Soeishi no Kon – by Takamura Seiko, 1980

In June of 2020, Lara Chamberlain uploaded a bo-kata video from the archives of Fred Christian sensei. Neither the performer nor the kata were known or could be identified. However, from some of the signature techniques I thought right away “this is a version of Soeishi no Kon from the Taira Shinken lineage.” But people asked for proof other than my expertise. As is most often the case in research, there is no quick Facebook chat answer, but such tasks take time to be researched and clarified.

It took about six month. Over time each issue has been taken on one by one, until recently the last issue was solved. So here is the condensed answer without all the pulling out books from the board and the back-and-forth communication with Okinawa and Japan.

First of all, the date and place of the performance has been verified as April 5, 1980, at the Naha City Hall. Occasion was a martial demonstration meet to commemorate Nagamine Shoshin’s receiving the Okinawa Prefectural Merit Award as well as his 70th birthday.

We identified the performer to be Takamura Seiko. In 1977, he served as the director of Matsubayashi-ryu for the Kansai region and later served as a Vice President of the World Matsubayashi-ryu Karatedo Federation.

While this is impressive, by 1964, Takamura was also a managing director of the Ryukyu Kobudo Hozon Shinkokai of Taira Shinken. In other words, he was a kobudo student under Taira Shinken and his peers and an official of Taira’s association since at least the early 1960s.

Now, the kata Takamura performed in the 1980 video does not fully match any of the kata of Taira’s students. However, as I determined before from its signature techniques and combos, and with the fact verified that Takamura was a leading master under Taira Shinken, there can be no doubt that it is a version of Soeishi no Kon from the Taira lineage. For reassurance, I compared Takamura’s version technique by technique with Soeishi no Kon Dai (Inoue 1972), Soeishi no Kon (Akamine 1984), and Shishi no Kon no Dai (Shimabuku Tatsuo). While there are differences, the signature techniques and combos and specifics of the enbusen (lanes of martial performance), there can be no doubt left that Takamura performs a version of what today is known as Soeishi no Kon of the Taira lineage.

It should be kept in mind that it is not the one and only, but a version of Soeishi no Kon. There are three major reasons why it cannot be stated more precisely.

First, no-one really knows to what extent Taira continued to collect, create, and alter kata during the 50s and 60s. Also, no-one knows how much his students altered the kata.

Second, it is possible that Takamura adjusted the kata over time or for the specific performance. For example, there are two techniques in it that are not part of Taira-lineage Soeishi no Kon, but which (in combination) are found exclusively in Chinen Shikiyanaka no Kon. However, they might have been originally part of Soeishi no Kon and only shifted to Chinen Shikiyanaka no Kon at some point. Again, it is unclear to this day to what extent Taira collected, created, and altered the choreographies and combos of kata during the 50s and 60s, or whether he aligned them all somehow.

Finally, modern Taira-lineage Soeishi no Kon has left-and-right side-lanes which are performed twice. Takamura’s version, on the other hand, performs the left-and-right side lane only once.

The above are just points of interest. They don’t change the fact that it is a version of Soeishi no Kon. Actually, and while it can neither be proven nor disproven, it might even be a more old or original version of Taira’s Soeishi no Kon.

Here is the video in half speed.

When comparing kata, combinations, or techniques, it is always good to carry out a morphological analysis. This is usually done just practically, but this is limited. A written morphological analysis is more work at the beginning, and results take longer, but it almost always more accurate, even more so when facilitated by photos and movies. So here is the written description of the eighty-nine individual movements I traced. While creating the analysis it became clear that some of the techniques obviously did not make it in current versions of Soeishi no Kon.

