Soto-deshi

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A Soto-Deshi ( Japanese. 外 弟子 , dt. "Outer student") was a student of a Budo master.

The Soto-Deshi was often mainly interested in the technical aspects of a martial art. He was often concerned with public standing and the demonstration of physical strength. In contrast to Uchi-Deshi (the "inner disciple"), who was primarily characterized by loyalty to his master, he was not given a deeper understanding of the martial art.

It often happened that a Soto-Deshi did not understand all aspects of a form ( Kata ). Katas were then changed and supposedly “senseless” movements were replaced by others. An example of this is the Chinese master Koshukun, who brought Kata Kushanku to Okinawa . The vigorous Okinawan people did not understand many movements and modified the kata. Koshukun's Uchi-Deshi Yari continued to teach the original version as an inner disciple, while the Soto-Deshi Sakugawa passed on a modified version of the kata.

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