Hi all,

great stuff...

A theory of mine is that the patterns of many traditional kata follow astrological patterns.
Just as you find some kind of taoist or buddhist (or mixed) symbolism in the names of Goju ryű kata... The strong Chinese influence is also seen in the chronicle Chűzan Seifu, for example, which uses the Chinese year-mottoes instead of Japanese (There are Chinese and Japanese versions of Chűzan Seifu; I don't know if the year-mottoes differ). When Satsuma ruled Ryukyu kingdom from 1609 on, contact to China was held up, as well as Kumemura Chinese families. The Bubishi contains the considerations upon the Shizen (double-hours) and other Chinese concepts.

And the Okinawan religion is found early in history connected with martial arts: when the Shuri forces went for Oyake Akahachi in 15. century, they were not able to enter the island. Only after a Noro priestess made up a strategy (unknown to me) they were able to land on the island and overcome Oyake's forces...

Just as Taoism, Buddhism and Konfuzianuism mixed up in China over the centuries (the mixing began around 2 century A.D. or so I guess), the Okinawans mixed all that with their own religius beliefs and worship of their ancestors (the latter seems to be the real religion of Okinawa).

I have the feeling that Okinawans were always able to interpret others cultures in a very unique way. When Hirohito visited Okinawa in 19??, the Okinawans went there and stood looking; that was their interpretation of honouring the emperor. Than they went home. In Japan at that time everybody would have been to the ground when the emperor would have appeared, I guess.

To know how Okinawans handled Chinese martial art forms or Jigen Ryű Bô odo, for example, would indeed be interesting. At least there must have been a significant change, which not always have to had been due to simple technical considerations, but also due to the obviously specific mindset they developed while dealing with "superior" cultures over the centuries.

... working on my small talk abilities ...
Andreas Quast