KUSHANKU
Kūsankū or Kūshankū, also known as Kwang Shang Fu, Ku Shanku, Kosokun, Kung Hsiang Ch’ün, Ku Shan Ku, Koshokun, Kwanku, Ko Sokun, Gong Xiang Fu, was a Chinese martial artist who lived during the 18th century. He is credited as having an influence on virtually all karate-derived martial arts.
Kushanku was a Chinese from the Fukien-province that influenced the history of karate a lot. The name Kushanku/Koshokun consists of the letter Ko (public, official), Sho (minister) and Kun (a suffix for persons, means also “master, ruler). This shows, that it may be a title. But it is also possible, that it may be used as a normal name.
Kushanku learned the art of Ch’uan Fa in China from a Shaolin monk. He was thought to have resided (and possibly studied martial arts) in Fujian province for much of his life before being sent to Ryukyu as an ambassador of the Qing Dynasty at around 1756. Some families (“The 36 families”) were elected by the Chinese emperor at this time to bee sent to Okinawa. These families consisted of experts of different professions and arts and had the order to teach their abilities. They settled in the village Kumemura near Naha. Kushanku was probably one of them.
Kushanku’s name can be found firstly in the so called Oshima Hikki (Notes of Oshima). In 1762 a tribute-ship of the Satsuma crashed near Tosa (Shikoku-province) due to a storm. It stayed there for about one month. The scholar TOBE RYOEN (also TOBE YOSHIHIRO) (1713-1795), who lived on Tosa, wrote down his talks with the sailors of this ship. These notes became famous later under the name Oshima Hikki. According to these notes a man called SHIONJA PEICHIN was on that ship, and told about a Chinese martial artist named KOSHANKUN. He would have demonstrated his arts several times.
It is written in the notes “A chinese called KO SHANG KUN brought some students with him. I was really impressed by the demonstrations of kempo… I saw how a little person easily defended himself against bigger and stronger persons. He kept one hand close to the trunk and just used kata-te und nuki-ashi and the little man defeated the bigger enemy without using power.”
Kushanku was famous for his fighting abilities. He influenced the development of the Shorin ryu a lot by introducing the Kata Kushanku, witch plays an important role in many styles of Shorin ryu. Also it is said that he introduced Hikite, or pulling back the fist to the body. Also he first taught Kumiai jutsu, a form of Kumite, in Okinawa.
Kushanku probably had three students on Okinawa SHIONJA, CHATAN YARA and SAKUGAWA. Sakugawa trained under Kushanku for six years. Kushanku died probably in China in 1790. After Kushanku’s death, Sakugawa developed and named the Kushanku kata in honor of his teacher.
The name of the kata Kusanku may be translated as “To View the Sky.” The kata is supposedly performed at night and uses many deceptive manoeuvres to confuse the attackers. Referred to as Kanku Dai in Shotokan Karate, it is also part of Shorin-Ryu and Shuri-te schools. Kusanku is an intricate and lengthy kata. It consists of about 60 or so movements. The kata is thought to enact an encounter taking place in a large field at night with numerous opponents. It involves perfecting the ancillary senses of hearing and touch due to the difficulty of seeing clearly at night. It is characterized by the use of flowing techniques that resemble those found in White Crane Kung Fu; it also has a wide variety of open-handed techniques. The kata is known for its flying kick and its “cheating” stance, which robs the opponent of opportunities to attack by extending one leg along the ground and squatting as low as
possible on the other (ura-gamae).
Kusanku involves swift stance shifting, low defensive postures, as well as the development of the “sixth sense”. Kusanku teaches constant alertness and unpredictable combinations that are immediately applicable to kumite. Movements are both on the ground and in the air. In the opening movement of the kata, the hands circle in front of the body in a wide arc. This arc symbolizes the moon because the kata was performed at night. It might also symbolize Yin and Yang and the shielding of the eyes from the blinding flash resulting from the splitting of the cosmos.
Through working with this kata and being worked on by it, the karate-ka develops a feel for oncoming attack, understanding of distance, and a resourceful response. A karate-ka proficient in Kusanku no longer over-reacts to threat nor adopts rigid defensive postures physically, psychologically, or mentally. Kusanku teaches the karate-ka to activate the senses, to employ the mind in sensing danger and devising strategy, and to adapt.
Kushanku had a crucial influence on the development of the extensive art of Te and is a cornerstone of many styles of karate. However, its most important contribution may have been linking the Kata to the name of its creator Kushanku who had such a great influence to the Shorin-ryu and later to the different schools that started off there.
KUSHANKU’ STUDENTS
The existence of Shionja could till today not be validated. Just the Oshima Hikki give some reference on his existence. It is also uncertain if he was a student of Kushanku.
Chatan Yara (1668–1756) also known as Yara Guwa, Ueekata, and Yomitan Yara, was born in Chatan Village on Okinawa Island. He is credited with being one of the first to disseminate martial arts (te) throughout Okinawa Island. He stayed many years in China before he became a student of Kushanku. If he got to know Kushanku in China is not certain. It is known that he had a profound knowledge of martial arts (especially Xing Yi and Qi Gong) when he met Kushanku. That enabled him to understand the difficult martial arts system that Kushanku taught, especially when it dealt with Qi. So he understood the Kata he learned from Kushanku in its full depth. Thanks to this, the original content of the Kata Kushanku was kept und taught on the line Kushanku – Yara – KYAN. The original form of the Kata, the Kuniyoshi no Kushanku is taught in Matsubayashi ryu. Chatan Yara as the inner student (Uchi deshi) became successor of Kushanku and received the Menkyo Kaiden. Yara is most noted for teaching Takahara Peichin who would later become the sensei (mentor) of Sakugawa Kanga, the father of Okinawan karate. Depending on Sakugawa’s birth date, Yara may have been his teacher also (based on the kata he taught).
Takahara Pēchin was an early karate practitioner. He was known as a great warrior and is attributed to have been the first to explain the aspects or principles of the dō (“way”). Pēchin was a social class of the Ryūkyū Kingdom.
These principles are: 1) ijō, the way-compassion, humility, and love. 2) katsu, the laws-complete understanding of all techniques and forms of karate, and 3) fo dedication-the seriousness of karate that must be understood not only in practice, but in actual combat. The collective translation is: “One’s duty to himself and his fellow man.” He was the first teacher of Sakukawa “Tode” Kanga who was to become known as the “father of Okinawan karate.”
Sakugawa Kanga (1733-1815), also known under the name Tode Sakugawa. He became Kushanku’s disciple in 1756. The story how Kushanku and Sakugawa got to know each other is written down in the book “The Weaponless Warriors” by RICHARD KIM. Sakugawa was not that experienced in Chinese martial arts as Chatan Yara and did not know the principles of Qi. Due to this he could not reach the depth of the martial art of Kushanku even if he learned from Kushanku for six years till his departure in 1762. But he modified the Kata Kushanku he had learned in the same way as Chatan Yara did and replaced many techniques he did not understand by techniques using power. By this he changed the Kata severely and the original content was not taught on the line of Sakugawa.
