The search for Shushiwa
Posted: Thu Nov 30, 2023 2:38 am
Timeline of events relevant to the search for Shushiwa (Zhōuzihé 周子和).
Oral tradition says Uechi Kanbun上地完文 said his teacher was something like Shushabu シュサブ, Shusabu シュサブ, Shushabun シュシャブン but they were written down phonetically in Katakana and not in Kanji (Chinese characters) so it was unknown who Uechi Kanbun's 上地完文 teacher truly was in China. Some guesses to the Chinese characters were Shushabun 周謝文 (Zhōu xiè wén in Mandarin) and alternatively Shusabu 周佐武 (Zhōu zuǒwǔ in Mandarin)
1954, Kanshiwa 完子和 kata was created by Uechi Kanei 上地 完英 but was called at this time Kanshabu カンシャブ and possibly written Kanshabu 完佐武. However as Kanbun 完文 called his teacher Shushabu and thus at this time Kanshiwa 完子和 was called Kanshabu.
1966. Okinawan went on a research trip to Taiwan and Hong Kong. Kanei and Tomoyose spoke with various masters and Japanese speakers living there and decided Kanbun's teacher Shusabu may have been him saying Zhōu 周 Shifu 师父 in Japanese and began searching for a master with the surname Zhōu 周 and found a magazine article about Zhōuzihé 周子和 and Yèshàotáo. It was assumed at this time Zhōuzihé 周子和 was Kanbun's teacher.
In the 1970's when the kanshiwa officially became part of the the Uechi-ryu 上地流 curriculum it was decided to pronounce Zhouzihe's 周子和 name using a Japanese reading of the characters "Shushiwa" rather than the Shushabu that Kanbun 完文 called his teacher. The name Kanshiwa 完子和 taking the characters Kan 完 in honor of Kanbun 完文 and Shiwa 周子 in honor of Shushiwa 周子和 was suggested by Takamiyagi Shigeru 高宮 城繁 sensei 先生 and thus Kanshabu 完子和 is now pronounced Kanshiwa and is now written 完子和 rather than Kanshabu カンシャブ or Kanshabu 完佐武.
Two of Kanbun's Chinese students are said to have visted Okinawa amd demonstrated their Suparinpei to Seiko Toyama in 1976.
Publication of Uechi Kanei's 1977 Seisetsu Okinawa Karate-do: Sono Rekishi to Giho 精説沖縄空手道―その歴史と技法 (Skill and Theory of Okinawa Karate. Its History and Techniques) AKA the Uechi bible, The Uechi Kyohon and the Big Blue Book. The name Shushiwa 周子和 was used in this book for Kanbun's teacher.
I believe Kanei and Tomoyose visited Fúzhōu in March of 1981. Wèiqíqí 魏齐祺, Vice Chairman of Fujian Provincial Wushu Association, gave a special report to Provincial Wushu Cooperation on June 8, 1981, and proposed to establish a "Zhōuzihé 周子和 (Shushiwa) and Wushu Activity Investigation Team".
1982 Fuzhou delegation visits Kanei Uechi Funtenma dojo on Okinawa. Kanmei Uechi and Ryuko Tomoyose were present. Two students of the Koza dojo of Master Yonamine performed sanchin. Kiyohide Shinjo performed sanseirui.
Lǐyīduān 李一端 the former president of the Fuzhou Marrtial Arts Association then wrote the letter inviting Uechi Kanei 上地 完英 to Fuzhou in 1983 saying they had discovered Shushiwa and invited Kanei to return.
They returned in 1984 (I think but not sure which month) and were given a photograph of Zhōuzihé 周子和 (Shushiwa). While in China they also saw performances by Ruǎndōng 阮东 of mínghèquán 鸣鶴拳 (crying crane boxing) and master Zhāngtiāncì 张天赐 of hǔxíngquán 虎形拳 (tiger shaped boxing) who they were told then was a student from the lineage of Zhōuzihé 周子和 (Shushiwa).
After the Uechi delegation returned home from China, Ryuko Tomoyose gave an interview with George E. Mattson and Marty Dow stating after seeing the presentations in China he now doubted Zhōuzihé 周子和 (Shushiwa) was Kanbun's teacher.
Lǐyīduān 李一端 published the research of the "Zhōuzihé 周子和 (Shushiwa) and Wushu Activity Investigation Team" in a March 1984 article in Wulin Magazine.
