What is/are your favorite traditional or USA Goju Kata(s)?

[blck_soft_hit_hard]

My favorite would have to be Sepai..following that would seiyunchin and suparumpei.

mike dameron

[2fisted]

Gotta say Saifa, even though it's an early kata. Then would have to be Sanseiru. :)

[Ron Rompen]

Saifa is my current favorite, as it is the 'highest' kata I have been taught so far.

But after watching numerous competitions, I would pick Seiyunchin as my personal favorite....just gotta work up to it :-)

Having said all that, I love watching ANY well-performed kata. One of the best tournaments I have watched was a black-belt competition, where the judges chose the kata to be performed....the choice was Taikyoku Gaidan (for those of you who don't know, this is usually the first kata taught to a new student).

The difference between what -=I=- could do with that kata, and what a skilled and dedicated BB could do, were the difference between mid-summer in Kuwait, and mid-winter in Northern Ontario.

[trillium]

senseiru (my highest kata to date) and my 2nd fav. would have to be seiyunchin, I like tensho also

[jlyons360]

My favorite would have to be Sepai..following that would seiyunchin and suparumpei.

mike dameron

This statement is directed to all on this thread.

If USA Goju came from Maestro Peter Urban (and it did). What kata do you think he said was A) the most important, and B) his favorite?

[jlyons360]

Ok I will have to guess here is it "Sanchin"

Give that man a prize! yes it was the most important. His favorite kata (so I am told by those closest to him) was empi ha.

[TonyU]

I'm a ShorinRyu stylist and my favorites are Nahaichins and the Passais and also Chinto.

[Steven Malanoski]

Please excuse this pedantic rant:

Firstly, The forms of shortness or closeness, aka forms of elbow, ie; Kata Empi Ha, which was composed by my teacher "P.G. Urban Sensei," when he was 23 yrs old fresh out of Oyama, Yamaguchi and Kim Sensei's dojos respectively, was of course his favorite.

SanChin was dropped because of health reasons.

SaamChien, aka SanChin, is of course the base of GoJu / Naha Te.

The movements of GoJu / NahaTe are based on the 3 battles.

Without the ChiKung of Fukien = SaamChien aka SanChin and also what is known as Daruma Taiso, the moves will lack their intended base = root = foundation which leads to falling short of desired effect or worse, injury to the user instead of injury to the target.

Now, if we examine what was favorite of Miyagi KenShi the orchestrator of what you know as GoJu Ryu, we find his rendition of RokKiShu = six wind hands called TenSho.

Tensho can be done soft oy hard or both.

TenSho is ChiKung also.

The Urban version of TenSho replaced SanChin, as kata but maintains the original intent of both SC and TS.

In Okinawa, when I was introduced to various Masters for the first time, they more often then not judged me on a first impression by asking to see SanChin.

Shorin folk except for Eizo Shimabuku, told me SanChin was detrimental to longevity.

Whereas NahaTe swears upon the lifelong practice of 3 battles.

It is a matter of perspective, and personal blah blah blah, each having their own reality.

Dai Sensei Kow Loon "Kayo" Ong, my older Bro. in KaraTe life and old old friend, says " No SanChin, no GoJu."

SanChin, is a theory, a methodology, and can be found in various versions.

MOST done incorrectly, which is the problem.

OK, thats my Satori, and I'm stickin to it.

Malanoski, aka "those closest to him," out.

[OkinawaGojuRyu]

My top 4 would be :
1 Sanchin
2 Suparinpei
3 Seiunchin
4 Shisochin

[Ron Rompen]

Steve:


No offense, and I have great respect for Urban-Sensei. But you didn't answer the question. What are YOUR favorite Goju Katas?

[Steven Malanoski]

No offense taken,

As far as my favorite, I would have to say The Urban Suparenpei or perhaps the Urban Kururunfa as far as USA GoJu katas go. Annan also called Han is a winner too.

Of the original Miyagi 12, I'll agree with Miyagi KenShi and say TenSho.

Of Okinawan origin, yet newer than the original 12, I particularly like GekiSai Dai San, which was put together by Dai Sensei Toguchi, and taught to me by Dai Sensei Kow Loon Ong.

Dai Sensei Yagi came up with a few good ones as well.

And of course there is the kata that my JarHead buddies and I developed on the rock, to be used at on base competitions called Soup Can.........."don't ask".................."you had to be there."