SUANSU

Suansu Kata is the only empty hand kata that is unique to Isshinryu. Master Shimabuku developed this kata during the late 1940's. He combined techniques from Isshinryu's other empty hand katas along with new techniques to form a kata that would put his mark on the new system. Master Shimabuku used the techniques that he felt were the best combat techniques to form his new kata. Suansu was a nickname for Master Shimabuku and means "Strong Man". Indeed, Shimabuku was very strong that he was known for driving spikes into wood with his bare hands and smash coconuts with an elbow strike. Suansu is a strong kata that requires excellent balance and power to perform correctly. Little is known about the exact timing when Master Shimabuku introduced Suansu to the world, but many believe that he didn't teach the kata to the masses until Isshinryu was formally introduced in 1954 to 1956.

Students will learn some new techniques from Suansu. These include multiple elbow techniques, double vertical punches, and sliding nukite strikes. The student learns to deflect punches with an extended elbow and follow up with a back fist. Suansu contains the only application in Isshinryu's katas of the heel thrust kick as learned in the basic kicks.      As a relatively new system of Karate, it is significant that the Okinawan Karate and Kubodo Association has listed Suansu Kata as a recognized Okinawan Kata. This is significant as it is only taught in Isshinryu. One could take this as formal recognition of Isshinryu by these important governing bodies.      Suansu appears in the literature with several different spellings. Most commonly, it is spelled Suansu or Sunsu. There is no literal way to convert the characters of Japanese or Hogan to English without having spelling variations. Isshinryu, most commonly spelled as Isshinryu or hyphenated as Isshin-Ryu, is a prime example of this spelling dilemma.      Suansu is one of the most difficult katas to perform. Usually it is not taught until a student reaches the level of black belt.

Back to Katas