Forms, Katas, Poomse… What are they? Why do martial artists peform them? Are they just patterns of movements to be memorized? A library of defensive and offensive techniques?. Is there more to learning Forms beyond preparation for the next belt? This paper will discuss the forgotten reason and the essence for Forms. Grandmaster Ki Whang Kim used to say “kata nashi….karate nashin” ... "without Forms you cannot have Karate." Forms are the heart of the style that one practices. In a similar vein, Grandmaster Albert Cheeks has taught that Forms are the gateway to the spiritual world. They have been passed down from master to student for hundreds of years. As such, forms hold within them the wisdom and knowledge of all those who have studied and trained over the centuries. Through the practice of forms, one can obtain this deep knowledge by connecting to the spiritual world of the masters.
Poomses (Korean forms) have been excluded from this discussion because they are a more recent creation. Research on the history or the meaning of a Poomse frequently yields a false narrative connecting them to the ancient Korean Sila or Goryeo dynasty. In truth, Poomses were created in the 1960’s and 1970’s by some of the Korean masters. These masters were part of the movement to move away from the Japanese style and create a more Korean art. Unfortunately, the new Korean Forms lack the soul, power and “chi” of the old Forms from Japan. To the unlearned this may not be immediately apparent; however, after practicing and teaching the Taegeuks and Palgwes for a few years one can see and feel the physiological incorrectness of the Poomses. Their illogical stances and illogical defensive and offensive techniques reveal that the Poomses were not develooped into physiologically sound entities. The physical difference between the Katas and Poomses is felt when one performs the two styles in succession.
This is not to say that new Forms cannot contain the soul and “chi” of the old masters because “Hushu” has it. Created by Sensei Tetsuhiko Asai (1935-2006) in the 1980’s, “Hushu” is one of his natural element forms. Sensei Asai trained directly under Funakoshi and was a champion fighter and Forms champion in the All Japan Open in the 1960’s. He also taught at the Japanese Karate Association headquarters for several years. It was after years of teaching and training that he began to realize the Japanese (especially the JKA) way of doing forms was incorrect. Sensei Asai noted how technical and robotic the Japanese practice of forms had become. While not all embraced the approach, many Japanese martial artists strove to be geometrically precise in the practice of their forms. Sensei Asai’s natural element Kata’s are based on the fluid movements that are found in nature and in man, an approach that was more closely aligned with the true nature of Forms.
The history of martial arts in Japan can be traced back to Southern China where a few of the old masters, Matsumura Sōkon, Kanga Sakugawa, Higaonna Kanryō & Kanbun Uechi, went to study Kung-Fu in the Fujian Province. It was there that the Japanese, Okinawan, masters developed their styles of karate. The Chinese passed on their understanding of the art; the purpose of the Forms; as well as, the meaning and reasoning behind doing the Forms. One would be hard pressed to find an Okinawan master that thinks that Forms are useless. In an interview with Adeyto Industries, in 2012, Goju Ryu Grandmaster Morio Higaonna once said that “karate is like a tree and the katas are the roots.” From this one can infer that the Okinawans brought back with them from China the essence and meaning of katas.
For the Okinawan martial artists katas are essential to practice, even more important than practicing “kumite” i.e. sparring. Sensei Morinobu Maeshiro of Shorin Ryu Karate does not believe in practicing sparring because the practice of katas is enough. Okinawan karate masters believe that through the continuous practicing of Forms one can cultivate the spirit. After training the body by doing katas over and over with the correct posture and technique then the spirit can be developed. They believe that it is through katas that one will improve upon the spirit and become a better person. Sensei Higaonna believes that katas should be done outside amongst nature in order to connect to or become one with nature. This kind of thinking all stems back to the training that the Okinawan masters had when they went to China.
The earliest Shaolin katas were developed in the style of yoga dances. These yoga style dances were a form of moving meditation. This style of dancing was centuries old beforehand. The Indians have been practicing moving meditation for hundreds of years. They passed along their knowledge to the Chinese and their ideas of spirituality. The act of these dances allows the dancer to go into trance and become one with “The Creator”. Sensei Shinsuke Moromizato of Motobu Ryu Karate still to this day practice “Mai” kata which resembles the same dance like movements as the Indian yoga dances. The Shaolin monks were first focused on bettering themselves physically for spiritual cultivation. It was only later that the monks at Shaolin started developing their Forms for self-defense and for fighting off bandits. Over the centuries different styles of Kung-fu would develop but the underling reason for training, which was to become more spiritual, did not change.
