Kanbun Uechi studied
Southern Chinese kung fu and later would refer to the style as Pangai-noon (
traditional Chinese characters: ) meaning "half-hard, half-soft". In the late 19th century and early 20th century Kanbun Uechi trained under a teacher and
Chinese medicine hawker known in Japanese as Shū Shiwa (Chinese:
Zhou Zihe 1874–1926). Shū Shiwa/Zhou Zihe's life is not well documented. Some have suspected without conclusive evidence that he had
connection with the
secret societies which worked for the
overthrow of the
Qing dynasty and the restoration of
Ming dynasty. Research by the Fuzhou
Wushu Association reported in 1984 revealed that he was born in the
Zhitian Village (直田村) in 1874 to family wealthy enough to have him educated in letters and fighting arts which included weapons and Tiger Fist
Kung Fu or Huzunquan (虎尊拳, Fujian Tiger Boxing). The exact provenance of the
romanization "Pangai-noon" is not clear, and it may be from the lesser-known
Min Chinese language. It is not a Japanese,
Okinawan, nor Mandarin Chinese pronunciation of the original characters. The standard Japanese pronunciation of the three
characters is
han kō nan (はんこうなん), while the
standard Mandarin pronunciation is bàn yìng ruǎn. The
Cantonese language pronunciation is
bun ngaang yun. In modern times, the
katakana version of
pangainoon (パンガイヌーン・
pangainūn) has been used in
Japanese writing rather than the
kanji (半硬軟). While the Fuzhou Wushu Association confirmed the meaning of "half-hard, half-soft" in interviews in 2012, in 1934, Kanbun Uechi explained to
Kenwa Mabuni when asked about the meaning of "Pangai-noon" that it referred to the rapid speed of the
kata. After studying about 10 years under Shū Shiwa/Zhou Zihe, Kanbun Uechi opened his own school in
Nanjing in 1906, and he continued periodic training under Zhou Zihe for a total of 13 years. As word spread from Go Kenki that Kanbun Uechi was a skilled martial arts teacher, he received requests to teach but refused. While he was working as a security guard for a local cotton spinning mill, he was persuaded by a co-worker, Ryuyu Tomoyose, to teach him privately. After two years of private lessons, Ryuyu Tomoyose and about 30 other men interested in learning convinced Kanbun Uechi to resume teaching. He taught in small rooms in the company dormitory before work, during lunchtime, and after work until 1932 when he opened a general store and the "Pangai-noon Ryu Karate Academy" (半硬軟流唐手術) to the general public. In 1940, he and his students, including his son Kanei, renamed the system "Uechi-Ryū Karate-Jutsu" (上地流空手術) in his honor. Kanbun Uechi's son, Kanei Uechi, taught the style at the
Futenma City Dojo, Okinawa, and was considered the first Okinawan to sanction teaching
foreigners. One of Kanei's students, Ryuko Tomoyose, son of Ryuyu Tomoyose, taught a young American serviceman named
George Mattson who authored several books on the subject and is largely responsible for popularizing the style in America. Uechi-Ryū emphasizes toughness of body with quick blows and kicks. Some of the more distinctive weapons of Uechi practitioners are the one-knuckle punch , spearhand , and the front kick delivered with the first toe (
sokusen geri). On account of this emphasis on simplicity, stability, and a combination of linear and circular movements, proponents claim the style is more practical for
self-defense than most other martial arts. In contrast to the more linear styles of karate based on Okinawan
Shuri te or
Tomari-te, Uechi-Ryū's connection with Chinese
Shorin-ken means the former shares a similar foundation with
Naha-te (and thus with
Gōjū-Ryū) despite their separate development. Thus, Uechi-Ryū is also heavily influenced by the circular motions which belong to the
kung fu from Fujian province. Uechi-Ryū is principally based on the movements of three animals: the
Tiger, the
Dragon, and the
Crane. == Kata ==