KishimotoDi

History and Lineage

KishimotoDi is a rare system of Suidi (Shuri-Te), which is taught at the Bugeikan dojo on Okinawa, Japan, which also teaches Motobu Udundi and Hanashiro Chomo Shorin-Ryu, along with Yamanni-Ryu bojutsu. It was handed down to the founder of the Bugeikan and president of the Zen Okinawa Karate Kobudo Rengo Kai (All Okinawa Karate Kobudo Association), Higa Seitoku (1921-2006), by Kishimoto Soko (1866-1945), who learned from “Bushi” Tachimura (1814-1899)–a contemporary of the famous “Bushi” Matsumura Sokon, and fellow student of “Tode” Sakugawa Kanga (1786-1867). Kishimoto only had a total of 9 students in his lifetime, and very few of them went on to teach his methods. The style contains just four kata; Tachimura no Naihanchi, Nidanbu, Tachimura no Passai, and Tachimura no Kusanku.

Curriculum

KishimotoDi is built on three primary combative principles: taigi ichii, kobo ittai, and issun hasureru. “Taigi ichii” means “body and technique as one,” and is how power is generated in the system. Rather than the whippy sequential delay often seen in modern karate, KishimotoDi moves the entire body as a unit to power the technique through stepping, shifting, sinking, rising, and twisting. “Kobo ittai” means “simultaneous attack and defense,” and is key to effective self-defense. There is no “block-then-counter” in the system, because you must seize the initiative to gain the upper hand in self-defense, and you can do so by defending and countering at the same time. “Issun hasureru” means “avoid by a sun,” where a “sun” is roughly an inch. This is done so that it is harder for the opponent to realize that their attack has missed, making it easier for you to counter them before they try attacking again.

When looking at incoming attacks, KishimotoDi divides them into quadrants: inside-over, inside-under, outside-over, and outside-under. In other words, when an attack of any kind is thrown at you, you have the option of entering on the inside (between the attacker’s limbs) or the outside (outside of the attacking limb), as well as over (above the attacking limb) or under (beneath the attacking limb). By simplifying attacks in this way, you reduce the amount of thought necessary to decide what technique to use in a given situation. Additionally, most techniques in KishimotoDi are designed so that they can work on both sides, so it doesn’t matter whether your attacker uses their left or right side. When responding to attacks, the system typically follows a process of “avoid, enter, finish,” but due to the principles of taigii ichii and kobo ittai, this process is very near to simultaneous most of the time.

Officially, the Bugeikan only allows three of KishimotoDis’ four kata to be shown publicly: Tachimura no Naihanchi, Nidanbu, and Tachimura no Kusanku. Tachimura no Passai is reserved for students receiving in-person training, only. This is not because Tachimura no Passai is a “secret kata,” but because withholding it from the public eye helps to identify potential fraud, as people are unable to attempt to learn the kata from video or public demonstrations and claim to have personal instruction in KishimotoDi. There are no ranks or belts in KishimotoDi, either, and so there are no certificates issued to prove that someone has received instruction. Instead of ranks or belt, progress is tracked by how many of the four kata you have learned, and how many of those you are allowed to teach. Once you have been authorized to teach all four kata, you can be recommended by an existing Shihan to be tested for a Shihan license at the Bugeikan on Okinawa.

KishimotoDi Instructors

Outside of Okinawa, the foremost instructor of KishimotoDi is Ulf Karlsson, who is the first person to ever be granted a Shihan license in the art by Higa Kiyohiko, the head of the Bugeikan. He lives in Sweden, but lived in Japan for over 20 years, makes annual trips to Okinawa, and travels regularly to teach. In the United States, the foremost instructor of KishimotoDi is Noah Legel, who has been formally training in the art since 2014, and has learned all four kata. Below are the recognized instructors of this rare system, and which of the kata they are authorized to teach:

• Ulf Karlsson, Shihan (Uddevalla, Bohuslän, Sweden) – KishimotoDi and Taido
  • Tachimura no Naihanchi
  • Nidanbu
  • Tachimura no Passai
  • Tachimura no Kusanku
• Mikael Jansson (Stockholm, Uppland/Södermanland, Sweden) – KishimotoDi and Taido
  • Tachimura no Naihanchi
  • Nidanbu
  • Tachimura no Passai
  • Tachimura no Kusanku
• Noah Legel (Salem, Illinois, USA) – Shorin-Ryu (Kobayashi-Ryu) and KishimotoDi
  • Tachimura no Naihanchi
  • Nidanbu
  • Tachimura no Kusanku
• Walt Young (Marshall, Virginia, USA) – Shorin-Ryu (Matsumura Seito) and KishimotoDi
  • Tachimura no Naihanchi
  • Nidanbu
• Luis David Muñoz (Mexico City, Mexico) – Goju-Ryu and KishimotoDi
  • Tachimura no Naihanchi
  • Nidanbu

KishimotoDi Kata

Tachimura no Naihanchi – This is the core kata of KishimotoDi

Nidanbu – This is a “help” kata developed by Kishimoto Soko to connect the three koryu (old school) kata of the system together.

Tachimura no Passai – This is one of the two “advanced” koryu kata of KishimotoDi, which is not generally publicly shared in its correct and complete form. The only available footage is from Higa Kiyohiro, in a form intended for public demonstration, and with artistic video editing, which does somewhat distract from the kata, itself: https://youtu.be/Js1exRV1j9U?si=yeSQ_rLuR7k2GuLY

Tachimura no Kusanku – This is the other of the two “advanced” koryu kata of KishimotoDi, which has only recently been allowed to be shared publicly in its correct form.