Channan no kata - My theory

As we know, the Pinan kata were developed by Itosu Sensei between 1902 and 1907 and introduced into the Okinawan school system. Like no other, he influenced the development of modern karate.

Besides the Pinan kata, Itosu Sensei developed among others the three Naifanchin kata, the Passai Sho and Kushanku Sho. In my opinion, a significant part the worldwide spread of karate is due to him and thereby the possibility for us to practice this wonderful art.

So, on which basis did Itosu Sensei develop the Pinan kata (and Kushanku Sho)?

It is supposed that Itosu Sensei developed the Pinan kata basing in particular on the Kushanku kata. Because of the length and technical complexity of the Kushanku and other old kata, these forms were unsuitable for pupils and beginners. So, Itosu Sensei allegedly removed many dangerous techniques from the kata, like fingertip strokes in the eyes, in order to make karate suitable to be taught in school lessons. He also reduced the length of the long old kata or split them.

So far, so good! Now I present my assumption regarding Channan:

• The Channan no kata is the archetype, so to say the DNA of Shuri-te. Kushanku Sensei brought it to Okinawa in the second half of the 18th century.
• The Channan no kata is a very complex kata that consists of 90% open-hand techniques and since it even back then was too long and technically too complex, Kushanku Sensei split it into parts. He then taught his student these parts of the Channan no kata.
• There are several of these split kata around today. However, all bear the name Kushanku (e.g. Sakugawa no Kushanku, Yara no Kushanku, Kushanku Dai, etc.).
• Some students got taught the Channan no kata in their entirety.
• The Channan no kata has been handed down to only a handful of students because of its complexity.
• Itosu Sensei knew the entire Channan no kata.
• It is understandable that techniques have been extenuated before introducing them to elementary school to make the training safer for children. Considering the Kushanku kata, there are no dangerous techniques; the use of the fingertips or the open hands is not more distinct in the Kushanku variants than in the five Pinan kata.
• In my opinion, Itosu Sensei did not create the Pinan kata based on Matsumura's Kushanku or any other kata. Rather the base of the Pinan is the Channan no kata.
• Also, I belief that Itosu Sensei developed the Kushanku Sho based on the Channan no kata.

I plan to publish a book in 2020, treating the Channan no kata. I will describe the Pinan kata and the Kushanku variants of Shudokan and further I will give a more detailed justification regarding the Channan no kata theory. Please be patient while waiting!