Okinawan art of tode, later called karate.
SHORIN-RYU
Chotoku Kyan (1870-1945), pictured above with students Joen Nakazato and Okuhara Bunei, studied under Bushi Matsumura, beginning his training at the age of eight. Kyan also trained with Itosu and Oyadomari, two other prominent martial arts masters of the time. Kyan grew into one of Okinawa’s predominate karate experts, often challenged but never defeated.
Kyan lived in Shuri until the age 30 when he moved to Kadena and taught at a dojo near Hisabashi. Among his students were the entire Kadena police department. While teaching the police, he met and began teaching Shoshin Nagamine, founder of Matsubayshi shorin-ryu. Zenryo Shimabuku, Eizo Shimabuku, and Tatsu Shimabuku are other famous students of Master Kyan.
Haruka Nakama (above) was a student of Bunei Okuhara, and it was Nakama sensei who was head instructor of the U.S. Naval Base's Thew Gym in Yokosuka Japan, where Seyler's instructor, Jeff White, learned Okuhara-ha Shorin-Ryu.
Kyan’s style is called sukunaihayashi, or shobayashi style, and the Chinese characters used to write “shorin” are the same as those used for “shaolin.”
Kata in Kyan Shorin-Ryu
Seisan (Shuri-te)
Sokon Matsumura
Kyan Chotoku learned Seisan kata from Sokon Matsumura, the master of the Shuri-te branch. This kata contains long distance techniques like rensoku tsuki geri, which are representative of the shuri-te style. It was assumed that Seisan was the first kata taught to him by the great master Matsumura, and due to the age differences, was learned by Master Kyan at a tender age. This kata still remains as the first major Sukunaihayashi lineage kata to be taught in Seibukan. Seisan is a powerful kata, where quick changes from shiko dachi to zenkutsu dachi come into its own as a source of power. This ancient form was a favorite of Master Zenryo Shimabukuro, and was performed by him in many exhibitions. Even at an advanced age, Master Zenryo Shimabukuro used this kata to demonstrate his excellent fitness.
Ananku
Kyan Chotoku
It is speculated that Kyan Chotoku developed the Ananku kata. From several sources it is claimed that Ananku is Taiwanese in origin, and that Master Kyan brought it from Taiwan to Okinawa. However, the appearance of this kata is very Okinawan in form, movement, and technique. Many of the techniques, stances, and movements are representative of existing Sukunaihayashi kata.
In the Kyan lineage of kata, Seisan is taken from Shuri-te’s master, Sokon Matsumura. Movements, which were taken from the kata Wansu and Passai represent tomari-te, but Ananku seems to be more a mixture of Tomari-te and Shuri-te, rather than Taiwan/Chinese martial arts.
If this kata was created by Master Kyan, and designed to emphasize representative techniques of various systems he learned from, then a comparison can be drawn from his own students Zenryo Shimabukuro (Seibukan), in his Wanchin kata, and Tatsuo Shimabukuro (Isshinryu), in his Sunsu kata.
Wansu (Tomari-te)
Maeda Pechin
Maeda Chiku taught this Tomari-te lineage kata to Chotoku Kyan. Wansu is rather short, but technically difficult kata, much different than Seisan or Ananku. It contains many techniques where block and counters are made simultaneously. Also Wansu contains it’s trademark “hard” technique, the effective use of kataguruma (fireman’s carry) throw.
Passai (Tomari-te)
Oyadomari Kokan
Passai is an age-old form, and one of the oldest versions of this kata is Seibukan’s Oyadomari Passai. Passai is often explained as a low light or night fighting kata, because of it’s many sagurite (searching hand) techniques. The name of the kata means to “break through the fortress.” It might have received the name from the beginning movement where the defender throws a strong forward movement combined with an augmented chudan-uke, meant to unbalance of attacker. After this powerful start, the kata changes characteristics by making fast blocks and strikes with open hands to vulnerable points of human body. There are many angular movement changes, all quickly executed and in varying degrees. In the last part of the kata there is combination technique where the attack is avoided by ducking the opponents attacking arm, while simultaneously blocking the opponents other arm and striking a key point in the stomach region. By bending the body one can add extra power to the strike. This technique has disappeared in many of the modern karate style’s version of Passai.
