Searching for the "ancestral" naihanchi: Part 1
Introduction Hot on the heels of my articles about "stem cell" movements , I came across this version of naihanchi shodan kata recently, courtesy of a Facebook group to which I belong. Naihanchi (in particular, naihanchi shodan) is one of the most popular and widely known and practised karate kata on the planet, so I think it is one that is truly worth examining more closely. And in my opinion, the version below provides one of the best benchmarks for analysing the various differences and similarities. Naihanchi shodan by Zenpo Shimabukuro This is a performance by Zenpo Shimabukuro, head of the Shorin-ryu Seibukan karate organisation. He is the son of the founder, 10th Dan Zenryo Shimabukuro , the longest-seving student of Chotoku Kyan who, along with people like Choyu and Choki Motobu , Kentsu Yabu , Chomo Hanashiro , Gichin Funakoshi , Shinpan Shiroma , Choshin Chibana and Kenwa Mabuni , studied directly under the legendary grandmaster Anko Itosu , who was ...