2. The Mysteries of Naha Te (A)

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By Graham Noble

“I have never made any special research into (the history of) karate do. It is said karate originally came from China and I have always just studied it from that point of view . . . When I was young there were no historical documents available like there are these days. Like others I just obeyed and did what Sensei asked of me.”
- Shigekazu Kanzaki, master of To-on Ryu, interview with Pat McCarthy, Koryu Journal, 2nd Quarter, 2001.

“Karate focusses on the study of kata, so if kata were recorded and passed down from master to disciple from generation to generation, the tradition of a style would be clear. However, because there is no documentation, no recorded tradition, and because each master did not name his style, the kata which exist today have been handed down differently, even if they have the same name. That is why today we say Matsumura’s Useishi, Arakaki’s Sochin, Itosu’s Passai, each named after the old teachers who lived during the Meiji and Taisho eras. So it seems exceedingly difficult, if not impossible, to trace the old traditions before then.”
- Kenwa Mabuni and Genwa Nakasone, “Karate Do Nyumon”, 1935. Check translation.

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"Matsumura’s Useishi"

The Gojushiho kata is the most advanced kata of the Shuri Te branch of Okinawan karate. It literally means 54 steps. In the native tongue of ancient Okinawa the kata was called Useishi, meaning 54 steps.
https://www.shorin-ryu.com/kata