The Kata of Isshin-ryu

Sunsu

        Tatsuo Shimabuku created Sunsu kata. It means Strong man, Iron man, or Stone man. Shimabuku’s nickname was Sunsu which means Strong man. Some people believe the meaning to be dragon boy, which was also Shimabuku’s nickname. Whichever the case, the kata is named after its originator. Shimabuku developed the kata by combining many of his favorite techniques found in other Okinawan katas and the basic technique charts.

            Sunsu is considered by most experts as the hardest of all the Isshin-ryu katas to perform with the correct balance, speed, and coordination. It is a highly advanced kata which confuses many students as they sometimes drift back to the originating katas while performing Sunsu. It is believed that Master Shimabuku made Sunsu this way to force his students to work harder. As the master did not demonstrate Isshin-ryu until January 16, 1954 , this is an extremely young kata. The exact year Sunsu was developed is not know, but it is believed to have been in the late 1940’s. It is also unique to Isshin-ryu as no other style or system has Sunsu Kats.

            The floor pattern of the kata is a cross and the student is defending from all for directions. There are almost 90 movements, and the kata takes a little over a minute to perform at full power. Although Master Shimabuku combined the main points of all the other empty hand katas into Sunsu, Kusanku and Wansu have the most influence. He also incorporated beginner basic techniques as well as a spinning elbow strike.

            Once again there are two kiais. The first one is on the last elbow smash and the second is on the last right front snap kick. Its theme is the combination of all principles of Isshin-ryu Karate.

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