Kushanku
Name | Kushanku 公相君 |
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Born | 1700's | |
Where Trained | Fuzhou, China | |
Teachers | An unknown Shaolin Monk | |
Died | about 1762 | |
Around 1760, Kushanku, a Chinese envoy, was
sent to Okinawa. Some say that he was a Shaolin monk, and others say he
learned from a Shaolin monk. Another form of his name is Guan Kui or
Guan Gui. Once he was on a boat going to Satsuma, and that it was blown
off course during a fierce typhoon, and drifted to shore on Oshima Beach
of Shikoku Island. At that time, he gave a martial art demonstration. One of his most famous students in Naha, in Okinawa was Sakugawa who he trained for about six years. The book Ohshima-Hikki that contains the account says "with his lapel being seized, Kusankun applied his martial art and overcame the attacker by scissoring his legs." He is credited with the creation of the “chamber.” He taught all of his students to hold one hand in a fist at the side of the body in what we today call a “chambered position.” From this position, Kusanku taught his students to corkscrew the fist on impact creating more power & a more devastating blow to one's opponent. |
page last updated on Thursday 16 September 2010