1984 Aug Thompson Island camp, Boston MA. Zhāngtiāncì 张天赐 of hǔxíngquán 虎形拳 (tiger shaped boxing), Ruǎndōng 阮东 of mínghèquán 鸣鶴拳 (crying crane boxing) visited. Tomoyose Ryuko 友寄隆宏 sensei was present along with Uechi Kanei 上地 完英.
Then shorty after that in 1985 the Fuzhou Martial Arts Association published a book documenting the existing tiger fist lineage of Zhōuzihé 周子和 (Shushiwa) they had discovered:
Hǔxíngquán 虎形拳 (tiger shaped boxing)
first edition 1985
Authors: Wèiqíqí 魏齐祺, Hújīnhuàn 胡金焕, Sūnchóngxióng 孙崇雄
Publisher: Fújiàn rénmín chūbǎn shè 福建人民出版社
(Fujian People's Publishing House).
I am working on translating now.
Zhāngtiāncì 张天赐 from this lineage o hǔxíngquán 虎形拳 (tiger shaped boxing), visited the US in 1984 George Mattson’s summer camp on Thompson’s Island in Boston with Ruǎndōng 阮东 of mínghèquán 鸣鶴拳 (crying crane boxing).
I 1993 (or 1994) Simon Lailey was studying in China and was invited by Bill Finnerty who was researching Uechi ryu's origins, and invited him to go on a secret mission where they met Guōkǒngxī 郭孔熙 yet another student from a different lineage of Shushiwa. Simon become Guōkǒngxī student and learned the 108 from (yibailingba aka Suparinpei) and also trained with Zhāngtiāncì 张天赐.
1997 Brian Roger's visit Zhouzihe's hometown Minhou, Fuzhou. There is supposed to be a video of a modern adept of Zhōuzihé doing Sanchin, seisan and part of suparenpei but he messed up and stopped.
Staring in about 1998 I started researching the enigmatic and elusive"Shushiwa" only to discover a great deal was know about him in China but I there is so much it is almost unfathomable and much of it contradicts the story we have been told. For the last almost 40 years all the new information about Zhōuzihé 周子和 "Shushiwa" that has been coming out of China has been ignored most likely due to Tomoyose doubting the connection in 1984. That is a whole other story in it's self.
Much, much more to come.
Oral tradition says Uechi Kanbun上地完文 said his teacher was something like Shushabu シュサブ, Shusabu シュサブ, Shushabun シュシャブン but they were written down phonetically in Katakana and not in Kanji (Chinese characters) so it was unknown who Uechi Kanbun's 上地完文 teacher truly was in China. Some guesses to the Chinese characters were Shushabun 周謝文 (Zhōu xiè wén in Mandarin) and alternatively Shusabu 周佐武 (Zhōu zuǒwǔ in Mandarin)
1954, Kanshiwa 完子和 kata was created by Uechi Kanei 上地 完英 but was called at this time Kanshabu カンシャブ and possibly written Kanshabu 完佐武. However as Kanbun 完文 called his teacher Shushabu and thus at this time Kanshiwa 完子和 was called Kanshabu.
1966. Okinawan went on a research trip to Taiwan and Hong Kong. Kanei and Tomoyose spoke with various masters and Japanese speakers living there and decided Kanbun's teacher Shusabu may have been him saying Zhōu 周 Shifu 师父 in Japanese and began searching for a master with the surname Zhōu 周 and found a magazine article about Zhōuzihé 周子和 and Yèshàotáo. It was assumed at this time Zhōuzihé 周子和 was Kanbun's teacher.
In the 1970's when the kanshiwa officially became part of the the Uechi-ryu 上地流 curriculum it was decided to pronounce Zhouzihe's 周子和 name using a Japanese reading of the characters "Shushiwa" rather than the Shushabu that Kanbun 完文 called his teacher. The name Kanshiwa 完子和 taking the characters Kan 完 in honor of Kanbun 完文 and Shiwa 周子 in honor of Shushiwa 周子和 was suggested by Takamiyagi Shigeru 高宮 城繁 sensei 先生 and thus Kanshabu 完子和 is now pronounced Kanshiwa and is now written 完子和 rather than Kanshabu カンシャブ or Kanshabu 完佐武.
Two of Kanbun's Chinese students are said to have visted Okinawa amd demonstrated their Suparinpei to Seiko Toyama in 1976.
