Shitō-Ryū Kata:  Jūroku (十六)

 

Jūroku (十六) is a Mabuni-kei kata, created in 1941 by Mabuni Kenwa while living and teaching in Ōsaka, Japan.  According to tradition, Jūroku, which simply means "sixteen" was named for Showa 16, the year in which it was created.  It contains examples of all five principles of Mabuni's Uke no Go Gensoku ("Five Principles of Receiving Attacks").  It is not known what level of student Jūroku was created for, but based on its technical sophistication it is usually taught to intermediate-to-advanced students.   The video presented below was filmed at the Jikishin-Kai hombu dōjō in San Diego, featuring Michael Chavarria, who was several times a regional and national tournament kata champion in the 1990s.  Please note that after training with Mabuni Kenzō after this video was made, Shimabukuro Hanshi made some minor adjustments to its performance which are reflected in the written description below.

Jūroku Description

After bowing and announcing the name of the kata ("Jūroku") ...

Yōi (cross open hands at groin level in musubi dachi) and kiyomeri kokyū (purification breaths)
(There is no kamaete in Jūroku.  The first movement is executed from yōi)

  1 Turn 90 degrees left into hidari zenkutsu dachi with morote jōdan kaishū oyayubi-zuki
  2 Turn 90 right into shikō dachi with morote hikite
  3 In place, migi chūdan seiken tsuki, then immediately hidari chūdan seiken tsuki
  4 Step forward into hidari han-zenkutsu dachi with awase hidari sukashi uke migi gyakuzuki, then hidari age uke
  5 Step forward into migi zenkutsu dachi with morote shōtei uchi
  6 Twist 180 degrees left into migi kōkutsu dachi, with gedan shutō barai
  7 Pivot 45 degrees left on right foot into hidari neko-ashi dachi and with hidari shutō uke
  8 Step forword into migi neko-ashi dachi with migi shutō uke, then slide the right foot forward into migi han-zenkutsu dachi with morote shotei uchi
  9 Pivot 90 degrees right on left foot into migi neko-ashi dachi and with migi shutō uke
  10 Step forword into hidari neko-ashi dachi with hidari shutō uke, then slide the left foot forward into hidari han-zenkutsu dachi with morote shotei uchi
  11 Pivot 45 degrees left on right foot into hidari neko-ashi while sweeping left hand leftward in hidari chūdan shutō barai, then gyakuzuki
  12 Right foot choku geri chūdan, landing forward in migi han-zenkutsu dachi with gyakuzuki
  13 Left foot choku geri chūdan, landing forward in hidari han-zenkutsu dachi with gyakuzuki
  14 Step forward into migi neko-ashi dachi with morote yoko uke, then immediately yori-ashi forward in migi neko-ashi dachi with morote agezuki
  15 Pivot on right foot 225 degrees left into hidari neko-ashi dachi with hidari soete uke
  16 Step forward into migi neko-ashi dachi with migi soete uke
  17 Pivot 90 degrees right into migi neko-ashi dachi with migi soete uke
  18 Step forward into hidari neko-ashi dachi with hidari soete uke
  19 Pivot 45 degrees left into hidari neko-ashi dachi with migi uchi uke striking left palm, then stepping forward into migi han-zukutsu dachi while swinging the right arm beneath the left arm to perform oizuki-gyakuzuki with kiai

[Zanshin yame is not performed in Jūroku]
Naotte (perform tekagami movement while drawing right foot back into musubi dachi)
Rei (bow)

Key Training Aspects of Jūroku

 
The Key

Jūroku is typically taught to students of Shimabukuro-Ha Shitō-Ryū karate-dō in prepartion for advancement to gokyū, since it is perceived to be an intermediate-to-advanced kata.  Although Jūroku does not not present students with any new or particulatly challenging techniques, it does include some timing issues that are noteworthy.

Also, as mentioned in the introduction, Shimabukuro Hanshi made some minor changes to the performance of Juroku after training with Mabuni Kenzō.  The first of these occurs in the opening movements.  In the video, the morote hikite is performed before shifting right into shikō dachi, but this hikite should instead be performed while turning right into shikō dachi. The next adjustment should be made in Steps #8 and #10, where morote shotei uchi follows a shutō uke.  In the video, they are performed after a full pause and more as a push (oshi) than a strike (uchi).  Instead, they should follow quickly after the preceeding shutō uke and be performed with considerable speed and power as strikes.  The key to generating power in these two morote shōtei uchi is to use the forward momentum gained from shifting from neko-ashi dachi to han-zenkutsu dachi and powerful koshi-mawari (hip rotation), but without first retracting the hands from the shutō position.  Similarly, when making the morote agezuki strike in Step #14, it is crucial that the strike be initiated directly from the morote yoko uke position without any sort of hikite. 

Although it is a relatively short kata, Jūroku is deceptively complex and warrants both diligent training and careful analysis to gain true proficiency.  It is a wealth of knowledge and skill concealed in a small package!


Additional Information

MakimonoAs with each new kata, it is important to remind oneself of the adage: "Manabu no tame ni hyakkkai, jukuren no tame ni senkai, satori no tame ni manga okonau" (学ぶのために百回、熟練のために千回、悟りのために万回行う.).  A hundred times to learn, a thousand times for proficiency, ten thousand repetitions for complete understanding.   A related Okinawan saying is "ichi kata san nen" (一型三年):  one kata three years.  Think of it this way:  it takes about 40 seconds to perform Jūroku.  So in just ten minutes per day for only ten days (or twenty minutes a day for just five days), you can learn the correct sequences of movements in this kata.   But to become truly proficient-to be able to perform it correctly, and with the speed, power, timing, and bushi damashii (samurai spirit) necessary to make its techniques effective in a real self-defence situation will take a thousand repetitions, which equates to 100 days at ten repetitions a day.   And to fully understand and apply all of its principles, nuances, and variations will take 1,000 days (three years) at ten repetitions per day.

When performing bunkai (分解) and considering the ōyō (応用) of Heian Yondan, it will be necessary to apply one's accumulated knowledge and vivid imagination to visualise the potential uses for the techniques in the kata.  Consideration must be given to the possibility that some movements represent applications other than obvious blocks or strikes (gōhō), but may instead—or in addition—have jūhō applications.