FISHER SHOTOKAN KARATE

HEIAN SHODAN - BUNKAI

By Charles Rhodes, P. Eng., Ph.D.

JKA SHOTOKAN BUNKAI:
The book Karate Kata Heian 1 Tekki 1 by M. Nakayama, an Official manual of the Japan Karate Association, published in English in 1970, sets out the JKA prescribed detailed motion sequence and bunkai for the kata Heian Shodan. However, this motion sequence and bunkai are not consistent with response to high energy attacks directed toward the defender's center of momentum (CM).

ALTERNATIVE BUNKAI:
In Fisher Shotokan the Heian Shodan motion sequence is superficially similar to the JKA Heian Shodan motion sequence but the detail and bunkai, which contemplate high energy attacks directed at the defender's CM, differ substantially from the JKA detail and bunkai. Fisher Shotokan recognizes that the direction of deflection of a high energy attack should always be opposite to the lateral motion of the defenders CM. The C. Rhodes interpretation of the bunkai for the first half of Heian Shodan is set out below.

This bunkai assumes that the karate-ka is proficient in execution of Fisher Shotokan rapid turns.

Assume that at the kata commencement the karate-ka faces 12:00 o'clock. Opponent #1 is on his immediate left at 9:00 o'clock. Opponents #2 to #6 are arrayed in a semi-circle from 10:00 o'clock to 3:00 o'clock but are slightly more distant. There is a wall or a precipice extending from 4:00 o'clock to 8:00 o'clock. All opponents are assumed to be much less skilled than is the karateka. However, one of the karateka's main concerns is to move to avoid attacks from immediately behind himself.

1st Turn:
In Fisher Shotokan during the 1st turn of Heian Shodan the karate-ka turns 90 degrees CCW to face 9:00 o'clock, hips shoman. This turn causes the karate-ka's CM to move half a shoulder width toward 6:00 o'clock. The karate-ka's left arm deflects past his right ear a left jodan oi-zuki attack by opponent #1 from 9:00 o'clock while his right arm chudan reverse punches opponent #1.

The karate-ka drives in toward 9:00 o'clock with his left leg and swings his left fist forward and down to gedan block a right chudan punch by opponent #1.

Opponent #1 attempts to escape backwards toward 9:00 o'clock. The karate-ka chases opponent #1 using a full step toward 9:00 o'clock with his right leg and disables opponent #1 with a right chudan oi-zuki.

At this time opponent #1 is disabled and opponents #2 to #6 are arrayed from 10:00 to 3:00 o'clock to the right of and behind the karate-ka.

2nd Turn:
Opponent #2 attacks the karateka from 12:00 o'clock while opponent #3 attacks from 3:00 o'clock. During the 2nd turn of Heian Shodan the karate-ka turns 180 degrees CW to face 3:00 o'clock, hips shoman toward 3:00 o'clock. During the 2nd turn the karate-ka's CM moved one shoulder width toward 6:00 o'clock, and one full step toward 3:00 o'clock, which caused opponent #2's attack from 12:00 o'clock to pass behind the karateka. The karateka's right arm deflects past his left ear a right jodan oi-zuki attack by opponent #3 from 3:00 o'clock while the karateka's left arm reverse punches opponent #3.

Opponent #3 attacks karate-ka from 3:00 o'clock with a left chudan oi-zuki. Karate-ka blocks this punch with a right gedan block that is immediately followed by a disabling right hand hammer fist jodan counter attack.

Opponent #3 attempts to retreat backwards toward 3:00 o'clock. The karate-ka then full steps toward 3:00 o'clock with his left leg and disables opponent #3 with a left chudan oi-zuki.

At this time opponents #1 and #3 are disabled. Opponents #4, #5 and #6 are arrayed from 10:00 o'clock to 2:00 o'clock on the karate-ka's left side. Opponent #2 is behind the karateka at 9:00 o'clock.

