Channan: The "Lost" Kata of Itosu?
The series of five basic kata called Pinan (later renamed Heian in Japan)
are probably the most widely practiced kata in karate today. It is commonly
understood that they were developed by Anko (or Yasutsune) Itosu (1832-1915)
in around 1907 for
inclusion in the karate curriculum of the Okinawan school system. However,
the actual history of the Pinan series has been the subject of intense
curiosity as of late. There are basically two schools of thought, one
that Anko Itosu (1) developed them from the older classical forms that
were cultivated in and around the Shuri (capital of Okinawa) area, and
the other that Itosu was re-working a longer Chinese form called Channan.
Unfortunately, most of the written references to the Channan/Pinan phenomenon
in the English language are basically re-hashes of the same uncorroborated
oral testimony. This article will examine the primary literature written
by direct students of Itosu, as well as more recent research in the Japanese
language, in an effort to solve the "mystery" of Channan.
In order to understand the Pinan phenomenon, perhaps it is best to start
off with a capsule biography of their architect, Anko Itosu (1832-1915).
Many sources state that Itosu was born in the Yamakawa section of Shuri
(Bishop, 1999; Okinawa Prefecture, 1994; Okinawa Prefecture, 1995), however,
noted Japanese martial arts historian Tsukuo Iwai states that he was actually
born in Gibo, Shuri, and later relocated to Yamakawa (Iwai, 1992). He
is commonly believed to have studied under Sokon ("Bushi") Matsumura
(1809-1901), but also appears to have had other influences, such as Nagahama
of Naha (Iwai, 1992; Motobu, 1932), Kosaku Matsumora of Tomari and a master
named Gusukuma (Nihon Karate Kenkyukai, 1956).
There does not seem to be much detail about Itosu's early life, except
for the fact that he was a student of the Ryukyuan civil fighting traditions.
At around age 23, he passed the civil service examinations and was employed
by the Royal government (Iwai, 1992). It seems as if Itosu gained his
position as a clerical scribe for the King through an introduction by
his friend and fellow karate master Anko Asato (Funakoshi, 1988). Itosu
stayed with the Royal government until the Meiji Restoration, when the
Ryukyu Kingdome became Okinawa Prefecture. Itosu stayed on and worked
for the Okinawan Prefectural government until 1885 (Iwai, 1992).
There is some controversy as to when Itosu became a student of Matsumura.
Some say that he first met Matsumura when Itosu was in his late 20s (Iwai,
1992), whereas others maintain that Itosu was older than 35 when he began
studying from Matsumura (Fujiwara, 1990). Matsumura appears to have been
friendly with Itosu's father (Iwai, 1992).
Be that as it may, Itosu is said to have mastered the Naifuanchi kata
(Nihon Karate Kenkyukai, 1950; Okinawa Pref., 1995). In fact, one direct
student of Itosu, namely Funakoshi Gichin, recalled 10 years of studying
nothing but the three Naifuanchi kata under the eminent master (Funakoshi,
Again, there is some controversy as to where Itosu learned the Naifuanchi
kata. Some give credit to Matsumura for teaching this kata to Itosu (Murakami,
1991). However, others say differently, and here is where we first start
to see reference to Channan, as the name of a person. It is said that
a Chinese sailor who was shipwrecked on Okinawa hid in a cave at Tomari.
It was from this man that Itosu supposedly learned the Naifuanchi kata,
among other things (Gima, et al, 1986).
In either case, it is known that Itosu was among the first to teach karate
(toudi) publicly, karate having previously been taught and practiced in
secrecy for hundreds of years. Itosu began his public teaching pf karate
as physical education in the school system as early as 1901, where he
taught at the Shuri Jinjo Primary School (Iwai, 1992; Okinawa Pref., 1994).
