Uechi-ryu
上地流Okinawan karate of Chinese origin, built on tiger, crane and dragon. Recognisable by the one-knuckle punch and by hard body conditioning.
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About Uechi-ryu
Uechi-ryu is an Okinawan karate style with an openly Chinese origin. Kanbun Uechi (1877–1948) travelled in 1897 to Fuzhou in Fujian province and there studied under a master known as Shushiwa an art called pangai-noon, literally "half hard, half soft". He returned to Okinawa in 1910 but only began teaching after moving to Wakayama in 1924, and for a long time only to a narrow circle. The name Uechi-ryu was given to the style in 1940, when his son Kanei took it over. Technically it derives from three animals — tiger, crane and dragon — and rests on three Chinese kata: Sanchin, Seisan and Sanseiryu. Kanei later added five more, so there are eight today. Uechi-ryu is recognisable by the one-knuckle punch with the index finger (shoken), the kick with the tip of the big toe (sokusen geri), and by open hands moved in circles. Body conditioning is an integral part of training: Sanchin is practised with a partner who strikes the trainee's trunk and limbs throughout to test tension and breathing. The style is physically demanding and puts durability ahead of speed.
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