Publication of Uechi Kanei's 1977 Seisetsu Okinawa Karate-do: Sono Rekishi to Giho 精説沖縄空手道―その歴史と技法 (Skill and Theory of Okinawa Karate. Its History and Techniques) AKA the Uechi bible, The Uechi Kyohon and the Big Blue Book. The name Shushiwa 周子和 was used in this book for Kanbun's teacher.
I believe Kanei and Tomoyose visited Fúzhōu in March of 1981. Wèiqíqí 魏齐祺, Vice Chairman of Fujian Provincial Wushu Association, gave a special report to Provincial Wushu Cooperation on June 8, 1981, and proposed to establish a "Zhōuzihé 周子和 (Shushiwa) and Wushu Activity Investigation Team".
1982 Fuzhou delegation visits Kanei Uechi Funtenma dojo on Okinawa. Kanmei Uechi and Ryuko Tomoyose were present. Two students of the Koza dojo of Master Yonamine performed sanchin. Kiyohide Shinjo performed sanseirui.
Lǐyīduān 李一端 the former president of the Fuzhou Marrtial Arts Association then wrote the letter inviting Uechi Kanei 上地 完英 to Fuzhou in 1983 saying they had discovered Shushiwa and invited Kanei to return.
They returned in 1984 (I think but not sure which month) and were given a photograph of Zhōuzihé 周子和 (Shushiwa). While in China they also saw performances by Ruǎndōng 阮东 of mínghèquán 鸣鶴拳 (crying crane boxing) and master Zhāngtiāncì 张天赐 of hǔxíngquán 虎形拳 (tiger shaped boxing) who they were told then was a student from the lineage of Zhōuzihé 周子和 (Shushiwa).
After the Uechi delegation returned home from China, Ryuko Tomoyose gave an interview with George E. Mattson and Marty Dow stating after seeing the presentations in China he now doubted Zhōuzihé 周子和 (Shushiwa) was Kanbun's teacher.
Lǐyīduān 李一端 published the research of the "Zhōuzihé 周子和 (Shushiwa) and Wushu Activity Investigation Team" in a March 1984 article in Wulin Magazine.
1984 Aug Thompson Island camp, Boston MA. Zhāngtiāncì 张天赐 of hǔxíngquán 虎形拳 (tiger shaped boxing), Ruǎndōng 阮东 of mínghèquán 鸣鶴拳 (crying crane boxing) visited. Tomoyose Ryuko 友寄隆宏 sensei was present along with Uechi Kanei 上地 完英.
Then shorty after that in 1985 the Fuzhou Martial Arts Association published a book documenting the existing tiger fist lineage of Zhōuzihé 周子和 (Shushiwa) they had discovered:
Hǔxíngquán 虎形拳 (tiger shaped boxing)
first edition 1985
Authors: Wèiqíqí 魏齐祺, Hújīnhuàn 胡金焕, Sūnchóngxióng 孙崇雄
Publisher: Fújiàn rénmín chūbǎn shè 福建人民出版社
(Fujian People's Publishing House).
I am working on translating now.
Zhāngtiāncì 张天赐 from this lineage o hǔxíngquán 虎形拳 (tiger shaped boxing), visited the US in 1984 George Mattson’s summer camp on Thompson’s Island in Boston with Ruǎndōng 阮东 of mínghèquán 鸣鶴拳 (crying crane boxing).
I 1993 (or 1994) Simon Lailey was studying in China and was invited by Bill Finnerty who was researching Uechi ryu's origins, and invited him to go on a secret mission where they met Guōkǒngxī 郭孔熙 yet another student from a different lineage of Shushiwa. Simon become Guōkǒngxī student and learned the 108 from (yibailingba aka Suparinpei) and also trained with Zhāngtiāncì 张天赐.
1997 Brian Roger's visit Zhouzihe's hometown Minhou, Fuzhou. There is supposed to be a video of a modern adept of Zhōuzihé doing Sanchin, seisan and part of suparenpei but he messed up and stopped.
Staring in about 1998 I started researching the enigmatic and elusive"Shushiwa" only to discover a great deal was know about him in China but I there is so much it is almost unfathomable and much of it contradicts the story we have been told. For the last almost 40 years all the new information about Zhōuzihé 周子和 "Shushiwa" that has been coming out of China has been ignored most likely due to Tomoyose doubting the connection in 1984. That is a whole other story in it's self.
Much, much more to come.