3rd Turn:
In Fisher Shotokan during the 3rd turn of Heian Shodan the karate-ka shifts his CM backward toward 9:00 o'clock to avoid a committed attack from 12:00 o'clock by opponent #4. The karate-ka turns 90 degrees CCW to face 12:00 o'clock hips shoman and uses his left arm to deflect opponent #5's left jodan oi-zuki from 12:00 o'clock past his right ear while simultaneously chudan reverse punching opponent #5 with his right fist.

The karate-ka then drives forward with his left leg and gedan strikes with his left fist at the lower right ribs of opponent #5. This strike also serves to block a right hand chudan punch by opponent #5.

Opponent #5 attempts to retreat backwards toward 12:00 o'clock but the karate-ka three times full steps toward 12:00 o'clock with jodan age-uke attacks that disable opponent #5.

The kata only makes logical sense if at the commencement of this turn opponent #4 is slightly closer to the karate-ka than opponent #5. The kata design implicitly assumes belief by opponent #5 that the karate-ka will move on to opponent #5's line of attack in order to avoid the committed attack by opponent #4.

At this time opponents #1, #3 and #5 are all disabled but opponent #4, now at 4:00 o'clock, and opponent #6, now at 3:00 o'clock and opponent #2, now at 6:oo o'clock remain serious risks to the karate-ka.

4th Turn:
In Fisher Shotokan during the 4th turn of Heian Shodan the karate-ka shifts his CM forward toward 12:00 o'clock to avoid opponent #4's right side committed attack from 4:00 o'clock and then turns 270 degrees CCW to face 3:00 o'clock hips shoman. The karate-ka left arm deflects opponent #6's left arm jodan oi-zuki attack past his right ear while he simultaneously right arm chudan reverse punches opponent #6.

During the 270 degree turn the karate-ka's CM shifted a further shoulder width toward 12:00 o'clock causing opponent #6's left hand jodan oi-zuki attack to pass by karate-ka's right side.

Then the karate-ka drives in with his left leg and uses his left hand to gedan strike at opponent #6's lower right ribs. This strike also serves to block a right hand chudan punch by opponent #6.

Opponent #6 attempts to retreat backwards toward 3:00 o'clock but is chased by the karate-ka with a right leg full step and opponent #6 is disabled by a right chudan oi-zuki.

At this time opponents #1, #3, #5 and #6 are all disabled but opponent #4, now at 9:00 o'clock and opponent #2 now at 6:00 o'clock remain a risk to the karate-ka.

Opponent #4's linear momentum from his previous attack carried opponent #4 toward 9:00 o'clock, which put the body of opponent #5 between opponent #4 and the karate-ka. The karate-ka's 270 degree turn moved the karateka more than one shoulder width toward 12:00 o'clock which caused opponent #4 and the karate-ka to be on opposite sides of the body of opponent #5.

Opponent #4, now at 9:00 o'clock, advances towards 3:00 o'clock to attack the back of the karate-ka. However, the approach of opponent #4 to the karate-ka is slightly delayed by the intervening body of opponent #5.

5th Turn:
In Fisher Shotokan during the 5th turn the karate-ka turns 180 degrees CW to face 9:00 o'clock, hips shoman. During this turn the karate-ka's CM moves one full shoulder width further toward 12:00 o'clock. At the end of this turn the karate-ka's right arm deflects opponent #4's right jodan oi-zuki past his left ear while he simultaneously reverse punches opponent #4 chudan with his left fist.

Karate-ka then drives forward with his right leg and uses his right fist to gedan strike at opponent #4's lower left ribs. This strike also serves to block a left hand reverse punch by opponent #4.

Opponent #4 attempts to retreat backwards toward 9:00 o'clock but is delayed by the body of opponent #5. The karate-ka full steps with his left leg toward 9:00 o'clock and disables opponent #4 with a left chudan oi-zuki.

At this time opponents #1, #3, #4, #5 and #6 are all disabled. Opponent #2 at 6:00 o'clock remains a risk to the karateka.

The karateka then attacks opponent #2 with a series of three chudan oi-zuki punches.

While all of the above is going on more potential opponents arrive on the scene from 3:00 o'clock and 9:00 o'clock. The karateka deals with these opponents.

This web page last updated March 19, 2011.