Foot step variations on Goju Ryu Tensho kata

anto · White Belt

Hello Everybody,

This is my first post so greeting to all of you.

First of all, I am sorry if I don't use the right terms on my post below, especially the Japanese terms.

I just celebrated my 48 birthday this month. So my body started to refuse cooperating with my mind in the last few years. A part from I don't do exercise and just mostly sit all day in the office and at home, I had been a heavy smoker until last year. I am not completely quit smoking yet, but I have reduced smoking quite a lot.

So I am thinking of starting to exercise every day at home by performing some Karate Katas, especially the ones involving breathing exercise. There are indeed a lot of exercises, but I think I like doing Karate Kata. I think I will do this for a few months before joining a Goju Ryu Dojo.

When I was teenager I joined Karate Dojos, Shotokan style when I was 11 to 12 years old and then Goju Ryu when I was 12 to 16 years old. But at that time my main intention was quite different. I got bullied and harassed quite often so I needed something that I can use to defend myself. But this time my main intention is just to stay healthy physically and mentally.

Since my memory is getting rusty, I had a look on Youtube about some Senseis performing Katas. And I came across some clips about Goju Ryu Tensho Kata.

As far as I remember, we practised Tensho Kata like the one performed by Hanshi Hichiya Yoshio on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKMmE-m6Yck. The first 2 steps forward is performed like Sanchin Kata, so there are 5 steps forward and 5 steps backward.

But after I had a look at several other clips, it looks like there are 2 other variants especially on the foot steps. First, the one performed by Shihan Morio Higaonna on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jf9eT3P0aU8, where there are only 3 steps forward and 5 steps backward. And second, the one performed by Shihan Goshi Yamaguchi Saiko on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzEhGe0iGIo, which is quite similar to the one performed by Shihan Morio Higaonna but a little bit different at the start and on the breathing technic.

I am not looking for which one is right or wrong. I am quite sure there must be good reasons for those variants. But could anybody let me know which variant is more popular and being practised in most Dojos? Or perhaps you could tell me which variant is being taught in your Dojo?

And do you think this is a bad idea to choose Karate Kata as a mean of staying healthy for middle age man?

Thanks in advance for your help.

Cheers,

Anto

sensei8 · KF Sensei

Welcome to KF, anto; glad that you're here!!

I'm not a Goju practitioner, per se, and I don't formally teach any Goju Kata's in my dojo, nor does our Hombu. Dabbled because I love Kata from styles outside of our Shindokan circle. Hopefully, some Goju practitioners here at KF can offer some suggestions.

anto · White Belt

Thank you sensei8.

I forgot to mention one thing. I was not following the development of Goju Ryu until last week. That was due to I had other interests started when I was 17, like interests on girls, electronic, internet, music, guitar, etc. So I assume there has been some developments in the last 30+ years, especially to improve the way we practice Katas. Is this correct? If so, which variant of Goju Ryu are mostly taught in Dojos especially in Europe?

JR 137 · Black Belt

I know you're not really looking for why it's practiced differently by different organizations, but I'll give you my take on it, as it may help you decide on which one you choose...

Tensho kata was developed by Chojun Miyagi, founder of Goju Ryu. It came from I believe White Crane Kung Fu, as he took elements of that system while developing the kata. He developed it as a counterpoint to Sanchin kata. Sanchin represented the hard (Go) part of the style, while Tensho represented the soft (Ju) of the style.

Miyagi didn't have a set curriculum in Goju that everyone followed. He was standardizing a curriculum when karate was accepted by Japan as an official martial art, but he passed away well before he was done.

Not having a standardized curriculum, Miyagi didn't teach all his students the same kata, nor did he teach them all each kata the same way; he altered kata to each student's strengths and weaknesses. After Miyagi's death, his students started teaching their own students the way they were taught; ideally they taught the art as they learned it from Miyagi.

So for a teacher to say "my version is right and everything else is wrong" is inaccurate in a sense. People have changed it further since Miyagi's passing; if that's right or wrong is in the eye of the beholder.

Which version of those is most common/popular? No idea. Which version is best? No idea. The version my organization does is closest to the last linked version. I study Seido Juku, which comes from Kyokushin. Kyokushin's founder (Mas Oyama) was a student of Gogen Yamaguchi, among others. Gogen Yamaguchi is Goshi Yamaguchi's deceased father. Gogen Yamaguchi was Chojun Miyagi's student, who brought Goju Ryu to Japan, naming it Goju-Kai.

Which version should you practice? In a non-sarcastic way, whichever you like most. There haven't been any realistic "modern improvements" to the way kata is performed/should be performed. There's no true advantage in performing one version over another. If we're talking combative reasons, then maybe. Just maybe if the student knows the kata inside-out and it fits their philosophy better, but that's really a stretch.

anto · White Belt

Thanks a lot JR 137 for sharing your comprehensive insight on this. That indeed is the most probable reason why there are variants within Goju Ryu.

As my objective to do exercise using Goju Ryu Katas is mainly to stay healthy, I think it is quite easy for me to decide which one to choose. That is to choose the style that is being taught in a Dojo close to where I live, whatever style would that be, as long as its root is Chojun Miyagi Goju Ryu. So all variants like the variants on Tensho Kata I initially posted, are fine with me. I am not sure why I like Goju Ryu, so it stuck in my mind. And I forgot why I switched from Shotokan to Goju Ryu 36 years ago.

My questions are perhaps more related to what has been going on in the last few decades. So I was wondering if one style/variant becomes more popular than the other. I was also wondering if there is some kind of "standardisation" amongst different Goju Ryu organisations within the last 30 years. So there would be common version of katas in all organisations on top of the traditional ones being taught in each organisation. Or perhaps this last one is a bad idea because perhaps the traditional ones will fade out quicker, which is not good.

JR 137 · Black Belt

I don't study Goju, and I'm certainly not an expert on it, but from what I've seen...

Most Goju Ryu schools (excluding Chinese Goju, American Goju, and stuff like that) have more in common than differences. Most will teach the core Goju kata at similar ranks, and while there may be differences in how they're performed, they're not profound differences.

A lot of that has to do with Miyagi not having a standardized curriculum. Some organizations may include kata Miyagi never taught and/or omit a kata, but as far as I've seen there's very few differences in curricula. I'm not sure how far off Japanese Goju (aka Goju Kai) is from Okinawan Goju curriculum-wise. I think the differences will be more of application of techniques between the various branches than actual kata.

As far as Goju kata variation, I've seen more variation in Sanchin kata than any other kata, especially Miyagi developed kata such as Tensho and Saiha/Saifa. Sanchin is performed with and without turns, hands open (rare) and closed, different breathing, etc. amongst the various Goju organizations.

Practicing this stuff for your stated reasons is all fine and good, but if you really want to delve into the why and how, an instructor is mandatory IMO. Without an instructor, you're just replicating movements; with an instructor, you're being educated as to why, how, etc. and receiving feedback to improve. Again, nothing wrong with what you're doing at all, but be aware you're really just getting a superficial understanding of it.

Nidan Melbourne · KF Sempai

anto · White Belt

Thank you for your further comments and suggestions JR 137 and Nidan Melbourne.

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