Wandaun kata

[punisher73]

Please don't regale us with stories about the "secret knowledge" you got on Okinawa in the sixties because you were so special. There must be a thousand people in America running around with the same story.

I do agree with this statement, but also disagree with a little bit of it. Garcis Hanshi made a statement regarding kata that was only taught to a few people and not taught to the masses. In Gichin Funakoshi's autobiography, Gichin tells a story of being contacted by a karateka who wanted to pass on a special kata before he died so the kata would not die with him since he had not taught it outside the family.

So, yes I think alot of people do that for a marketing edge, but at the same time it did happen that not all knowledge was openly shared and things did die out with certain family ryu.

 

[JWLuiza]

Sorry to revive the dead... But Wanduan is also found in McCarthy Sensei's Classical Kata of Okinawan Karate. Great book for reference. If you can find a copy, I highly recommend.

 

[Ojisan]

My understanding is that Wanduan was an old "classic" karate kata practiced up until the late 1800's. I believe it has since been lost. The Wanduan that Sells and McCarthy teach is Wando and is a modern kata.

Wankan is a different kata alltogether and is practiced in Matsubayshi as "Okan".

The Wankan in Shotokan is ...... well.. strange and appears to only sleightly the Shorin Ryu Wankan, but that's another story.

 

[JWLuiza]

I haven't come across anything that suggests Wando and Wanduan are different. Any references? Just curious.