Sensei Zenko Heshiki writes in his book Karate that one can reach the spiritual state and transcend consciousness through the practice of Forms. These ideas on connecting with the spiritual realm have existed since the beginning of martial arts. It’s only in recent times that people have forgotten (or not been taught) about the spiritual connection with nature through Forms. I believe that this lack of information has lead to the development of modern Forms that are neither physically logical nor physiologically correct. Sensei Heshiki points out that this is more likely due to the misinterpretation of the Chinese characters for “Karate” to mean “empty hand” as in “weaponless hand”. Sensei Heshiki says that “kara” does not mean “empty” as in without a weapon, rather it is referring to “emptiness” as in “the void”. This is where the connection to the Indian spirituality is maintained. The Chinese monks transcribed the character for “kara” from the Sankrit word “Sunya” or “Sunyata” meaning “void, emptiness, or the absence of duality and conceptualization.” “Sunyata” or “Kara” is the emptiness but it is not a thing itself. It is the Absolute which envelopes and touches all that is in the universe.
Now that it has been established that Forms or Katas are not just memorized movements to be performed by martial artist, a deeper understanding of the esoteric meaning of Forms is required. By asking what exactly is a “Form” or “Kata”? Where is a Form? As discussed earlier Forms are the heart of karate and centuries of knowledge and wisdom are held within them. Only through performing the Form hundreds of times can a student begin to experience this truth.
In an interview, Sensei Morio Higaonna notes that one cannot talk about the true essence of katas in Japanese language. It is only in his native Okinawan tongue that the true philosophy and meaning of katas can be understood. Initially, this may be difficult to understand; what makes the Okinawan language better able to describe the philisophical nature of the katas? However, through the general study of African philosophy, one can begin to gain an understanding of the point that Sensei Higaonna was making with his statement. Therefore, the Bantu philosophy will be used to explaing the true nature of Forms.
The Bantu philosophy's ontological and epistemological worldview closely alignes with that of the Okinawans, Chinese and Indian philosophies from which Forms orginated. A conerstone of the Bantu philosophy is it use of language to indentify things. Not only the what and the who, but the when, where and how. Muntu is the word for person; Kintu means things; Huntu is for place & time and Kuntu is for modality. For the purpose of this discussion, we will only use Muntu and Kuntu to expound on the ideas of Forms. The similarities between these words can be found in their name. The terms prefix or root are inappropriate to use with the Bantu language. In English, when one has a word with a prefix such as “impossible”, removing the prefix will leave in place the sensible word “possible”. In Bantu, Mu or Ku by itself does not have a meaning. The root or determinative “stem” is Ntu and on its own it specifically does not have a meaning as well.
In the book Muntu,Janheinz Jahn explains that Ntu is that ubiquitous force found throughout the universe. It is Being, it is life itself; however, one cannot find Ntu alone in the universe. Ntu only exists with its manifested force: Muntu, Kuntu, Kintu or Huntu. Ntu is what Sensei Zenko Heshiki calls Kara, the Chinese character (transcribed from the Sankrit word Sunyata) meaning emptiness or the void. Sensei Heshiki said that “all things spring out of Kara.” Kara is not a thing itself but the manifestation of the Absolute. The Bantu say that Ntu is the point from where creation flows, i.e. the Absolute. It is important to point out that Muntu and Kuntu are not Force and matter combined as they were never separate entities. Man does not exist without the Force of the universe. Ntu, Kara and Sunyata identify the same Force that Sensei Heshiki describes. The Absolute, the void and the emptiness are what we connect to when we are practicing our Forms correctly.
Kuntu is a difficult concept to to explain. In Bantu philosophy Kuntu is the modality Force. In Western Culture the concept of having modality as a Force is unheard of. Kuntu is laughter, beauty, ugly, sadness and the like. For the Bantu, Kuntu can exist without Muntu actually acting upon it; however, Muntu is needed to bring Kuntu forth. So while laughter, beauty and happiness can exist without a human creating them; a human must create them. In his book, Janheinz Jahn provided a more detailed explanation of how Kuntu is perceived and understood in the Bantu culture using examples from the 1950’s and 1940’s. I believe that I can explain Kuntu in detail with a more modern example provided by the hip-hop artist Tupac Shakur.
