Kusanku

Mr. Jones

Kata: Kusanku

This kata, which means 'to look to the sky', is a combination of the Pinan katas. It was named after a chinese man named Kusanku, who supposedly taught it to Tode Sakugawa in Shori, Okinawa over 200 years ago. It is said to be the kata that Funakoshi Sensei used when he would demonstrate the 'new art of karate'. He changed its name in Shotokan to Kanku Dai.

Note: Because of its overwhelming use in Wado techniques, if only one hand is mentioned, the other hand is performing a back hikite. Also, unless otherwise mentioned, all jun-tsukis are at the chudan (solar plexus) level.

H. Otsuka

T. Suzuki

Opening

1. Rei. masuba dachi.
2. Yoi. Te hidari/migi kosa kinteki shooto uke. (Hands left over right crossed groin openhanded block). Heiko dachi.
3. Hajime.

Body

1. Hands rise to jodan level, then fan outwards while dropping and meeting again at the gedan level. Pause. Left facing mawata (90°) Step into a right horizontal chudan shooto uke, left soto shooto uke. Drop left mahanmi neeko ashi dachi.
2. Hands rotate forward and down 90°. Stance pulls left in to a bent leg heiko dachi.
3. Mawata clockwise, 180°, step into a left chudan jodan shooto uke, right soto shooto uke. Right mahanmi neeko ashi dachi.
4. Pull back left into left tae uke. Pull back left into heiko dachi.
5. Left gedan uke, right chudan jun-tsuki. Heiko dachi.
6. Drop into right soto uke. Left naname zenkutsa dachi.
7. Pull up left chudan jun-tsuki. Heiko dachi.
8. Drop into Left soto uke. Right naname zenkutsa dachi.
9. Pull into right tae uke, body twisting right 180°, right soto uke, right mae geri, left hand come in covering face. Pull to T stance.

Start section from Pinan Shodan.

1. Mawata counterclockwise (180°), right chudan shooto uke (palm up), left soto shooto uke. Left mahanmi neeko ashi dachi.
2. Press down the soto uke, cover face with chudan uke, slide forward and hit same stance and hit left chudan shooto uke, and right soto shooto uke. Right mahanmi neeko ashi dachi.
3. Press down the soto uke, cover face with chudan uke, slide forward and hit same stance and hit right chudan shooto uke, and left soto shooto uke. Left mahanmi neeko ashi dachi.
4. Press down the soto uke, slide forward and supply a right low chudan yohan strike, left hikite. Right zenkutsa dachi.

End section from Pinan Shodan.

1. High right, Low left, perform a 180° counterclockwise right sweep (barai), right mae geri (straight), drop 45° counterclockwise and twist left 180° into left gedan uke, right horizontal jodan uke. Left naname zenkutsa dachi then drop into a diagonal left neeko kukutsa dachi.
2. Pull left in, punch under left with right, then rebound 45° clockwise with a left oi zuki. Pull up into heiko dachi.
3. Right hand covers high, left low, then perform a 90° counterclockwise right barai, right mae geri, drop 45° counterclockwise and twist left 180° into left gedan uke, right horizontal jodan uke. Left naname zenkutsa dachi then drop into a diagonal left neeko kukutsa dachi.
4. Pull left in, punch under left with right, then rebound 45° clockwise with a left oi zuki. Pull up into heiko dachi.
5. Mawata left 90° into left tae uke. Heisoku dachi.

Start section from Pinan Yondan.

1. Look left, simultaneously do a left chudan tetsui, and left gedan mae geri, followed by a right pull-in empi strike. Seisan dachi.
2. Pull back into right tae uke, left hikite. Heisoku dachi.
3. Look right, simultaneously do a right chudan tetsui, and right gedan mae geri, followed by a left pull-in empi strike. Seisan dachi.

End section from Pinan Yondan.

1. Mawata left (180°), step left shooto soto uke, right chudan shooto uke. Left mahanmi neeko ashi dachi.
2. Press down the soto uke, cover face with chudan uke, step 45° right, right shooto soto uke, left chudan shooto uke. Right mahanmi neeko ashi dachi.
3. Mawata clockwise (135°), Step right shooto soto uke, left chudan shooto uke. Right mahanmi neeko ashi dachi.
4. Press down the soto uke, cover face with chudan uke, step 45° left, left shooto soto uke, right chudan shooto uke. Left mahanmi neeko ashi dachi.
5. Right high left low, right barai. Left naname zenkutsa dachi.
6. Right mae geri, step up right urachen. Left gyaku neeko ashi dachi.
7. Step back, right 'pull the sword', right soto uke. Left gyaku-tsuki, right jun-tsuki. Right zenkutsa dachi.
8. Mawata left (180°) sayu zuki (double side punch) with left hand as shooto. Left zenkutsa dachi.
9. While bringing up right hiza, drop both arms to outside of it and pull hands together and up covering face, then drop into and touch the ground with both hands. Right zenkutsa dachi.
10. Mawata left (180°), into right chudan shooto uke, left soto schooto uke. Left mahanmi neeko ashi dachi.
11. Press down the soto uke, cover face with chudan uke, step into a left chudan shooto uke, right soto shooto uke. Right mahanmi neeko ashi dachi.
12. Step way back and right with the left leg, mawata left 270° into left soto uke, right gyaku-tsuki. Left mashomen neeko ashi dachi.
13. Mawata right 180° into right soto uke, left gyaku-tsuki, right jun-tsuki. Slide back right leg then twist into right mashomen neeko ashi dachi.
14. Pull into right tae uke, body twisting right 90°, right soto uke, right mae geri, left hand come in covering face. Pull to T stance.

Start section from Pinan Shodan again.

1. Mawata counterclockwise (180°), right chudan shooto uke (palm up), left soto shooto uke. Left mahanmi neeko ashi dachi.
2. Press down left shooto, right chudan yohan with left hand open under right tricep, bring up right hand to cover face. Right zenkutsa dachi.
3. Mawata left (180°) into left gedan uke. Straight sheeko dachi.
4. Mawata left (45°) left urachen. 45° sheeko dachi.
5. Mawata left (45°) right chudan empi hirate. Seisan dachi.
6. Mawata 90° right, Left shooto uke, right jodan tetsui. Heiko dachi.
7. Mawata right (180°), right soto uke, left middle gedan uke. Right over left gedan kosa seikan uke, then jodan kosa shooto uke. Sheeko dachi.
8. Mawata right (270°). Right zenkutsa dachi.
9. Pull hands down into chudan kosa seikan uke against body, while doing a nippon mae tobi geri (left/right) landing with a right urachen. Start right zenkutsa dachi, land right zenkutsa dachi.
10. Mawata right (180°), do a left downward ude uke into the right arm into a upward facing gedan kosa block then pull both up into double soto seikan uke. Mawata into kiba dachi, then pull up into double heiko dachi.

Closing

1. Yame. Pull right into heiko dachi, te hidari/migi kosa kinteki shooto uke.
2. Norei. Masuba dachi.
3. Rei.

Page updated

Google Sites

Report abuse