He also went on to teach at Shuri Dai-ichi Middle School and the Okinawa
Prefectural Men's Normal School in 1905 (Bishop, 1999; Okinawa Pref.,
In addition to his "spearheading a crusade" (McCarthy, 1996)
to modernize toudi practices and get it taught in the school system, Itosu
was also known for his physical strength. It is said that he was able
to crush a bamboo stalk in his hands (Funakoshi, 1976, 1988), once wrestled
a raging bull to the ground and calmed it (Nagamine, 1986) and one could
strike his arms with 2-inch thick poles and he would not budge (Iwai,
Itosu's unique contributions to the art of Karate-do include not only
his 1908 letter to the Japanese Ministry of Education and Ministry of
War (3), expounding on the 10 precepts of Toudi training, but also the
creation of several kata. These include not only the Pinan series, but
also Naifuanchi Nidan and Sandan (Kinjo, 1991; Murakami, 1991), and possibly
Kusanku Sho and Passai Sho (Iwai, 1992). Another kata that has often been
attributed to Itosu is the Shiho Kusanku Kata (Kinjo, 1956a; Mabuni et
al, 1938), but more recent evidence points to the actual originator of
this paradigm to have been Mabuni Kenwa himself (Sells, 1995).
In addition to creating several kata, the other kata that Itosu taught,
such as Chinto, Useishi (Gojushiho), Passai Dai, and Kusanku Dai, etc.,
were changed from their original guises, in order to make them more palatable
to his physical education classes (Kinjo, 1991).
Itosu Anko passed away in March 1915, leaving behind a legacy that very
few today even recognize or comprehend.
Early Written References to Channan and Pinan
References to Channan can be found as far back as 1934. In the karate
research journal entitled Karate no Kenkyu, published by Nakasone Genwa,
Motobu Choki is quoted referring to the Channan and the Pinan kata:
I was interested in the martial arts since I was a child, and studied
under many teachers. I studied with Itosu Sensei for 7-8 years. At first,
he lived in Urasoe, then moved to Nakashima Oshima in Naha, then on to
Shikina, and finally to the villa of Baron Ie. He spent his final years
living near the middle school.
I visited him one day at his home near the school, where we sat talking
about the martial arts and current affairs. While I was there, 2-3 students
also dropped by and sat talking with us. Itosu Sensei turned to the students
and said 'show us a kata.' The kata that they performed was very similar
to the Channan kata that I knew, but there were some differences also.
Upon asking the student what the kata was, he replied 'It is Pinan no
Kata.' The students left shortly after that, upon which I turned to Itosu
Sensei and said 'I learned a kata called Channan, but the kata that those
students just performed now was different. What is going on?' Itosu Sensei
replied 'Yes, the kata is slightly different, but the kata that you just
saw is the kata that I have decided upon. The students all told me that
the name Pinan is better, so I went along with the opinions of the young
people.' These kata, which were developed by Itosu Sensei, underwent change
even during his own lifetime." (Murakami, 1991; 120)
There is also reference to Pinan being called Channan in its early years
in the 1938 publication Kobo Kenpo Karatedo Nyumon by Mabuni Kenwa and
Nakasone Genwa. Mabuni and Nakasone write that those people who learned
this kata as Channan still taught it under that name (Mabuni, et al, 1938).
Hiroshi Kinjo , one of Japan's most senior teachers and historians of
the Okinawan fighting traditions, and a direct student of three of Itosu's
students, namely Chomo Hanashiro, Chojo Oshiro, and Anbun Tokuda, wrote
a series of articles on the Pinan kata in Gekkan Karatedo magazine in
the mid-1950s. In the first installment he maintains that the Pinan kata
were originally called Channan, and there were some technical differences
between Channan and the updated versions known as Pinan (Kinjo, 1956a).
Again according to Hiroshi Kinjo, Hisateru Miyagi, a former student of
Itosu who graduated from the Okinawa Prefectural Normal School in 1916,
stated that when he was studying under the old master, Itosu only really
taught the first three Pinan with any real enthusiasm, and that the last
two seem to have been rather neglected at that time (Kinjo, 1956b). Although
one can speculate about what this means, it is nevertheless a very interesting
piece of testimony by someone who was "there."
Ryusho Sakagami, in his 1978 Karatedo Kata Taikan as well as Tokumasa
Miyagi in his 1987 Karate no Rekishi both give extensive kata lists, and
both list a kata known as Yoshimura no Channan (Miyagi, 1987; Sakagami,
1978). It is unknown who Yoshimura was, but he may have been a student
American karate historian Ernest Estrada has also stated that Juhatsu
Kyoda (1887-1968), a direct student of Kanryo Higashionna, Xianhui Wu
(Jpn. Go Kenki), Kentsu Yabu, etc. and the founder of the To'onryu karatedo
system, also knew and taught a series of two basic blocking, punching
and kicking exercises known as Channan (Estrada, 1998).
