Michael, you are right about Matayoshi teaching a Hakutsuru kata. The name is

Kakuken. Even though he reserved the kata for some of his senior kobudo

students in that he did not teach karate at all in his dojo. His comments

still stand, " the crane is for your health and not for killing like Okinawan

karate ". Whenever you and Rand come down to Atlanta for a visit I will get

the taped interview out and show it to you and let you make your own

interpretations as to what he is meaning. Since I have known Matayoshi for many

years I think I know when he is serious and joking. He was not joking. 

Second, the reason for my question to him about the Kakuken was that I knew

that he had not taught it to many people and that the popularity of the

"crane" was growing in the USA. I asked him why so many people were now coming

out with crane kata. He said " everyone trying to be somebody. If crane was so

good for fighting then Okinawans would have kept. Not made Uchinandi." He then

proceeded to demonstrate on the tape the crane movements and the bunkai that I

asked him about.

Third, I did not learn the Kakuken from Matayoshi sensei. I learned this kata

in 1969 from a gentleman by the name of Tomagusku. He had no students and

practiced on his own. He lived in the same village that I did and knew that I

was a serious karate person. He knew my teacher and respected him. After

watching me for sometime without my knowledge while I practiced at home on my

makiwara he volunteered to teach me his kata. He informed me that the kata

came from Go Ken Ki and that he had studied it before the war. I learned the

kata and kept it all these years. I left Okinawa in 1971 and returned in 1975

and could not find Tomagusku or his niece who had been our maid. They had

moved from the area and with my limited language skills at the time I could

not find them. Over the ensuing years I have demonstrated this kata to many

Okinawans and have gotten no response from them as to it's authenticity until

I demonstrated to Matayoshi sensei. He proclaimed to me that the kata came

from Go Ken Ki. Until many years after I learned the kata I had no idea who Go

Ken Ki was. After Matayoshi sensei verified that the kata was bonafied I then

began in earnest to research the history. I found that Go Ken Ki only had one

kata. I also found out that if Matsumura had a white crane kata it would have

been similar to the one Go Ken Ki had. I also found that Go Ken Ki taught at

the Okinawan Kenkyu and that he did not teach the entire kata but the concepts

of the kata. Many Okinawans that trained at that time on a limited basis

picked up bits and pieces and apparently have created many forms with a crane

flavor.

Yes, some of the Shorin Ryu kata have a crane flavor to them such as; Passai,

Gojushiho and Kusanku but they do not have the crane power. The Okinawans

developed their own power for these kata. Personally I find the crane power

contradictory to the Okinawans method of making power. I find just as

Matayoshi sensei said, "crane is for health and Okinawan  karate is for

killing."

Sorry for the long winded response. I never thought thirty years ago that any

of this would have any value. I kept the kata because it makes me feel good

and is good to warm up with. I am amazed at the interest in something that the

Okinawans do not consider important. Maybe we have missed something. I am glad

I kept the kata. 

Dan  

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