Lane 1 – Direction front

1. Step forward with the right foot, strike to the front (shomen-uchi).

2. With the feet as they are, raise the bō with a scooping block (sukui-uke).

3. Inversed strike to the middle-level (chūdan-ura-uchi).

4. Defense posture (mamoru kamae, or harai-uke).

5. Strike to the front (shomen-uchi) and immediately assume kamae.

6. Step forward with the left foot, left reverse horizontal strike (gyaku yoko-uchi).

7. Ura-age-uchi preparation (as in Chinen Shikiyanaka).

8. Ura-age-uchi (as in Chinen Shikiyanaka).

9. Step forward with the right foot, right horizontal strike (yoko-uchi).

10. Age-uchi preparation (as in Chinen Shikiyanaka).

11. Age-uchi (as in Chinen Shikiyanaka).

12. Scooping block (sukui-uke).

13. Inversed strike to the middle-level (chūdan-ura-uchi).

14. Defense posture (mamoru kamae, or harai-uke).

15. Strike to the front (shomen-uchi).

16. Immediately continue with a double soto-uke.

Lane 2 – Direction left

17. Place the right foot back in direction right and rotate 90° counterclockwise to direction left, take the right hand to the front and from there perform left hiki-otoshi-uchi.

18. Step forward with the right foot and strike upward from the bottom to the top (gyaku-age-uchi), left hand on right shoulder.

19. Strike to the front (shomen-uchi).

20. Immediately continue with consecutive soto-uke and oase-uke.

21. Strike to the front (shomen-uchi).

22. Scooping block (sukui-uke).

23. Inversed strike to the middle-level (chūdan-ura-uchi).

24. Defense posture (mamoru kamae, or harai-uke).

25. Strike to the front (shomen-uchi).

26. Immediately continue with a double soto-uke.

Lane 3 – Direction right

27. Place the right foot a little over to the left [in direction rear] and rotate 180° counterclockwise [to direction right], take the right hand to the front and from there perform left hiki-otoshi-uchi.

28. Step forward with the right foot and strike upward from the bottom to the top (gyaku-age-uchi),left hand on right shoulder.

29. Strike to the front (shomen-uchi).

30. Immediately continue with consecutive soto-uke and oase-uke.

31. Strike to the front (shomen-uchi).

32. Scooping block (sukui-uke).

33. Inversed strike to the middle-level (chūdan-ura-uchi).

34. Defense posture (mamoru kamae, or harai-uke).

35. Strike to the front (shomen-uchi).

36. Immediately continue with a double Soto-uke.

Bridge – 90° to direction front

37. With the right foot as it is, place the left foot towards direction front, and rotate 90° counterclockwise, and in this way turn to the front (shōmen), and perform lower-level block (gedan-uke) directly from the previous position.

38. Lower-level thrust (gedan-zuki).

Lane 4 – Direction rear

39. Place the left foot a little over to the right (direction right) and rotate 180° clockwise towards direction rear. Take the right han down and the left hand up and perform the defense posture (mamoru kamae, or harai-uke) towards direction rear.

40. Strike to the front (shomen-uchi), immediately followed by kamae.

41. Step forward with the left foot, change hands of the bō (mochi-kaeri), and perform a left chūdan-yoko-uchi.

42. Step forward with the right foot, change hands of the bō (mochi-kaeri), and perform a right chūdan-yoko-uchi.

Lane 5 – Direction front

43. Place the right foot forward and rotate 180° counterclockwise toward direction front (shōmen), with the bō in hassō-no-kamae.

44. Prepare to strike by placing the left hand at the end of the bō; pull the right foot up to the left foot (in musubi or heisoku) and strike jōdanyoko-uchi; swing with the right hand and with the strike, bring right hand to left hand in rokushaku-mochi.

45. Rotate the bō downward and backward on your right side.
Continue to swing it upward and forward while taking a large step forward with the right foot. While pulling up the foot to the left foot (musubi or heisoku), strike down a jōdan-shomen-uchi (left hand in rokushaku-mochi,right hand in goshaku-mochi.

46. Step backward with the right foot. Pull back the right hand while you let go your left hand. Once the right has passed the left, grip the bō with the left from above (gyaku-te mochi).

47. Step forward with the right foot and change the right hand to honte-mochi. Perform a scooping block (sukui-uke) immediately followed by an inversed strike to the middle-level (chūdan-ura-uchi).

48. Defense posture (mamoru kamae, or harai-uke).

49. Strike to the front (shomen-uchi), kamae.

50. Step backward with the right foot, change hands on the bō (mochi-kaeri) and perform a left horizontal strike (yoko-uchi).

