Unsu

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Unsu ( jap. 雲 手 , dt. "Cloud hand") is a kata in karate , ie a stylized fight against several imaginary opponents. It is taught in the Shōtōkan style as well as in Shitō- and Shōrei-ryū , with the Shitō-ryū mostly using the name Unshu .

origin

The origin of Unsu is in the Aragaki school, an old Okinawan family style that goes back to Aragaki Peichin. He must have brought this kata with him from his martial arts studies in China. The kata is mentioned for the first time outside the Aragaki school in the book Karate-Kenpo by Funakoshi Gichin under the heading "Kata types".

Surname

The name Unsu refers to the second technique, in which, after you have fought upwards, the attacking arm is pushed aside. The structure of this kata, which is easy and fast due to its technical versatility, also helps to think of the lightness of the clouds. Sometimes Unsu is also translated as " moving clouds" ( Hatsuun jindo " divide the clouds and find the way"), which particularly vividly illustrates the initial techniques.

Unsu in Shōtōkan

In the Shōtōkan style, which goes back to Funakoshi Gichin, Unsu is the most highly developed kata. The kata found its way into this style via Mabuni Kenwa , a friend of Funakoshi, who taught him his variant of Shitō-ryū. The kata was then adapted to his style by Funakoshi and has since been considered the most difficult, although at 90 seconds it is not the longest kata of these styles. This classification is due, among other things, to the 360 ​​° jump with built-in Mikazuki tobi geri (half-moon step in the jump) and Ushiro tobi geri (step in the jump backwards) before landing, but also to the other subtleties of the 68 techniques.

literature

  • 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 ).
  • Albrecht Pflüger : 25 Shotokan Katas. At a glance; Karate katas for exams and competitions . Falken Verlag, Niedernhausen / T. 2002, ISBN 978-3-8068-2125-3 .

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