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The emergence of the Village Te's
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There are many different forms that can be said to be called Okinawan Te or Ti. Te or Ti as a grappling art has its origin in the Okinawan grappling arts of Tegumi and Mutou, the first term describes the grappling styles that were were popular around the district of Naha, whilst the second term describes the type of grappling that was popular around the districts of Shuri and Tomari. Each one of these three districts is said to have been the source of the village Te's which were combined with local Chinese influence to form Ryukyu Kempo Jutsu which then became Toudi, To Te or Tang Te (China Hand) and later Karate (Empty hand). The Karate styles that have emerged in the Shuri and Tomari district have become known as Shorin Ryu whilst those that emerged around the Naha district became Shorei Ryu. The classification of Shorei and Shorin Ryu designates the Kata and technical aspects of particular martial arts schools that can be grouped and categorised through stylistic traits.
For example Shorin Ryu's higher footwoork, snappy striking techniques and Shorei ryu's low stance, emphasis on the power of striking techniques in conjunction with slow dynamic breathing characteristic of the Sanchin kata.
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Naha Te: Shorei Ryu and Tegumi
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In the district of Naha there emerged the Shorei Ryu style of karate, this is said to have been in the 19th Century with the teachings of Kanryo Higaonna who according to Nagamine was 'deeply concerned with awakening the fighting traditions practised in and around the old district of Naha' (2000:64-65). It was in this district in the village of Kuma in 1392 the Chinese Monk and artisans first arived and are believed to have first introduced Kempo to Okinawa. The arrival of the Chinese in 1392 led to the eventual establishment of an Okinawan community in Fuzhou, in the Fukien district of China, where Higaonna studied from 1875 for 12 to 15 years.
It should be noted that there is a substantial amount of grappling techniques in Shorei Ryu's succesor Goju Ryu, these grappling techniques may to some extent have been part of Naha Te. Naha Te's included a form of wrestling called Tegumi which was practised as a form of competitive sport in the Naha region. It is this local native form of Okinawan Wrestling which was originally known as Tegumi which eventually became Okinawan Sumo. Today the term Tegumi and Okinawn Sumo are used to interchangeably.
In Shoshin Nagamines (2000) Tales of Okinawa's Great Masters translated by Patrick McCarthy tells us that in 1956 pre-war terms were replaced in Okinawan Sumo and there included a variety of techniques which are identical to Judo. However it should be noted that Judo was introducd to Okinawa in the pre-war years. The Tegumi practised amongst the Okinawan community in Hawaii before the second world war provides an insight into the earlier forms of Tegumi.
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Shuri and Tomari Te: Shorin Ryu and Mutou
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Shuri Te (and Tomari Te) when combined with Chinese Kempo became known as Shorin Ryu Karate which resulted in the Okinawan Karate styles of that name, Shorin simply means small forest and is generally used to refer to the Fukien Shaolin Temple. The form of grappling which is associated with the styles that surfaced around the areas of Shuri and Tomari was known as Mutou and this was later combined with the Chinese styles to create Shorin Ryu. Mutou was practised in and around Tomari and shuri in the same way that Tegumi was practised in the district of Naha. The Mutou is often seen as the most appropriate form of grappling for dealing with an armed adversary when oneself is unarmed.
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White Crane Shorei Ryu and Chin Na
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The Chinese Martial arts known as Kempo in Okinawa from which the strikes and kicks of Karate are said to have originated also had its own grappling art known as Chin Na. Chin Na is seen in many Chinese Martial arts especially Fukien White Crane Gong Fu which is believed to have influenced both the Okinawan Shorin Ryu style which are based on External Shaolin fighting techniques and the Shorei Ryu styles of Okinawan Karate that are believed to be based on the internal Chinese Martial Arts. White Crane Chaun Fa has both internal and external aspects to its training curriculum, but the content of these varies depending upon local variations of the Crane style. The internal martial arts include Pau Kua and Hsing I and Tai Chi Chaun which is the most well known of the Internal Martial Arts. Most styles of Tai Chi Chaun also have their own grappling system known more commonly as Chin Na.
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| Nihon Go Shin Kage Ryu & Hakuda Ryu Kempo Jutsu
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| Sensei983@yahoo.com
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