At Brown belt level you will be introduced to kata Seunchin. In this kata, you will notice similar elements from previous kata in the GKR syllabus.
Stances In Seiunchin
Seiunchin commonly uses three basic stances:
- Sumo (shiko dachi)
- Pigeon Toe (Sanchin dachi)
- Cat (neko ashi datchi).
It also introduces a student to:
- Parallel stance (Heiko-Sanchin)
- Heiko-sanchin dachi is very similar to Sanchin dachi (in length and width) however the front foot is parallel to the back foot (similar to Heiko dachi)
Strikes In Seiunchin
Seiunchin’s most commonly used strikes are:
- Back-fists (ura uchi)
- Hammer-fists to the groin (gedan tettsui)
- Vertical fist punch or Uppercut (tate tsuki)
Similar to Saifa, kata Seiunchin consistently ebbs and flows between the hard and soft aspects of karate. Both Seiunchin and Saifa use fluent, circular movements in offensive and defensive techniques; deals with escaping an attacker’s grip (from both the front and the rear); and tries to get behind an opponent to avoid toe-to-toe combat.
It differs by the fact that, where Saifa deals with tearing ones-self free from an attacker’s grip and counter striking (Sai = smash and Fa = tear), Seiunchin’s principles often deal with the attacker whilst they still have a grip on us. Seiunchin translates as ‘to grab and pull in battle’.
Seiunchin’s combat range is closer than Saifa’s as it often deals with an attacker who can reach completely around you.
Just like in Bassai-dai, Seiunchin aims to avoid toe-to-toe combat by turning the attacker on their axis (rather than the defender moving themselves). And like Bassai-dai, it regularly achieves this by blocking a single strike or grab with both arms blocking in the same direction one after the other (ren uke). Note however that the ren uke in this kata are more subtle.
Seiunchin differs greatly to all previous kata in appearance by attacking and defending on angles. All previous kata follow the four basic embusen (line of movements), which are North, South, East or West. Seiunchin by contrast uses eight embusen (8 angles of movement).
GKR Karate – Seiunchin
Seiunchin History
Seiunchin is one of the most famous kata in karate, partly due to its uniqueness and beauty. Following Bassai-dai, which concentrates on power developed through dynamic, straight-line speed, Seiunchin works on students developing a sense of fluency, beauty and strength within their kata. Students train in Bassai-dai over two belt grades to reach 3rd Kyu brown belt. While Bassai-dai trains students to develop snapping techniques and to be quick to move, Seiunchin develops its power by utilizing low shiko datchi (sumo stances) and circular movements to block or grapple. It is also more concerned with being ‘rooted’ instead of agile (hence its absence of kicking techniques). Its timing is completely different from all previous kata due to the use of angles, introducing a number of attacks and defenses on 45 degree angles.
Like many of the traditional kata, the origins of Seiunchin are steeped in mystery. Some believe it was introduced to Okinawa by Kanryo Higaonna after he returned from studying in the Fukian Province of China. Other equally reputable sources state that it was developed in 1920 by one of Kanryo’s students, Chojun Miyagi (founder of Goju-Ryu), and was possibly formulated after Miyagi spent a year in China studying Pa Kua Ch’ang Kung Fu (one of Kung-fu’s three internal styles). Miyagi developed the style of Goju by combining his studies of Okinawan Naha-te with his training from China.
Regardless of who developed this kata, its Chinese influences are apparent, as are its Naha-te based origins, because it contains the deep tension breathing common in that style. All of which results in a kata of power and beauty.
As there is no true literal translation from kanji, Seiunchin is mostly translated one of two ways. The first is, “the calm in the storm”, which is an appropriate translation when we take into account the timing of the kata. The second, and more likely correct translation is “to grab and pull in battle”. This is a translation apparent to its bunkai, which consists of numerous grabs, pulls, throws and locks. There is probably no other kata that better demonstrates traditional karate.
Seiunchin (whose creation was most likely influenced heavily by one of China’s three internal kung-fu styles) is very much an internal karate kata. The following offers a simplistic explanation of the term ‘internal’ versus ‘external’.
In post war practice of karate, the emphasis on training predominately shifted to ‘external’ training. ‘External’ or ‘hard’ related to the development of power through body strength (ie. building stronger arms and legs). The ‘internal’ or ‘soft’ however concentrates on the whole mind/body merging together to create power (often using the energy of the opponent to receive, defend and attack with flowing counters). Additionally, Seiunchin incorporates numerous movements executed slowly with strength (but not over tension) and contains a lot of abdominal breathing (which controls blood flow and circulation).
Seiunchin’s combat philosophy concerns itself with equipping a practitioner to face a larger, stronger opponent who is constantly grabbing. You will note that during this kata, the emphasis is on being grounded and powerful. There is an absence of kicks (to prevent being off-balanced by a larger opponent); blocks are circular (to develop strength required to combat a larger opponent’s grabs and kicks) and it uses a unique version of multiple attacks. Most kata use separate limbs to execute multiple attacks (such as a kick then punch or one arm attack then the other), Seiunchin in contrast involves the ‘crane technique of vibration’ which involves delivering a multiple of attacks in the same action (such as the uppercut, back-fist then groin strike, or elbow then back-fist strike all done with the same arm). The crane technique of vibration theorized that by executing multiple attacks with one arm (and avoiding squaring the body off to a larger opponent), it is more difficult for the opponent to grab or seize you. Furthermore, in the event of being grabbed or seized, the entire body was not committed to the technique, therefore one arm was still free to deliver a decisive blow.
Seiunchin Lineage
Kanryo Higaonna (1853-1915)
Possibly developed the kata after training in China for 13 years and taught it to Miyagi.
Chogun Miyagi (1888-1953)
It was most likely that the founder of Goju, Miyagi, developed the kata after studying one of the three internal styles of Kung-fu.
Gogen Yamaguchi (1909-1989)
Gogen Yamaguchi was already a reputable karate-ka of Goju before he met its founder (Chogun Miyagi) around 1930. Miyagi became so impressed with Yamaguchi that he made him his successor for Goju in Japan.
GKR Karate
While all styles hailing from Naha practise Seiunchin, GKR derives its version from Japanese Goju (not the more kung-fu appearing Okinawan Goju Seiunchin).
