Gensei-ryu
玄制流Okinawan karate of Seiken Shukumine from 1949–1953, built on unexpected movement in three dimensions and on its own kata, such as Sansai.
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About Gensei-ryu
Gensei-ryu is a style of karate created by Seiken Shukumine (1925–2001) from Okinawa. He studied under Sadoyama Anko and then under Kishimoto Soko, a student of Takemura Bushi. The European federation places the roots of the style in Shuri-te, while some sources give Tomari-te. Shukumine first demonstrated his system in public in 1949 in Ito. The year 1950 is given as the beginning of the style and the name Genseiryu is documented from 1953. The main idea is victory through unexpected action. The style stands on five principles of movement, among them circular movement of the body axis, undulation up and down, deliberate falling and turns into an unexpected direction. The federation thereby sets it against a more static conception of karate. Besides the old forms Naifanchi, Bassai and Kusanku, which Shukumine placed under the name Koryu, the style practices his own kata Ten-i, Chi-i, Jin-i and Sansai, the best known of them. Shukumine described them in 1964 in the book Shin Karatedo Kyohan. Shukumine then created the art of taido, whose first public demonstration the world taido federation dates to 1965. Gensei-ryu continued under various leaders and in several organizations. It reached Europe in 1984 by way of Sweden, and in 1988 the European federation was formed.
History
Gensei-ryu was founded by Seiken Shukumine (1925–2001), born according to the European federation on 9 December 1925 in Nago, Okinawa, another source gives 25 December. He began karate at eight under Sadoyama Anko, with whom he trained about four years. At around fourteen he was accepted by Kishimoto Soko, a student of Takemura Bushi, who took few students, and Shukumine had to ask repeatedly to be accepted. The European federation places the roots of the style in Shuri-te, some sources give Tomari-te, and the difference between them was minimal according to it. Shukumine first demonstrated his system in public in 1949 in Ito in Shizuoka Prefecture. The year 1950 is given as the beginning of the style, and the name Genseiryu is documented from 1953, when he began teaching at the Tachikawa base. In 1964 he published the book Shin Karatedo Kyohan with the kata and techniques of the style. He then devoted himself to his own art, taido, whose first public demonstration the world taido federation dates to 1965, while other sources give 1962 or 1963.
How it differs
The Indian federation gives as the style's distinguishing feature unexpected movement in three dimensions, namely rotation, undulation up and down, falling and twisting, and sets it against a more static view of karate. From Shuri-te, the style's origin according to the European federation, it has old forms Naifanchi, Bassai and Kusanku, which Shukumine placed under the name Koryu. Other styles lack its own kata Ten-i, Chi-i, Jin-i and Sansai. It differs from taido, that grew from Gensei-ryu, in degree. According to the world federation, taido stresses dynamic whole-body movement and evasion by leaning, not static punches and kicks, whereas Gensei-ryu remains karate with kata. We have not found a direct comparison with Shorin-ryu, Goju-ryu, Shito-ryu or Shotokan from the federation or specialist literature.
Technique
The main idea of the style is victory through unexpected action. The Indian federation quotes Shukumine's saying that the secret of victory is doing something entirely unexpected. The style rests on five principles of movement, Sen, Un, Hen, Nen and Ten: circular movement of the body axis, undulation up and down, deliberate falling, twisting hand techniques, and techniques after a turn into an unexpected direction. Shukumine created the kata Ten-i, Chi-i, Jin-i and Sansai himself. Sansai came into being in the early nineteen-fifties and is the best-known kata of the style. The 1964 book Shin Karatedo Kyohan also describes old forms called Koryu Naifanchi, Koryu Bassai and Koryu Kusanku. The name 玄制流 is read as the search for deep truth and its expression through form: gen means mysterious or deep, sei order or system, ryu school.
Training
Mainly schools and the community wiki Genseipedia write about Gensei-ryu training, the federations do not. According to the Dutch website of the style, training features low, deep stances, up-and-down body movement and shiho, in which a combination of techniques is repeated in four directions. A Japanese school says Shukumine's 1964 book Shin Karatedo Kyohan describes roughly 44 kata. We did not find the structure of an ordinary lesson in the sources.
Ranks and progression
We found no single grade system of Gensei-ryu, each organization has its own. According to Genseipedia, the Genseiryu Karate-do International Federation divides the kata into three groups. It begins with the kihon kata Taikyoku and Heian Shodan to Godan, continues with tanren kata, including Naihanchi, Wankan, Bassai, Sansai, Rohai and Chinto, and the third group is kobudo kata with the bo and nunchaku. We have not been able to confirm examination rules and minimum times between grades.
Today
When Shukumine moved on to taido, groups of Gensei-ryu continued under various leaders, among them the Genseiryu Butokukai of Tosa Kunihiko and Furuya Yoshimitsu. Who is Shukumine's successor differs between schools. According to the Indian federation, the style entered a prefectural federation under the Japan Karate Federation (JKF). Jari Hiltunen brought the style to Europe in 1984 and founded the dojo Gensei Kan in Sweden. In 1988 the European Genseiryu Karatedo Federation was formed, and in 1993 the Scandinavian Gensei Ryu Karatedo Federation.
Did you know
In 1950 Shukumine took part in a karate exhibition organized by the broadcaster Nippon Television. Ito, where he first demonstrated the style publicly, is according to a Dutch website of the style still the seat of an association of his former students. The group Genwakai, founded by Nango Tsugumasa and Tadaya Iwaya, also took part of its name from Gensei-ryu and according to its own history took over many of his kata.
Frequently asked questions
Who founded Gensei-ryu and when?
Gensei-ryu was founded by the Okinawan karateka Seiken Shukumine (1925–2001). He first demonstrated the system publicly in 1949, 1950 is given as the start of the style, and the name Genseiryu is documented from 1953.
What does the name Gensei-ryu mean?
The name 玄制流 is interpreted as the search for deep truth and its expression through form. Gen means mysterious or deep, sei order or system, and ryu school.
What is the relationship between Gensei-ryu and taido?
Taido is a separate art that Shukumine created after Gensei-ryu. The World Taido Federation dates its first public demonstration to 1965, while other sources give 1962 or 1963.
Similar styles
Selected by overlap in the style profile, not by historical lineage.