"Uke No Gogensoku"
Shito-Ryu's Special Five Principles of Defense

DEMONSTRATED BY GENZO IWATA SENSEI, 7TH DAN JKF SHITO-KAI
ASSISTED BY MURAYAMA ALONSO SENSEI, 4TH DAN JKF SHITO-KAI AND NAKAYAMA SENSEI

• RAKKA (Flower Falling Down)
  Concept of striking at the base of a tree with such tremendous force to knock the flowers (blossoms) off the branches. Hard blocking applying sudden maximum power with a twisting action executed to literally stop the opponent's attack and destroy his confidence.
  
    
  
  
  
  

• RYUSU (Flowing Water-like Movement or Fluid Motion)
  Concept of soft blocking or absorbing the attack and re-directing it using circular or deflecting blocks or parrys, in a fluid movement.
  
    
  
  
  
  

• TENI (Taisabaki-like Body Movement )
  Concept of shifting or turning away from opponent's attack or avoiding his attack by applying evasive body movement.
  
  
  
  
  

• KUSHIN (Bending or Springing Action Originating in Knees)
  Concept of an immediate shifting of stance from one type to another (e.g.- Moto dachi/Neko-ashi dachi/Moto dachi) or a reflexive darting away then returning back immediately type of body shifting from any angle.
  
    
    
    
  
  
  

• HANGEKI (Counter Attack or "Go No Sen")
  Concept of generating a powerful attacking action as an effective counter defense (e.g.- Tsuki Uke or Wa Uke).
  
    
  

References/Bibliography

1. Photographs of Iwata Sensei and Murayama Sensei taken from Seikan Karate-do Magazine. Tokyo, Japan.  Vol. 257 - December 1995.

2. Photographs of Iwata Sensei and Nakayama Sensei taken from Seikan Karate-do Magazine. Tokyo, Japan.  Vol. 305 - July 1998.

3. Sells John. Shito-ryu Karate, Okinawa's Not So Hidden Secret: Karate Magazine Article.

4. Mabuni Kenei/Nakahashi Hidetoshi. Karate-do Shito-ryu. Paris, France: SEDIREP, 1989.

5. Moledzki Sam. Personal Data Archives.