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Tensho |
"Rotating palms" |
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Meaning and origins This dynamic tension and breath control exercise is the second of the fundamental kata ("heishugata") of Goju. The character "ten" means rotating, revolving or changing, while the character "sho" refers to the palm of the hand. The name describes the movements of the palms that characterise this kata. Tensho was developed by Chojun Miyagi after his return from China in 1916 where he had been researching the origins of Okinawan martial arts. Traditionally he is said to have developed the kata from an older White Crane form named Rokkisho (6 machine palm). However neither the Tou'on-ryu practice drill of this name nor the Rokkishu 6 hand positions shown in the Bubishi (a classical text of Okinawan and Southern Chinese martial arts) have any resemblance to Miyagi's Tensho kata1. |
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Instead it seems that Tensho might be based on a form Miyagi learned in Fuzhou. There were certainly many White Crane (or White Crane derived) kata that would have taken a form similar to Tensho, including forms from Ngo Cho Kun (5 ancestor fist) and even Wing Chun1 (see "Comparison with Yong Chun Baihe"). There is also the possibility that Miyagi based Tensho on a form he learned from his friend and White Crane master, Gokenki. A more interesting, and perhaps more likely, theory is that the kata is based on basic techniques practised in the expatriate Kojo training hall in Fuzhou1 where Miyagi and other Okinawans were known to have trained2. To this day, such basics continue to be practised in many karate schools (including ours) despite the fact that they do not appear in any kata. Two examples of such basics are illustrated in the gifs on the right:
It seems quite plausible that Miyagi might have decided to package some of these basics into one kata so that they would not be lost or forgotten. In a similar vein the Academy has included the above 2 basics into the Shisochin Embu.
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Purpose of Tensho Where Sanchin is regarded as the cornerstone of Goju, Tensho is regarded as its crown. Tensho not only employs far more sophisticated hand techniques, it also teaches a far more efficient and subtle form of body tension. As with the senior practice of Sanchin, Tensho fulfils the same function as zhan zhuang (a form of rooted posture mediation) in the internal art of Yi Quan. Tensho is required from Shodan 1 to Sandan 4.
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Tensho kakie There are a number of push hands drills that the Academy teaches in conjunction with Tensho kata. These utilise movements from Tensho however they were not created by Chojun Miyagi. Rather they are of Taiwanese White Crane origin.
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 Tensho kakie (click on photo to download) |
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Comparison with Yong Chun Baihe Regardless of whether Chojun Miyagi utilised hand positions from basics practiced in the Kojo training hall in Fuzhou, he must certainly have seen, and been influenced, by Fujian White Crane practitioners. In particular it is interesting to note how similar some Yong Chun Baihe forms (in particular a form called Ba fen) are to Tensho in their execution, even though the hand positions differ subtly (the rising block are closer to the keito uchi/uke as performed in nukite than the ko uchi/uke of Tensho). Clips of Yong Chun forms can be found on the video page of the the Yong Chun Baihe site.
Footnotes 1 See Mario McKenna's notes at: http://okinawakarateblog.blogspot.com/2006/06/rokkishu-and-tensho-rokkishu-as-they.html http://okinawakarateblog.blogspot.com/2006/08/little-more-on-tensho-and-rokkishu.html
2
See Matheiu Ravignat's article "The History of Goju Ryu Parts 1 - 3" in Meibukan Magazine
Nos. 2, 3 and 4 at: http://www.meibukanmagazine.org/Downloads/MeibukanMagazineno3.pdf http://www.meibukanmagazine.org/Downloads/MeibukanMagazineno4.pdf |
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