Jul 9, 20202 min read

Why we all need to explore other Karate styles!

Updated: Apr 12

We all have our Dojo with a particular #Karate style, but beyond the Katas we are taught in each style, you might have noticed other styles that have some of the same katas with slight differences of stances, timing, and more, which sometimes leads to different Bunkai interpretations.

Many Katas in most styles have evolved through time with slight modifications here and there made by successive great Karate masters, but the real question is: Since everything has been changed through time anyways, what makes one version of a particular style better that another one? My experience is telling me that beyond always exploring the oldest version, we have things to learn from all styles. This does not mean you should drop your Dojo and start studying in a different Karate style. However, studying and understanding the particularity of other styles, can often help you understand even better the specificity of your own.

As an example, I would like to talk about the #Kata Seisan (Seishan, Hangetsu). For many years, before the Pinans (Heian) were introduced by O Sensei Anko Itosu, Seisan kata used to be the 1st Kata any student in Okinawa was taught across styles and regions. We know it is an important Kata because of this very fact, but also because it survived through many karate styles for many years.

Seisan is found in Shotokan (Hangetsu), Shito-Ryu (one Shuri-Te, and one Naha-Te version), Goju-Ryu, Wado-Ryu, Uechi-Ryu, Ryuei-Ryu, and more…

The Shotokan version (Hangetsu), is a personalization of the kata “Matsumura Seisan” by O Sensei Gichin Funakoshi.

The Goju-Ryu version is a personalization of O Sensei Seisho Aragaki's Seisan by O Sensei Kanryo Higahonna and O Sensei Chojun Myagi, or possibly originated from a southern China source via O Sensei Kanryo Higahonna.

Both the"Aragaki" version and the "Matsumura" version seem to be pointing to southern China sources.

In Shito-Ryu one of the two kata is “Matsumura Seisan”.The second is “Naha-Seisan”, a personalization of O Sensei Kanryo Higahonna's version of Seisan by O Sensei Mabuni Kenwa.

The Wado-Ryu version is a personalization of the kata from O Sensei Gichin Funakoshi (Hangetsu) by O Sensei Hironori Otsuka.

The Ryuei-Ryu version is a personalization of a Chinese Fujian province version of Seisan by O Sensei Norisato Nakayama of the Nakayama family lineage, and so is the Uechi-Ryu version by O Sensei Kanbun Uechi (the latter possibly also influenced by “Aragaki Seisan” of O Sensei Seisho Aragaki.

As you can see, there are many versions, all of them from serious Masters who personalized the Kata based on their understanding of it, preference, and unique background.

I’m currently studying Shito-Ryu, but I benefited greatly from studying multiple other Karate styles before. I encourage all of you to open your mind and grow from Karate in general.

Here’s a video of a Seisan Kata from the Uechi-Ryu school. It is the version which looks the less like the others.