Hello all, I know I've seen this picture but can't find it. It's a picture of a youngish Gichin Funakoshi chambering a knifehand strike in an old style, with both hands facing the camera behind his shoulder and about shoulder-height. You would use it if you had just thrown an opponent's punch past you and were preparing to strike back. If anyone can point me to it I'd be grateful. I've been researching various flavors of knifehand-chamber across different styles.
Hi Heath,
Perhaps this from his 1926 publication.
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0ByQFoKoEHoDHNFJ6RGJBQXhjSE0/edit
Pages 73 onwards. This is Pinan Shodan (Heian Nidan).
Kindest Regards,
Ally
Hello Ally,
Thank you very much for the doc. Unfortunately, those pics show the completed motion. I am looking for the fold/chamber.
(By the way, it has struck me how few early karate books show folds/chambers for the various motions. Maybe they didn't care as much as we do?)
Regards,
Heath
I’ve had a quick scan through his early books and I can’t see anything what would match that description. Was it definitely Funakoshi? Any one else know that picture may being referred to?
That’s probably because photography was more expensive, as was printing photos. They therefore use as few as pictures as possible and tend to rely on descriptions in the text and arrows on the photos.
All the best,
Iain
The person in this video might not be Funakoshi (despite the title) but it is certainly from his time.
At the end of this presentation of Heian Shodan you can see the Shuto-Uke with both hands "chambered" on the same side as opposed to one hand at the ear and the other stretched out front.