The #Karate Kata “Annanku” is practiced in many Dojos nowadays, and it is said to have been created by O Sensei Kyan Chotoku when he returned from a trip to Taiwan, inspired by moves he saw while he was there. This is mainly speculation, as according to my research, I could not find any Masters who either wrote or confirmed this information as being 100% reliable.
First of all, Annanku is not just one #kata, but a set of three similar, but different katas (Annanku, Annanko, Unnunko). These katas are often confused for Dojo variations, or style variations, and many karateka think Annanku and Annanko are the same kata. They are not. They are the two most practiced, and the third one is less common. Some Dojos also call them Annanku1,2...
If you know one of them, you might have noticed the similarity with some of the main moves of Kyan Chotoku's version of "Seisan”. Because Seisan used to be the beginners kata for all Karateka in Okinawa before the pinans (Heian) were created, I am suggesting that possibly, O Sensei Kyan Chotoku further customized his "Seisan”, and made it 3 katas for beginners based on moves he saw during his trip to Taiwan; the same way O Sensei Anko Itosu created the Pinans kata out of “Kushanku”.
Just like the [three Naifanchi] katas (Tekki), or [Jiin, Jion, Jitte] katas, the three katas [Annanku, Annanko, Unnunko] tell a story, that I believe can only be fully understood by studying all three katas.
One version of Annanku:
Enjoy the video!
Toronto, Sensei Alpha - KarateBoost blog
Comments