Isshinryu Karate

Seiuchin Kata

Seiuchin dache: A strong stance with feet shoulder width apart and feet at 45-degree angles. This kata uses reinforced blocks and punches; it is a breathing kata; it has six attackers. It is named after a Chinese artist, Seiuchin, who lived during the fifteenth and sixteenth centures. Legends say that Seiuchin was so powerful that he could pierce the side of a cow with the tips of his fingers and penetrate into the body enough that he could pull meat out from inside with his powerful hands. Historical data indicates that Kanryo Higashionna, who had gone to China and studied karate, is the person responsible for the contribution of this kata to Isshinryu. Kanryo Higashionna was Chojun Myagi's instructor. Tatsuo Shimabuku learned tho kata directly from Chojun Myagi and gives credit to him for the profound influence of the Goju-Ryu system into Isshinryu.
 
  • From musabi dache to heiko dache (starting pose).
  • Look to left, RF forward into middle seiuchin dache; both hands to leg blocks (RH to front, LH to rear).
  • Both hands rotate in plane of body to ridge hand blocks.
  • Look to front, both hands repeat leg blocks.
  • Break: both hands in open position. RH wraps under LH. LH moves sharply back to chamber, RH does a ridge hand attack to forward.
  • RH flips over into inverted position. With sanchin breathing, bring RH back to chamber (still facing forward) and do an inverted nukite with LH.
  • Look to right and move forward to right-facing middle seichin dache; do double leg blocks in conjunction with moving.
  • Cycle repeats: double ridge hand blocks, look to front, double leg blocks, break, inverted nukie with sanchin breathing. Look to left, move forward and do double leg block.
  • Cycle mostly repeats: double ridge hand blocks, look to front, double leg blocks, break. On the inverted nukite, RH only halfway retracts; LH comes forward to meet it (LH pinkie is next to RH thumb, base of palms are aligned).
  • Open hand smash: RH backfists into open LH.
  • Step forward into RF forward seisan dache. LH grasps RH: re-enforced straight punch to forward.
  • Elbow smash: LH, in open hand position, moves to behind (same) opponent's head and comes to smack against right elbow.
  • Look to diagonal right.
  • Step to RF forward seisan dache. Re-enforced RH side block: LH in open position meets palm-to-palm with RH and helps push side block.
  • Step forward into LF forward high seichuin danche. LH leg block; RH comes to chamber.
  • While still looking on this diagonal, step backward along diagonal into high seichun and repeat leg block to front (RH); LH comes to chamber.
  • Look 90' to left (front/left from original starting position).
  • Repeat cycle on opposite side: step into LF-forward seisan dache, re-enforced LH side block, step forward (LF) into high-seiuchin with RH leg block, step backwards (RF) into high-seiuchin with LH leg block.
  • Look to front.
  • LF backwards along original direction into low seiuchin. Misu-gami block: both hands come to in front of the face, RH close in and palm in, LH on opposite side, palm out. RH goes to open hand leg block: the palm is facing the ground at the end. LH goes up to open hand head block: the palm is vertical and facing to the left. This double block is performed quite slowly.
  • While continuing to look to the front, RF steps backward (stepping backwards from original starting direction) into low-seiuchin. Repeat Misu-gami block, also done slowly.
  • RF forward into seisan dache to front; re-enforced uppercut.
  • Look over left shoulder to rear.
  • LF crosses behind; pivot 180'. LH side block simultaneous with RH leg block.
  • Look to diag left (3/8 to right from original starting position).
  • Shift weight to RF; LF comes off the ground (still pointing to original straight back, as if doing a straight kick); LH comes to inverted chamber position; RH, in open hand position, comes to a guard position very close to in front of the solar plexus.
  • LF replaces to original position; LH uppercut, followed immediately by bridge of the nose punch.
  • Look to rear (relative to original starting position); LH leg block, RH to chamber.
  • Look to left diag again (3/8 to right from original starting position).
  • LF moves backward to high seiuchin. RH leg block, LH to chamber.
  • Look to original front.
  • Feet pivot in place to seisan dache. Simulataneous LH side block, RH leg block.
  • Look to left diag (1/8 to left from original starting position).
  • Shift weight to LF. RF comes up, LH goes to open hand guard in front of solar plexus, RH goes to inverted chamber position.
  • RF steps down into nahanchie dache; RH uppercut and kiai, immediately followed by RH bridge of the nose. RH leg block and LH returns to chamber.
  • RF back into high seiuchin; LH leg block and RH to chamber.
  • Look to front.
  • LF back into closed neko ashe dache. LH comes across body, RH wraps underneath: break, and drop into T-stance.
  • RF back into closed neko ashe dache and repeat RH break.
  • LF forward into seisan dache. L arm comes across body, hand closed, palm down. RH straight punch to groin and kiai.
  • RF forward into seisan dache; RH circles under LH to bridge of the nose and LH comes to open hand solar plexus guard.
  • Shuffle back into RF forward neko ashe dache. Both arms, hands in open hand position, do large circular motion to rear, up and continue to the front. As the arms come in front of the body, the elbows come together to break apart a label grab. As the arms come near the end of their range of motion in front of the body, stomp into T-stance and split the arms apart: fingertips together, elbows apart.
  • Finish.