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TEKKI
Often seen as a difficult kata - there are no moves in it that can be used for competition fighting - the Naihanchi kata are consigned to the "well, we've got to learn it to get our next grade" pile and then left to flounder.It is our assertion that the Tekki kata are fundamental to Karate training. In the same way that many Goju schools run Sanchin kata as something that is done alongside "kata training", where the act of performing Sanchin kata becomes an exercise in itself, so should Tekki be used in a similar way.I have produced Iron Horseman level 1 - a book about Tekki Shodan applications that I wrote some 6 years ago; the DVDs/downloads Kata & Application volume 7 Tekki Shodan; Kata & Application volume 16 Tekki Nidan, and Kata & Application volume 26 Tekki Sandan, the Tuite in Tekki application video as well as numerous free videos on Youtube.
In the book, following linguistic revelations by members of the International Ryukyu Karate Reserch Society, I made the assertion that Naihanchi might, possible, have referred to "NAHA-nchi" with the suffix meaning "skill" and the Town being the name of the kata. This, then, inferred that the Naihanchi/Naifanchi/Tekki kata would have their roots in the Naha-te branch of Old Okinawan Karate.
In Issue 47 of Classical Fighting Arts magazine Henning Wittwer's article on Ryukyu Karate Folklore shares the information that Kino sensei in his 1933 book Ryukyu Mukashi-Banashi Shu (Collection of Old Stories from Ryukyu) explains Shorin-ryu as being kata like Kusanku and Shorei-ryu Naifwanchi and Sanchin. With Shorin-ryu being about minimal physical strength and nimbleness and Shorei-ryu being about physical development and strength in the technique.
The point is that the linguistic "reinterpretation" is here backed up in some small way by the notes from the folklore.
I believe that this helps to firmly plant Tekki kata as Naha based.
An old name for Okinawa was Okinaha, but over time the emphasis on the syllables changed.
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 |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | | | A very good book on the mechnical principles and training methods for Naihanchi kata, also known as Tekki Shodan, has been produced by Chris Denwood
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