Shiraguma no Kata
According to Tsukuo Iwai, one of Japan's most noted Budo researchers
and teacher of Choki Motobu's karate in Gunma Prefecture, Motoburyu Karatejutsu,
which is being preserved by Choki's son, Chosei Motobu, in Osaka, contains
what is known as Shiraguma no Kata, which he maintains used to be called
Channan. He also states that this kata is "somewhat similar to the
Pinan, yet different." (Iwai, 1997).
The Other Side of the Coin
The flip side to this theory states that Itosu did not create the Pinan
kata, but actually remodeled older Chinese-based hsing/kata called Channan.
This theory states that Itosu learned a series of Chinese Quan-fa hsing
from a shipwrecked Chinese at Tomari, and reworked them into five smaller
components, re-naming them Pinan because the Chinese pronunciation "Chiang-Nan"
was too difficult (Bishop, 1999).
It has been argued that the source for these Channan kata was a Chinese
from an area called Annan, or a man named Annan (Bishop, 1999). On the
other hand, others say that the man's name was Channan (Iwai, 1992). Still
others go into even more detail, stating that Itosu learned these hsing/kata
from a man named Channan, and named them after their source, later adding
elements of the Kusanku Dai kata to create the Pinan (Gima, et al, 1986;
There is also interesting oral testimony passed down in the Tomari-di
tradition that is propagated in the Okinawa Gojuryu Tomaridi Karatedo
Association of Iken Tokashiki that states that Itosu learned the Channan/Pinan
kata from a Chinese at Tomari in one day. The proponents of Tomari-di
said that there was no need to learn "over-night kata" and that
this is the reason that the Tomari traditions did not include instruction
in the Pinan kata (Okinawa Pref., 1995).
This sentiment also echoes the statement by one of Itosu's top students,
Yabu Kentsu, made to his students:
"(sic) If you have time to practice the Pinan, practice Kushanku
instead (Gima, et al, 1986, p. 86)."
While more research, such as in-depth technical analysis of Motobu's
Shiraguma no Kata, needs to be done, the evidence at hand seems to point
not to a "long lost kata" but rather to the constant and inevitable
evolution of a martial art.
Although there is opposition, most of the primary written materials point
to the fact that Itosu was indeed the originator of the Channan/Pinan
tradition, based upon his own research, experience, and analyses.
However, in either case, Anko Itosu and his efforts left a lasting mark
on the fighting traditions of old Okinawa, and will probably always be
remembered as one of the visionaries who were able to lift the veil of
secrecy that once enshrouded karatedo.
© 2000, by Joe Swift. Posted with
permission of the author.
1- Japanese names in this article are listed by given name first and
family name second instead of customary Japanese usage which places the
family name first.
2- According to noted Japanese martial arts historian Ryozo Fujiwara
in his 1990 book entitled "Kakutogi no Rekish" (History of the
Martial Arts), Funakoshi first learned Pechurin (Suparinpei) under Taite
Kojo, then Kusanku under Anko Asato, and finally Naifuanchi under Itosu.
3- For a comprehensive English translation of this letter, see (McCarthy,
The Itosu drawing was contributed by Kyoshi Frank Hargrove from his
book, The 100 Year History of Shorin-Ryu Karate. Since there are no know
photos of Itosu, the drawing was a composite done in Okinawa based on
The Funakoshi photo was reproduced from his 1935 book, Karatedo Kyohan.
The Motobu photo was reproduced from his 1926 book, Okinawa Kempo: Karate
Jutsu on Kumite.
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Hokokusho II (Report of Basic Research on Karatedo and Kobudo Part II).
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About The Author:
Joe Swift, native of New York State (USA) has lived in Japan since 1994.
He holds a dan-rank in Isshinryu Karatedo, and also currently acts as
assistant instructor (3rd dan) at the Mushinkan Shoreiryu Karate Kobudo
Dojo in Kanazawa, Japan. He is also a member of the International Ryukyu
Karate Research Society and the Okinawa Isshinryu Karate Kobudo Association.
He currently works as a translator/interpreter for the Ishikawa International
Cooperation Research Centre in Kanazawa. He is also a Contributing Editor