Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Origin of Empi Kata Discovered!

We have been aware for some time that both Empi Kata and Mawashi Kata, with their linear embusen, repetitive movements and lack of turns, are not traditional kata but rather basic drills that were used as kata by our Sensei when he initially built his system's curriculum; however, the exact origin of these drills has eluded us.

Until now!

Sensei Julie Keil, 4th dan in Kobayashi Shorin-ryu and chief instructor at her dojo in Midland, Michigan, recognized our Empi Kata as one of the 14 kihon, or basics, of Shito-ryu karate, which she studied briefly in the past. Shito-ryu is a Shorin-ryu offshoot that was developed in the 1920s and 30s by an Okinawan karate master in Japan.

Kyoshi Neil Stolsmark of Waukesha Wisconsin, 7th dan in Kobayashi Shorin-ryu and world-renowned martial arts instructor, also recognized Empi Kata as a basic line-form drill, although he could not recall exactly where he had seen it before.

The precise origin of Mawashi Kata remains a mystery, but clearly neither it nor Empi Kata are traditional kata; both were entry-level fundamental drills that were added to our curriculum as kata.

Our Empi Kata is not to be confused with the traditional Empi Kata, a 350-year old form called Wanshu whose name was changed in the 1920s by Gichin Funakoshi to Empi (meaning "Flying Swallow," and not "elbow"). This kata is a much more complex, black-belt level kata that does not appear at all in our curriculum but which is common in other Okinawan styles, particularly Shotokan.

1 comment:

Elena said...

Thanks for the info, Sensei. It's always good to know our roots!