Naifanchin (Shodan, Nidan, Sandan)

Naifanchin - ナイファンチ is a very old Okinawan Kata that starts at the Tomari-te traditions on Okinawa. The meaning of the name Naifanchin is ‘Internal Divided Conflict’ or ‘Inner Tension Stance’. The particle Nai means ‘inner’ or ‘inside’ and probably refers to pointing the toes inward. Fan means a clawed foot of a certain animal. Chi means the soil or foundation. So the original name probably meant something to the effect of being rooted to the ground in correct stance. Chin could mean ‘battle’ as it does in the word Sanchin. The word Naihan could refer to the narrow paths through rice fields that resemble squares. Therefore, it could mean ‘battle in a rice field’.

The oldest known reference to Naifanchin is in the books of Motobu Choki sensei. Motobu (1825-1921) learned the Kata from his teachers Anko Itosu and Sokon Matsumura. Itosu is reported to have learned the Kata from Sokon Matsumura who learned it from a Chinese man living in Tomari, Okinawa. Before Anku Itosu created the Pinan Kata, Naihanchin would traditionally be taught first in Tomari-te and Shuri-te schools, which indicates its importance.

Motobu Choki is quoted as saying: ‘The only Kata that was necessary for one to be a good fighter was Naihanchin’. This is because he believed that the Naihanchin Kata was also to teach how to enter the opponent’s space, get in close and defeat him decisively with one technique. ‘The blocking hand must be able to become the attacking hand in an instant. Blocking with one hand and then countering with the other is not true Bujutsu. Real Bujutsu presses forward and blocks and counters in the same motion’.

In Shotokan the name and Kata Embussen was changed by Funakoshi Gichin in 1924 to Tekki - 鉄騎, which translates to ‘Iron Horse’. It refers to the stance used in it and as a direct reference to his teacher, Anko Itosu, and to the Kata’s power. ‘Iron’ refers to its strength and stability. ‘Horse’ refers to the fact that it resembles a man riding a horse.

Sosai Masutatsu Oyama learned the Tekki Kata from Funakoshi Gichin in his Shotokan period. Below a picture kept in that period of his life. He achieved 4th Dan in Shotokan Karate. It was originally removed from the Kyokushin syllabus, but was officially reintroduced as Naifanchin into the Kyokushin Kan Style (Kancho Hatsuo Royama, one of the first students of Mas Oyama) and taught to Black Belt students at many international Kyokushin Karate summer camps.

The Naifanchin Kata is used in many different styles of Karate as well as Kempo and Taekwondo today. Because of the Kata's complexity and length it was divided into three sections for learning and practice.

The most important purpose of Naifanchin lies not in the fighting skills it develops, but in training the lower parts of the body through slow and steady sideward movements. Developing strong legs and hips are indispensable to Karate training. The Kata's side to side movements in a low stance also are aim at building up the balance and a low center of gravity to build up the necessary balance and strength for fast footwork and body shifting.

For proper Kata performance, obviously a strong horse stance is essential, but the student must also understand the difference between hip rotation and hip vibration. Often neglected but of great importance, head turns must be stressed in this Kata. Another distinct characteristic of the Kata is the technique where the circular movement of the arms protects the head in a block, while simultaneously setting up the opening for the Uraken.

The punching and blocking motions are short because space is very restricted. The short techniques make Naifanchin a very difficult Kata to master, and some consideration might be given to thinking of Naifanchin as a more technically advanced level form. Despite its simple and short form, the Bunkai that can be applied to this Kata from the feet up is vast. Hence while Kyu ranks may ‘learn’ it, the Kata offers extended Bunkai Henka ('alternates') that is usually re-visited for black belts to extended knowledge.

When undertaking research into any aspect of the Martial Arts it is difficult not to get drawn in to the dubious world of secret masters with secret teachings known only to the master’s personal student. Inevitably with any long standing tradition, ritual, or any body of knowledge that has to pass through many hands and numerous generations, not only are things added, but they are also lost. We have to accept that the Naihanchin that we know today has been toyed with. Various creditable masters have added their own ideas, some may say that they have improved the Kata, others may argue that much of the original content has been lost and only a sniff of its original essence remains. I doubt that any version seen today could claim to be the real Naihanchi as formulated by its founder, or founders.