Meikyō
Meikyō ( Japanese明鏡, clear mirror ) is a kata from Shōtōkan - karate . The original name of the Meikyō was Rohai ; This is the name under which the older version of the kata is still practiced in Wado-ryu .
Surname
The name probably comes from the introductory movement in which the fighter holds both palms up in front of his face as if looking in a mirror. Similar to the Kanku-Dai , the first technique could be understood as a symbolic one that gives the kata its name.
The kata usually takes the last place in the list of the Shōtōkan style kata, which illustrates its high standards. The name “mirror of the soul” is often given as an interpretation of the name, so the fighter should recognize himself in the exercise.
In addition, the kata is based on a mirror-image sequence (mirror-image embossing ), which also occurs in other kata.
Sun worship
Another relationship could be drawn with the imperial regalia of Japan . One of the three insignia is the “Yata no kagami” mirror, which is said to be in the Ise shrine . With him the sun goddess Amaterasu is said to have been lured out of her hiding place and so brought the light back into the world.
This interpretation is supported by a statement by Nakayama Masatoshi , whose favorite kata was Meikyō. He is said to have once said (see The Martial Arts by Michel Random) that the Kata Meikyō is very similar to a folk dance that also serves to lure the goddess Amaterasu out.
Roots and Variants
The original kata Rohai comes from Okinawa and there are four different forms of it: On the one hand the so-called Matsumura no Rohai and on the other hand the series Rohai Shodan , Rohai Nidan and Rohai Sandan , which were practiced by Itosu Yasutsune . The similarities today suggest that Meikyō emerged from Itosus Rohai. The descriptions of the kata as given by Nakayama and Kanazawa in their respective literature contradict each other in some details and therefore different variants are taught.
literature
- Werner Lind : Lexicon of the 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 ).