51. Step backward with the left foot, right horizontal strike (yoko-uchi).

52. Defense posture (mamoru kamae, or harai-uke) towards direction front.

53. Strike to the front (shomen-uchi), immediately followed by one round soto-uke/kamae.

54. Pull right foot back to left foot into (musubi or heisoku) with a short soto-uke/kamae. (Note: 53 and 54 are consecutive. They are just like the double soto-uke, with the first part of it in 53 and the second part in 54)

55. With the hands as they are, cross the left foot in front of the right foot.

56. Step forward with the right foot into shiko-dachi and sliding thrust (nuki-zuki). Immediately pull back the bō into kamae.

57. With the hands as they are, pull right foot back to left foot into (musubi or heisoku).

58. With the hands as they are, cross the left foot in front of the right foot.

59. Step forward with the right foot into shiko-dachi and sliding thrust (nuki-zuki). Immediately pull back the bō into kamae.

60. With the hands as they are, pull right foot back to left foot into (musubi or heisoku).

61. With the hands as they are, cross the left foot in front of the right foot.

62. Step forward with the right foot into shiko-dachi and sliding thrust (nuki-zuki). Immediately pull back the bō into kamae.

63. Pull the right foot back in front of the left (kōsa-dachi) with soto-uke.

64. Place the left foot back and immediately pull back the right foot to the left foot in musubi/heisoku, with a double soto-uke.

65. Place the right foot backwards and assume hassō-no-kame.

66. Step forward with the right foot and yoko-uchi, immediately continued into kamae. It is done with a slight feel of “combing up.”

67. Cross the left foot in front of the right foot (kōsa-dachi) with a sliding thrust (nuki-zuki).

68. In the previous position, pull back the bō and then step forward with the right foot and a thrust (tsuki).

69. Without pause, immediately place the right foot 45° to the right and strike an inversed strike to the middle-level (chūdan-ura-uchi) to direction front right 45°.

70. Place the right foot to the front again and assume the defense posture (mamoru kamae, or harai-uke) towards direction front.

71. Strike to the front (shomen-uchi). There is o soto-uke at this point.

72. Age-uchi preparation (as in Chinen Shikiyanaka).

73. Age-uchi (as in Chinen Shikiyanaka).

Bridge – 180° front to front

74. With the right foot as the axis, rotate 180° counterclockwise in neko-ashi, and raise your arms into jōdan-kamae.

75. Jump from the left foot, pull up the right knee and perform a 180 ° turn in the air. Land with the left knee on the ground in the back and the right knee up in front (right hanza or half-knee stance), towards the front. Perform yoko-uchi.

Lane 6 – Direction front

76. Still in right hanza, assume the defense posture (mamoru kamae, or harai-uke) towards direction front.

77. Stand up with a strike to the front (shomen-uchi), immediately followed by soto-uke/kamae (or, by jōdan-mawashi-uke followed by chūdan-osae-uke).

78. Pull back the right foot to the left foot in musubi-dachi; take the bō back into the starting position at the right side of the body.

79. Raise your right knee and strike upward from the bottom to the top (gyaku-age-uchi),left hand on right shoulder.

80. Set down the right foot to the front and strike to the front (shomen-uchi). There is no soto-uke at this point; immediately continue with following technique!

81. Without pause, and with the feet as they are, raise the bō with a scooping block (sukui-uke).

82. Without pause, inversed strike to the middle-level (chūdan-ura-uchi).

83. Without pause, swing around the left side of the body. This movement is an interims movement and performed without any stop.

84. Without pause, rotate the bō down and back at the right side of your body and continue up again into a jōdan-kamae. At the same time, pull the right foot back to the left foot into musubi-dachi.

85. Without pause, continue the previous movement: step forward with the right foot, immediately pull the left foot forward into musubu-dachi, and while doing so, strike jōdan-shōmen-uchi (right hand in yonshaku-mochi, left hand in goshaku-mochi).

86. With the bō as it is, raise the left foot (sunakake with the left foot) and place it backwards on the floor, in shiko-dachi. At the same time, pull back the bō with your right hand.

87. From the previous position, quick sliding thrust (nuki-zuki), immediately followed by a pronounced soto-uke/kamae.

End

88. Pull back the right foot to the left foot, into musubu-dachi. At the same time, take the bō back into the starting position at the body, right hand low, left hand up at the right shoulder.

89. Place your left hand on the outside of your left thigh. Bow. End.

© 2020, Andreas Quast. All rights reserved.

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