Opening posture of Empi: Shotoism

The founders of Shotokan changed many techniques and katas purely to make karate contests more dramatic. Then they told us it was all "traditional" and we should never change it.
Forum rules
You may visit as a guest and read everything. You may register and post messages. I reserve the right to control site content. -- Hanshi Clayton

Opening posture of Empi: Shotoism

Postby HanshiClayton » Fri Oct 21, 2011 5:42 am

Have you ever participated in a session where people were trying to figure out the significance of the opening posture of Empi? It can be very entertaining.

Standing in a natural stance, you put your right fist into the palm of your open left hand, and place both in koshi kamae at the left hip. Why are the hands down there? Why is one hand open and the other closed? Why do we end the kata in the same position?

The solution is laughably simple, and is another example of a shotoism.

Only Shotokan places the hands at the left hip. The other Shuri-te styles open and close this kata with the hands in the familiar karate salute in front of the chest. Left blade hand with right fist.

This gesture is a signature of Okinawan karate. Apparently somebody in Shotokan decided to conceal the Okinawan link by moving the hands down to the hip.

In other words, the opening posture of Empi has no martial significance and never did.
Bruce D. Clayton, Ph.D.
Copyright © 2012, All Rights Reserved.
This forum is supported by the sales of Shotokan's Secret, Expanded Edition
HanshiClayton
Site Founder
Site Founder
 
Posts: 298
Joined: Thu Dec 18, 2008 5:45 pm

Re: Opening posture of Empi: Shotoism

Postby milmascaras2 » Sun Oct 30, 2011 9:56 pm

Hello Dr. Clayton,
I always thought it was the traditional "kung fu" salute, you know like David Carridne would do in the t.v. series, given the folklore of the kata, but my sensei taught a "kote -gaeshi" type of technique as bunkai!
Saludos!
milmascaras2
Shodan
Shodan
 
Posts: 21
Joined: Fri Jul 23, 2010 12:33 am

Re: Opening posture of Empi: Shotoism

Postby HanshiClayton » Thu Dec 15, 2011 3:08 pm

I think your sensei was ahead of his time. We should all be teaching kotegaeshi, but not necessarily as an application for the fist-in-palm salute!
Bruce D. Clayton, Ph.D.
Copyright © 2012, All Rights Reserved.
This forum is supported by the sales of Shotokan's Secret, Expanded Edition
HanshiClayton
Site Founder
Site Founder
 
Posts: 298
Joined: Thu Dec 18, 2008 5:45 pm


Return to Shotoisms

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 4 guests

cron
Hit Counter by Digits