Seisan

Seisan
Other names	Sesan, Seishan, Sei-Shan, Jusan, Hangetsu
Martial art	Karate, Tang Soo Do
Place of origin	Okinawa, Ryukyu Kingdom
Creator	Unknown
Date of Creation	Unknown

The karate kata Seisan (alternate names: Sesan, Seishan, Jusan, Hangetsu) literally means '13'. Some people refer to the kata as '13 Hands', '13 Fists', '13 Techniques', '13 Steps' or even '13 killing positions', however, these names have no historical basis.

Seisan is thought to be one of the oldest kata, being quite spread among other Nahate schools. Shito-ryu has its own version and different versions are now practised even in Shurite derivatives like Shotokan (called Hangetsu) and in Wado-ryu (called Seishan). Isshin-ryū also adopted this kata. This kata is also practiced in Korean styles such as Tang Soo Do and Soo Bahk Do and is called Sei-Shan or Seishan in Korean. Due to its difficulty, this kata is often reserved for advanced students.

Practicing Styles

The following styles have made this kata a formal part of their curriculum.

• Chitō-ryū
• Gōjū-ryū
• Go Kan Ryu
• Isshin-ryū
• Meibukan
• Moo Duk Kwan
• Ryū-te
• Ryūei-ryū
• Seito Matsumura-ryu
• Shōrin-ryū Seibukan
• Shōrin-ryū Okinawa Seidokan
• Shōrin-ryū
• Shōrinji-ryū
• Shinki-ryu
• Shitō-ryū
• Shorinjiryu Koshinkai Karatedo
• Shotokan
• Tang Soo Do
• Uechi-ryū
• Wadō-ryū
• Yoshukai Karate

Myth and History

There are numerous theories regarding the name of the kata. These include the number of steps originally in the kata, the number of different types of 'power' or 'energy' in the kata, the number of applications, or that the kata represents defence against 13 specific types of attack. The most likely explanation is the number of non-repeating techniques contained within the kata. It is believed Seisan derives from Yong Chun White Crane Boxing from Fujian Province in Southern China, where the form is known as 'Four Gate Hands'. (This is completely unproven and uncorroborated. There are some other Chinese styles having a form called 'Shisan' (13) in their curricula, but a link from a specific kung-fu form to Okinawan Seisan has never been established.)

Variations

Versions of Seisan taught today have roots in Shuri-te, Naha-te and Tomari-te streams of karate (that is the karate that was traditionally taught in the Okinawan towns of Shuri, Naha and Tomari respectively).

Isshin-ryu seisan

Isshin-ryu traditionally teaches this kata as the first one to be learned in their curriculum unlike other styles. As is a feature of the style, all punches are performed with a vertical fist. The founder's primary teacher of the kata was Chotoku Kyan of the Shorin-ryu style, but the Isshin-ryu version also shares many features with the Goju-ryu style, including tension and breathing techniques.

Goju-Ryu seisan

The Goju-Ryu (Naha-te) version of the kata is a more complicated version that contains close range fighting techniques such as short-range punches, low kicks, and directional changes to unbalance the opponent. It contains techniques performed under full tension thru the range of motion, as well as strong fast techniques. Seisan is said to complement Seiunchin. Although rooted in the same form, significant differences can be seen in the Goju version compared to the other versions mentioned above.

Seibukan Shorin Ryu Seisan

The version of Seisan taught in the Seibukan Shorin-Ryu syllabus can be traced back to Sōkon 'Bushi' Matsumura (a highly influential teacher to Shorin styles, hence the name Matsumura-no-Seisan). The form predominantly features the stance Shiko-Dachi (common in Tomari-te kata) accompanying a block which often sets up a powerful pivot and punch into Zenkutsu-dachi. This form introduces many recurring concepts used in higher level Seibukan Shorin-Ryu kata.

Shotokan Hangetsu

Hangetsu contains many slow movements under tension, popular in Naha-te schools such as Goju-Ryu, but rare in Shotokan and Shuri-te influenced styles making the kata quite unique. Funakoshi was taught by Sokon Matsumura (Shuri-te), Kodatsu Iha (a student of Kosaku Matsumora of Tomari-te) and Seisho Aragaki (associated with Goju-Ryu, a Naha-te style) all of which had knowledge of a version of Seisan. Funakoshi's could have taken the best from these contrasting styles synthesising them into Hangetsu, which possibly explains why the form is so different from other kata in the Shotokan canon.

Aragaki no seisan

Another more obscure version of this kata known as Aragaki-no-Seisan, bears the closest surface resemblance to the Shotokan kata Hangetsu. The Shotokan version was probably renamed when Gichin Funakoshi formed his school in Japan. Hangetsu translates to 'Half Moon' or 'Half Month' a reference to the half-moon stance used extensively and the semi-circular stepping actions in this kata. It is interesting to note the name Seisan could have been a reference to the 13-day cycle of the moons phases, and knowing this Funakoshi named the kata 'Half Moon/Month'. A more obscure and unlikely theory is that the kata was taken from a Chinese folk dance where the performer is explaining the importance of the tides as they cycle on 13-day intervals as the moon revolves around the earth.

Further reading

• Bishop, M. Okinawan Karate (Tuttle, Boston, 1999).
• Hobbs, R. J. & Jones, C. M. "The Genealogy of Okinawa" Traditional Karate 15 (7), 14-18 (March 2002).
• Seisan Kata on cite fightingarts.com

• Hayhurst, D. Okinawa Seidokan Tome Volume I, History, LuLu Publishing (2010).