Seiki Itokazu and Konan Ryu

Dana Sheets · Post by **Dana Sheets** » Sat Mar 11, 2006 1:10 pm

Hi Folks,

I'd like to open up a further discussion of Seiki Itokazu and Konan ryu.

Konan ryu is an offshoot of Uechi Ryu. Seiko Itokazu broke off from the Uechi family system in 1978 and founded his own system. The Okinawan Konan-Ryu Karate-Do/Kobudo Kobukai {Kinjyo Takashi Sensei}.

Here's a couple of links:

Seiki Itokazu as an intangible cultural asset:
http://www.wonder-okinawa.jp/023/eng/014/008/index.html

What I think might be a ryuha website here in the US.
http://www.kohokan.net/index.htm

Here is a link to George Mattson's mailbag from January of 2000.
http://www.uechi-ryu.com/oldsite/jan2000.htm

And a link to a discussion around a reference to Hankonan in the David Smith version of the Blue Book's translated text.
http://forums.uechi-ryu.com/viewtopic.p ... kyo+kaiden

Now it has come to pass that I've gotten a couple of kata of what may be this system via email. However before I post them up I'd like to see if I can find a Konan Ryu practitioner to come and talk about them.

Anybody know one??

-Dana

Dana Sheets · Post by **Dana Sheets** » Sat Mar 11, 2006 1:27 pm

http://www.kohokan.net/home.htm

This site seems to contain both konan ryu refereences and koshin ryu references on this page:
http://www.kohokan.net/id44.htm

In the frames version there is a crest on the left hand side that I think might be similar to the one I see in the kata that were sent to me.

However - it doesn't seem like an exact match.

More exciting is that one this page is a link that says it is going to take you to video of Seiki Itokazu doing kata. (needs real player - haven't gotten it to work yet.)

http://www.pref.okinawa.jp/summit/a_la/ ... intro.html

Dana Sheets · Post by **Dana Sheets** » Sat Mar 11, 2006 1:44 pm

So there seems to be Konanryu and Konan-Ryu. One seems to be a Uechi lineage and the other seems to be a White Crane lineage unrelated to Uechi.

Anyway - I can't find anyone on google so let me go upload these videos so folks can take a look.

-Dana

Dana Sheets · Post by **Dana Sheets** » Sat Mar 11, 2006 2:08 pm

Da videos: Let's play..."Name that Ryu!"

remember to copy and past the entire link text.

kata1
http://www.zippyvideos.com/927337069422 ... *danawoman

kata2
http://www.zippyvideos.com/267829072422 ... *danawoman

CANDANeh · Post by **CANDANeh** » Sat Mar 11, 2006 2:27 pm

Kata #2 I like
Put a nice flow/transition from what aoppears to be Uechi kata

Glenn · Post by **Glenn** » Sat Mar 11, 2006 3:04 pm

Regarding the Konan Ryu that is a Uechi offshoot, while I am not a practitioner per se, I do have a connection. It was first named Pangainoon Ryu after Itokazu and Kinjo left the Uechi Ryu organization in 1978, and then around 1990 they renamed it Konan Ryu (after Hankonan). My current Uechi instructor (Dave) trained under one of Kinjo's students in the 1980s, and I believe Dave's nidan was awarded by Kinjo. Dave left that organization before the name change to Konan Ryu. There is still a Konan Ryu instructor here in Lincoln. Mark Bishop's book briefly talks about this branch in the Uechi Ryu chapter.

Itokazu and Kinjo's Konan Ryu use the 8 Uechi Ryu kata, the only differences being they still refer to Kanshu as Daini-Seisan and have changed how it opens, plus a couple of other kata moves are performed slightly differently. There is also an additional new kata that has been inserted either before or after Kanshiwa (I was shown it once about 15 years ago but forget the name). I believe Kinjo created it, I know he and his students teach it but I'm not sure about the other Konan Ryu seniors.

The website for the other Konanryu (http://www.kohokan.net/home.htm) says its creator was first trained in Shorin Ryu, and then branched out to other styles before creating his own. It does not appear to be related to the Konan Ryu that is derived from Uechi Ryu.

Dana Sheets · Post by **Dana Sheets** » Sun Mar 12, 2006 8:26 pm

Glenn,

Any chance of finding the contact information for the folks in Lincoln traning Konan ryu? I'd be interested to send them an email or give them a call to ask them if they could give a little feedback on those two forms.

Thanks,
Dana

Glenn · Post by **Glenn** » Mon Mar 13, 2006 3:07 am

Apparently in 2000 Kinjo separated from Konan Ryu and renamed his style Kobu Ryu.

Glenn · Post by **Glenn** » Mon Mar 13, 2006 3:14 am

Dana,

I'm also sending you a PM.

Kevin Guse · Post by **Kevin Guse** » Mon Mar 13, 2006 11:59 pm

Hi Dana,

Please keep us posted on what you find out. The history is of interest to me living here in Lincoln, NE. I have had the opportunity to meet and work out with Takashi Kinjo during his visits on several occasions. An extremely talented practitioner. He is also very advanced in his training and athleticism development techniques.

Thanks

SAN-DAI-RYU · Post by **SAN-DAI-RYU** » Tue Mar 14, 2006 4:49 pm

Hi Dana

Dana, these 2 katas of Konan Ryu, is very good.

very tecnic and very powerful

sensei shusei has an exquisite tecnic

Dana Sheets · Post by **Dana Sheets** » Tue Mar 14, 2006 9:02 pm

Carols,

So you know one of the instructors performing kata in the video?

Do you know who made the two kata?

thanks,
Dana

SAN-DAI-RYU · Post by **SAN-DAI-RYU** » Wed Mar 15, 2006 7:47 pm

Dana
the kata 1 is sensei Maeshiro Shusei 10th dan in konan-ryu from Itokazu Seiko in karate and Kinjio in Kobudo, one of the best masters of kobudo in Okinawa.
... this two katas has more "uechi" than the 9th kata
CARLOS SENSEI

Jackie Olsen · Post by **Jackie Olsen** » Wed Mar 15, 2006 8:51 pm

Thanks, Dana ... the movements are very powerful & fluid... easy to see the 'familiar' forms.l

iwah · Post by **iwah** » Thu Mar 16, 2006 6:25 am

Dana Shinshii,

I am a student of Sensei Lostritto, and we have met twice before. I was a student of Konan-ryu, the shorin-ryu derivative, for several years under the VP in the US. It is the style of Hanshi Takaya Yabiku. He was a short time student of Hohan Soken, Takashi Kinjo, another Sensei Kinjo who studied with Gokenki, and others. His konan-ryu is a blend of Gokenki's kata and Matsumura Seito shorin-ryu. The patch you have is incorrect for konan-ryu. Hanshi Yabiku is also the VP of the only Kojo-ryu organization, and so his top two students (one being my teacher) teachs Kojo-ryu (now called Koshin-ryu). That is the patch you have displaced. It is Shurijo-mon in center, with tomoe, and the kanji say kohokan (House of Kojo). Sensei Yabiku demonstrated gokenki's Nepai kata at Takashi Kinjo (the Uechi version of Konan-ryu) 25th anniversary demonstration in Okinawa back in the late 90's. Hopw this helps.

Walt

Seiki Itokazu and Konan Ryu

Seiki Itokazu and Konan Ryu

style? regardless very nice

Konan-ryu