It is generally accepted today in the hip-hop community that Tupac “2Pac” Shakur (1971-1996) and Christopher “Notorious B.I.G” Wallace (1972-1997) were the two biggest and greatest rap artist of all time. It is also generally accepted that while Christopher Wallace was a better lyricist, Tupac was a better rapper. What made Tupac so great was that when he rapped (rhymed) his songs, his feelings were evident. Whatever emotions he experienced (anger, saddness, joy) as he spoke, were also experienced When he was rapping and he was feeling angry, sad or happy you felt the same as he did. In the book Holler If You Hear Me: Searching For Tupac Shakur Michael Eric Dyson said that Tupac “articulated his pain like a sermon to our souls.” His emotions poured through the speakers and his listeners really connected with him on an emotional level as well. This is Kuntu. Jahn points out that “[Rhythmic poetry] is the architecture of being, the inner dynamic that gives it form, the pure expression of the life force. It turns all concrete things into the spirit. In the degree to which rhythm is seriously embodied, it illuminates the spirit.” This is what Tupac achieved, using the the power of the Word (Nommo) to bring out Kuntu by combining rhythm and poetry.
In Bantu philosophy (and most African philosophy) art is not a thing itself but rather an action or activity. This is what Forms are, art, Kuntu. They exist but without Muntu to bring them forth they do not exist. Forms are the art in action of the martial artist. They have a pattern and rhythm that allows the practitioner to connect to the spirit. It is that rhythmic pattern that brings Kuntu out in Forms. Every Form or kata has a certain timing that goes along with its flow. Kuntu is complete when this is put into action. Through breathing, timing and rhythm Kuntu is brought forth. The Forms still to this day is a form of moving meditation that a person uses to access the spirt world with the power of the Word (Nommo). Nommo, the Word that creative force that we were taught that was used in the beginning to create all life in the universe. That was spoken by the Creator (God) to bring forth the world we have today. That procreative component that is activated with rhythm, the Kuntu of the Nommo.
Grandmaster Albert Cheeks taught me years ago that one can go into trance once mastery of a Form was achieved. Only recently have I experienced the trance like state while preforming one of my Forms. A martial artist will learn over 20 different Forms in their lifetime but out of all the Forms they learn, only three will be their main ones. This is what Ki Whang Kim taught us. When one finds their Forms, those Forms will resonate with them and their aura will connect with the universe. Their heart rate will increase; energy levels will rise; and they will be overwhelmed by their emotions as they walk through of the Form. Once the pattern has been memorized and one is no longer thinking about the movements, for a brief moment they will be standing and watching themselves performing the Form. For a brief moment one will start and without realizing it find themselves at the end of the Form. This has been my experience after learning Sa Bang Kwon. This is moving meditation.
When people talk about martial arts we usually hear it being described as “physical, mental and spiritual,” but when asked what is meant by spiritual many people cannot explain that part. In the West (America, Europe, etc.) the spiritual aspect of the martial arts is left out and more attention is placed on the physical. We tend to forget that the whole purpose of learning martial arts is not just to learn self-defense but also to learn to become a better person. We learned from the Bantu that the physical does not exist without the spiritual. Our Forms nurish and help develop our spiritual cultivation. When performed outside we connect with the energy from the sun, the trees, the grass or the river and use that energy combined with our aura for ones spiritual cultivation. A sense of calmness comes over oneself as the Forms allow the negative energy to flow out of you as it is replaced with positive energy. You began to feel one with the trees, the soil, the sun and universe as a whole after tapping into the void through your Form.
We use Forms to help develop our techniques as well as our spirit. Forms that are physiologically sound are best suited for spiritual development. These Forms have been passed down from generation to generation. The fact that they started out as yoga movements for meditation has not been lost among some but have been for most of the people who practice the art only concerned with the fighting aspect of the art. With the misunderstanding or mistranslation of the Chinese character that meant emptiness, as in void and not empty hand, has led to the robotic like and mathematically precise Forms and unsound physiological Forms that we see today which does not allow one to connect to the spiritual realm. But once one realizes that we are practicing for spiritual cultivation as well it is then that the flow and fluidity of the Form can come forth, Kuntu is manifested. The art in martial arts is brought to life. Its energy is felt and used to connect with the void. A new person is the result that is achieved after long term training with this mindset.
Works Cited
Jahn, Janheinz. Muntu; an Outline of the New African Culture. New York: Grove, 1961. Print.
Worlds Karate Legend Morio Higaonna. Adeyto. Adeyto Industries, 2012.
Heshiki, Zenko. "Karate, by Zenko Heshiki." Karate, by Zenko Heshiki. Web. 20 Mar. 2016.
Journeys in Japan: Okinawa The Land of Karate. William Reed. 2014
Dyson, Michael Eric. Holler If You Hear Me: Searching for Tupac Shakur. New York: Basic Civitas, 2001. Print.
Gabelhouse, Gary. "Kata As An Esoteric Practice." Kata As An Esoteric Practice. Web. 20 Mar. 2016.
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