Gojushiho (Shuri-te)
Matsumura Sokon
This kata is sometimes referred to as the drunkard form, because it contains movements where the kata performer mocks a staggering move. As a result of this unorthodox and crafty technique, Gojushiho is noted for techniques that throw the opponent off, by surprise. This makes the Gojushiho kata different in appearance from the other kata represented within the Sukunaihayashi system. Notable bunkai techniques include throwing, crane style strikes, and attacks toward weak joint areas.
Chinto (Tomari-te)
Kosaku Matsumora
Chinto is one of the treasures of shorin-ryu. It was favorite kata of Kyan Sensei, and is undoubtedly a Sukunaihayshi kata. It is taught at a higher level of student, usually in the Nidan class. This is partly due to the fact that it is a very demanding kata to perform, and the bunkai is hard to master. Ancient masters of Tomari were very fond of close combat techniques, and you can see these techniques in the Chinto kata. Many of the bunkai involve locking maneuvers, throws, all characteristic of close combat type of techniques.
Kusanku (Shuri-te)
Yara Pechin (Yomitan)
Kusanku is the longest and most difficult of Sukunaihayashi kata. It is also the most beautiful kata of our style. This is a favorite of Hanshi Shimabukuro Zenpo, and he freely demonstrates it at all exhibitions, seminars and demonstrations, always receiving admiration from the audience!
Tokumine No Kun
Tokumine Pechin
Tokumine No Kun was the only weapon kata passed on by Kyan sensei. It is assumed that it was the only weapon kata that he had formally learned. The “colorful” master, Tokumine Pechin, on the Yaeyama Islands taught this kata to him. This particular version of bo (staff) kata is quite rare, even on Okinawa.
Naifanchi
The Naifanchi (Daipochin) kata comes from the famous Okinawan karate-ka, Choki Motobu, who is famous for his actual active testing of bunkai in real fighting situations. This sometimes happened by suspicious means, and many a teacher would watch this kind of conduct with disapproving eyes. It was said that Choki Motobu knew only three kata, the Naifanchi series, Wansu, and Passai Guwa. (*some say Motobu only knew Naifanchi 1 and 2 - r.s.) Motobu for the most part, was victorious in his use of the kata bunkai. In many Shorin-ryu styles, Naifanchi (Heishugata) acts as foundation to further kata (Kaishugata) like Sanchin in the Goju-ryu system. Master Tatsuo Shimabukuro, the founder of Isshin-ryu (blend of Goju-ryu and Shorin-ryu), was quoted as saying that, “Naifanchi is mother to Shorin-ryu and Sanchin is father to Goju-ryu. When these two come together then Isshin-ryu is born.”
The primary stance in this series of kata is kiba dachi, which emphasizes the strengthening of the legs and hips. A distinct characteristic of the kata is the technique where the circular movement of the arms protects the head in a block, while simultaneously setting up the opening for the uraken. The appearance of kata can be seen as simple, but from careful study and practice of the bunkai, it is very rich in techniques, and is seen as an effective fighting system.
Fayetteville Shorin-ryu Karate-do instructor Randal Seyler is a sandan (3rd degree black belt) in Shorin-ryu and a shodan (1st degree black belt) in Taiho-Ryu. His original shorin-ryu instructor, Jeff White, was a nidan who studied under Nakama Sensei in Yokosuka, Japan in the early 1970s.
TAIHO-RYU: TRADITIONAL KARATE/JUJITSU
Above: Taiho-Ryu Dumas (Ark.) Dojo, 1989. Front row 2nd from left, Sensei Burmick Appleby and Michael Miller. Seyler is 2nd from right in second row.
Taiho-Ryu is an American martial arts system founded by Sensei Bo Hardy. Seyler's sensei is Burmick Appleby (3rd degree black belt and Taiho-Ryu Hall of Fame member) of Dumas, Arkansas. (See link page below, and photo above, Appleby is pictured on right holding sword). Taiho-Ryu is a jujitsu-based art, with roots in isshin-ryu, which is also a shorin-ryu style influenced by Kyan Sensei.
Sensei Hardy's book "DEFENSIVE LIVING" is now available through Century Martial Arts Supply and it is highly recommended, as is the Taiho-Ryu system.
LINKS
Below are several links to various karate organizations to provide further information about the various martial arts we study at Northwest Arkansas Karate Kenpo & Taijiquan.
Tai Chi Program Information
NWA Shorin-Ryu message board
American Karate Association
Taiho-Ryu
Dr. Lam's web site
Dr. Yang's Association
Taijiquan San Diego