撃塞小 Gekisai ShoGekisai means conquer and occupy. The name is derived from the characters Geki 撃, meaning defeat or conquer, and Sai 塞, meaning fortress or stronghold (literally translated as “closed”, “shut” or “covered”). The word Gekisai can also mean demolish, destroy or pulverize. The katas teach strength through fluidity of motion, mobility and the utilization of various techniques. Flexibility of attack […]
十八 Seipai Seipai is the Okinawan pronunciation of the kanji characters for 18 (pronounced Jū 十 Hachi 八 in Japanese). In other karate styles, this kata is sometimes called Seipaite, or eighteen hands. The number 18 is derived from the Buddhist concept of 6 x 3, where six represents colour, voice, taste, smell, touch and justice and three represents good, bad and peace.
臥竜 Garyu Garyu means reclining dragon, from the characters Ga 臥 (lie prostrate) and Ryū竜 (dragon). In Japanese philosophy, a great man who remains in obscurity is called a Garyu. A dragon is all-powerful, but a reclining dragon chooses not to display his power until it is needed.
In our Black Belt Kata class this weekend (7/16/2022) we focused on the the last (on our list of black belt katas), the longest, and the most complex kata, Sushiho. According to Shihan Cameron Quinn’s book, “The Budo Karate of Mas Oyama”, Sushiho 五十四歩 translates to Fifty Four Steps. In his book he writes: This
