Akamine no Sai ?

[tgall]

Hello,

today I got the new book off Helmut Kogel about sai, who is a student of Tetsuhiro Hokama. He has mention a kata called "Akamine no Sai" and that it should be an invention of Akanmine Eisuke. I've never heard about that kata and it is also not mentioned on the homepage at www.ryukyu-kobudo.com.
Has anybody further infomation about that kata?

Sincerly

Thomas

[TimJurgens]

I train at the Hombu in Okinawa for Akamine Sensei's lineage. My teacher is Akamine Hiroshi Sensei, son and successor to Akamine Esuke Sensei as the 3rd President of the Association. I believe that if there were an Akamine no Sai we would be doing it. Then again it might be something that is no longer done. I will check and get back to you.

There is an Akamine no Nunchaku, it used to be called Nunchaku 2, but to avoid confusion was renamed to Akamine no Nunchaku, Nunchaku 1 was renamed to Maezato (Mizato in Hogen) no Nunchaku. Each of these two Sensei had the most influence on those Kata, hence the names.

Is it possible the book crossed the names in translation I wonder?

I also live just down the road from Nakazato Sensei, and I suppose I could ask him directly. He is a very dedicated historian, and I am sure would want to get this right.

[tgall]

Hello Tim,

thanks for you answer. For some reasons i had expected that answer. I also had know and learned both nunchaku katas you mentioned from sensei Tamayose. About the history of "Akamine no nunchaku" is wirtten:

This kata is realivly short, with an uncommen embusen. It is trained in in different Kobudo Ryu-ha's with different executions/performance, e.g. Shorin Ryu. The Nama Akamine Eisuke (1925-1999) is related with that kata, who had been a student of Higa Seiichiro, a master of Yamanni-Ryu. Since 1959 he had been a student of Taira Shinken, the founder of the Ryukyu Kobudo Hozon Shinkokai. Taira Shinken published many kata's in his book, what had been unique in this time, cause oral tradition had been commen. It seems like Akamaine had invented the kata "Akamine no Sai".

I just have translated then into english. So i hope if isn't that woers.

There is also an ohter for me totaly new kata inside called "Chiara no Sai", that should be a kata of Matayoshi Kobudo . I asked a friend, who is training it for a long while, but he also dont know it. That is really strange with the book.

Sincerly

Thomas

[kyobukan]

I train at the Hombu in Okinawa for Akamine Sensei's lineage. My teacher is Akamine Hiroshi Sensei, son and successor to Akamine Esuke Sensei as the 3rd President of the Association. I believe that if there were an Akamine no Sai we would be doing it. Then again it might be something that is no longer done. I will check and get back to you.

There is an Akamine no Nunchaku, it used to be called Nunchaku 2, but to avoid confusion was renamed to Akamine no Nunchaku, Nunchaku 1 was renamed to Maezato (Mizato in Hogen) no Nunchaku. Each of these two Sensei had the most influence on those Kata, hence the names.

Is it possible the book crossed the names in translation I wonder?

I also live just down the road from Nakazato Sensei, and I suppose I could ask him directly. He is a very dedicated historian, and I am sure would want to get this right.

Tim how long have you been there?
I'll be coming in November for a short visit.
How is Yoshiko San doing? I have not seen her in 3 or 4 years.

[Yoshiko]

Hello Thomas,

I recently saw your post on Akamine no sai, there is no kata of that name, nor have I ever heard of it or seen it in training. I was Akamine Sensei's only foreign deshi, and was one of his 12 original students.

Akamine no nunchaku on the other hand, is a kata that E. Akamine Sensei made for the famous sunahiki in Naha, or the rope pull, if you will. This kata was made for show and demos, and was performed mostly by Takara San, Kunioshi San, and Shiroma San respectively.

If this kata was spoken in front of E. Akamine Sensei, he would become upset because of his humbleness. Thus, it became known as nunchaku 2.

The testing kata is and always has been Meezato no nunchaku, and I use its Okinawan name here, and you may see it written in Japanese as Maezato. Preference in tradition would always defer to Taira Shinken's kata before E. Akamine Sensei's kata.

I respectfully hope that this sheds a little more light on the matter.

Yoshiko Dometrich
Beikoku So Honbu
Ryu Kyu Kobudo Hozon Shinkokai

[GojuMaster]

Thomas,

I know of an "Akamine No Sai", however it is performed in Yoshihide Shinzato's Shin Shu Kan in Brazil.

This "Akamine" is Shikan Akamine (1920-1995), so it is likely not what you are looking for, even if the name is the same.

Best Regards,

Russ

Hello,

today I got the new book off Helmut Kogel about sai, who is a student of Tetsuhiro Hokama. He has mention a kata called "Akamine no Sai" and that it should be an invention of Akanmine Eisuke. I've never heard about that kata and it is also not mentioned on the homepage at www.ryukyu-kobudo.com.
Has anybody further infomation about that kata?

Sincerly

Thomas