Gankaku
Gankaku ( Japanese 岩 鶴 , dt. Crane on the rock ) or older Chintō ( 鎮東 ) is a kata in karate , ie a stylized fight against several imaginary opponents. It is taught under the name Gankaku in the Shōtōkan style, while the styles Shōrin-ryū , Wadō-ryū and Shitō-ryū have retained the original name Chintō.
origin
The origin of the Gankaku (Chintō) lies in the Heron Quanfa (Chinese boxing), which makes this Kata one of the oldest in Karatedō. The ideogram that is read in Okinawa Chin is synonymous with the Chinese Dianxue , the art of vital point techniques. Funakoshi Gichin wrote in his book Ryū Kyū Kempō Karate that the kata originally came from an internal Chinese Kung Fu style. The obvious connection with the crane style of Kung Fu also allows a connection to the external styles. It is believed that the kata spread to Okinawa in several ways, as there are some distinct branches of development. In Okinawa , the place of origin of karatedō, she was taught in Shōrinryū, the style which Funakoshi Gichin and Mabuni Kenwa studied under their master Itosu Yasutsune , and so this kata found its way into the styles of these masters. The kata came into the Wadō-Ryū through Funakoshi, who taught it Ōtsuka Hironori , the developer of this style. Matsumora Kōsaku probably brought this kata with her from China and integrated it into Tomari-Te. Kyan Chōtoku called his version of the kata "Kiyatake no Chintō". It is practiced today in the style of Matsubayashi-ryu . Shiroma, a student of Itosu, has developed its own form, the Shiroma no Chintō, which found its way into the Gensei Ryū.
Surname
The name Gankaku, meaning “crane on the rock”, was chosen by Funakoshi Gichin because of the tsuru ashi dachi , which occurs four times in this kata , a foot position that resembles a crane that flaps its wings in defense.
particularities
A special feature of this kata is the embusen , i.e. the step diagram, which shows a vertical line. This shows that at first you only do the techniques in one direction and at the end you practically "turn" and you have a series of techniques that end at the starting point of this kata. Another delicacy is that there is often a change between fluid and rapid sequences of movements and a calm posture. The techniques also focus on the vital points (Jintai kyūsho) of the body.
literature
- Roland Habersetzer : Koshiki Kata Palisander Verlag 2005. ISBN 3-938305-01-0
- Werner Lind : The dictionary of martial arts. China, Japan, Okinawa, Korea, Vietnam, Thailand, Burma, Indonesia, India, Mongolia, Philippines, Taiwan, etc. Sportverlag, Berlin 1999, ISBN 3-328-00838-1 , ( Edition BSK ).
Web links
- Course of the Gankaku (Shōtōkan, drawing by Albrecht Pflüger )
- Gankaku performed by Hirokazu Kanazawa Shihan
- Wadōryū Chintō performed by Takagi Hideho
- Shitōryū Chintō
- Learn Gankaku Online
