Sanseiru/sanseru is an interesting kata in historical terms. Not only is it practised by all goju-ryu schools and tou'on-ryu, but also by uechi-ryu. Yet it is a kata that has arguably the greatest variation from school to school.
The uechi-ryu version appears completely unrelated to the goju/tou'on versions.
The tou'on-ryu version is very different from its goju cousin at the beginning (no mae geris) and does not end with the double ko uke. There is also no kansetsu geri, but rather a stomping ball of the foot to the hip joint.
Some suggest that this is because Chojun Miyagi learned the kata off someone other than Kanryo Higaonna - he was away doing military service when Juhatsu Kyoda and others learned it.
Seiko Higa's version is subtly different, although I'm not sure exactly how - more on that later.
I know that our version (brought back from Okinawa in the 60s) looks a little different from most goju kaiha in 2 respects:
1. The "mae/rising empi" performed in the IOGKF etc. we do as a forearm wedging block - ie. the elbow doesn't rise as an uppercut, nor is it a forward elbow thrust, but is instead a forward thrusting deflection, with the forearm vertical. We also apply it as a "sokumen awase uke" (hand sweeping past face block) - see below.
2. The move done just before the sideways elbow strike in shiko (in turn, just before the sweep and chudan morote zuki) we do as an outside sokumen awase uke, rather than a simple age/jodan uke or an inside sokumen awase uke (although we practice both in bunkai).
Here is a video of one of my sempai, Sensei Dave Goodwin in 1985 performing the kata as I was taught it:
Here's me a year or 2 later (not a complete performance):
In relation to the "empi/hiji ate", An'ichi Miyagi's version is quite similar to ours, except he seems to be using it as outside sokumen awase rather than a mae empi uchi:
I don't see point in throwing a high mae empi uchi. The only possible targets of a mae empi are: * the solar plexus; * the xiyphoid process (slightly higher); * mid-breastbone (the middle of the line drawn between the nipples - a nasty nerve point); * nerve points on the pectoral/under the arm (slightly higher again); or * the jaw (a rather weak and foolish uppercut, IMHO).
Once an empi passes the mid-line of your body its power reduces exponentially to almost zero at head height. Furthermore, as a high strike the technique exposes your midriff quite dangerously.
Rather, if you're going to raise your elbow it would be slightly to the side to effect a sokumen awase uke to the outside - sweeping the attackers punch past your head and protecting your face/ear.
You'll notice that the finishing position of the outside sokumen awase is used by MMA practitioners (where they put the hand or fist on their ear) - however they do not apply the move as an intercepting deflection, but rather just as a shield (which I feel is a lesser application of the movement).
In relation to sokumen awase uke in sanseiru, take a look at this short video I filmed last night:
For those who are curious, I use the term "sokumen awase uke" differently from the standard karate use of that term... [read more].
I am told, but I have not had it verified, that our version of sanseru is, in this respect, the same as Seiko Higa's early version of the kata and was brought back from Okinawa/Japan by our instructors in the 60s (possibly via Ichikawa who was a student of Kanki Izumigawa who in turn was a student of Seiko Higa). Potentially we show our link to the Ichikawa lineage by the fact that we still use his fist in our logo.
That said, our style is predominantly IOGKF-based given our instructors learned from, and were affiliated to, Higaonna Morio Sensei in the Yoyogi days. I'd love to know more, but I am fearful of offending anyone by asking questions that traverse into the political minefield of ended associations.
For the time being, I am quite happy from a technical perspective to practice sanseru the way I was shown it so many years ago - after all, I've trained with IOGKF, Jundokan and Graham Ravey's TOGKF and known their versions for 23 or so years. I can easily do both, but I make a (hopefully) informed choice to make my standard version "different" from what seems to be the "norm" nowadays. But I certainly practice the bunkai for both.
As noted in the above video, I think the inward sokumen awase is really suitable only to the outside of an opponent: on the inside it leaves you quite vulnerable and creates a blind spot.
On the whole the inside sokumen awase is, in my view, a less useful technique, hence I am quite happy for it to be a lesser bunkai and for the kata to reflect the outside sokumen awase.
I have some views as to the use of the jodan uke in the shiko technique (just before the double punch), but I'll deal with that separately...
I practice a family system very similar to Ryuei Ryu, and our Sanseiru is close to Goju Ryu's version. Few minor changes but nothing major. Interestingly enough my late Sensei, Masayuki Irei, use to say back when he was a kid this kata was called Pechurin Ge. It was the first kata in a series of three from Bushi Sakagami in the Pechurin series. The middle kata is Pechurin Chu, which is the old name for the modern Seiunchin kata, and the last was Pechurin Jo, which is the modern Supraempei kata.
Scot
Thanks for your input Scot. Very interesting perspective and not one I'd heard before. I understand how sanseiru and suparinpei might be related given their common architecture (eg. opening 3 sanchins with double chudan uke, predominantly right-side biased, ending with double ko uke etc.). However seiyunchin does not share these features prompting Mario McKenna and Joe Swift among others to speculate that seiyunchin is from a different source. However these are just theories and I happy to hear more of your sensei's perspective.
I practice a family system very similar to Ryuei Ryu, and our Sanseiru is close to Goju Ryu's version. Few minor changes but nothing major. Interestingly enough my late Sensei, Masayuki Irei, use to say back when he was a kid this kata was called Pechurin Ge. It was the first kata in a series of three from Bushi Sakagami in the Pechurin series. The middle kata is Pechurin Chu, which is the old name for the modern Seiunchin kata, and the last was Pechurin Jo, which is the modern Supraempei kata.
