Notes: This advanced kata requires slow and explosive moves and you need to know where the emphasis needs to be put.
Bunkai Set One:
Moving to left then again right 45 degrees, three of these moves in beginning of Seienchin, substitute as needed. Leaving your left foot as it is, and altering your body position forty-five degrees to the left, step forward (slide) on your right foot into a deep kiba dachi bringing your hands up to your arm pits, while moving into kiba, execute in unison a morote gedan shotei, let gravity dictate speed, should be crisp, sharp. Once in place with kiba, deep kiba, imperative at this stage to demonstrate that, not ridiculously low. Continue to roll wrist as though holding a small basket ball. Bringing the back of your arms and wrists close together, raise your hands-fingers outstretched (as you do in Shotei), little-fingers sides together, and palms inward-to level of your forehead. From this position clench the fist as you slowly descend and execute a gedan morote, kinda squeezing your fist and arms as you lower them to your sides, as you block a chudan morote tsuki to your body.
Staying in kiba stance after doing double block, execute a right inner knife hand block to opponents reverse punch as left hand becomes your hikite hand. Change made by Soshu Shigeru Oyama here. Inner right knife hand comes to waist. While in kiba with right hand block and left hand back in hikite, right hand inner knife block twist wrist with tensho grab simultaneously striking with left hand spear thrust to opponents solar plexus. Your kime in kiba should be flawless as a Black Belt.
To achieve a state of spiritual unity, begin in heiko dachi, Mokuso in open-toed stance with hands coming together in front of your abdomen and eyes closed. Your left hand must be on the outside. Hopefully at this level of training you know how to forcefully tear the newspaper with your feet, powerful ibuki breathing, hands and arms coming to ready.
You should at this point in your Budo training have an understanding of basic philosophy of your art. Your phase of physical, spiritual, and mental training should be paramount but no where close to ending.
Once again we will refer to sets of Bunkai as we move through this advanced form.
Ichi:
From heiko dachi, leaving your left foot as it is, and altering your body position forty-five degrees to the left, step forward (slide) on your right foot into a deep kiba dachi bringing your hands up to your arm pits, while moving into kiba, execute in unison a morote gedan shotei, let gravity dictate speed, should be crisp, sharp. Once in place with kiba, deep kiba, imperative at this stage to demonstrate that, not ridiculously low. Continue to roll wrist as though holding a small basket ball. Bringing the back of your arms and wrists close together, raise your hands-fingers outstretched (as you do in Shotei), little-fingers sides together, and palms inward-to level of your forehead. From this position clench the fist as you slowly descend and execute a gedan morote, kinda squeezing your fist and arms as you lower them to your sides, as you block a chudan morote tsuki to your body.
Staying in kiba stance after doing double block, execute a right inner knife hand block to opponents reverse punch as left hand becomes your hikite hand. Change made by Soshu Shigeru Oyama here. Inner right knife hand comes to waist. While in kiba with right hand block and left hand back in hikite, right hand inner knife block twist wrist with tensho grab simultaneously striking with left hand spear thrust to opponents solar plexus. Your kime in kiba should be flawless as a Black Belt.
Ni: Repeat Bunkai set one while moving from right kiba to kiba left foot forward.
San: Bunkai set one while moving to right foot kiba.
Comment: Block block strike sequence on all three bunkai.
Shi: Holding last move. Without altering your posture in kiba dachi, spear hand strike to solar plexus, bring left hand to right fist cover right fist with left hand balancing on left leg drawing your right foot into a positing parallel with your left foot, same time covering right fist with left hand with drawing both in unison with your right leg. My interpretation you should look as though you are performing a ushiro keagre, right ushiro elbow with right fist covered by left shotei.
This is set-up for a quick strike to your opponents chudan level, while covering the top of your right fist. Slide your left palm over the top of your right fight as you move into moro ashi dachi. Immediately step back back into right zen, this phase Soshu Shigeru Oyama drilled into us for many decades, leave left hand extended, invert your right fist, and retract it to your armpit. Direct a rising elbow strike to the palm of your left hand, Bring the right elbow to the left hand, don't forget. Kia, strong powerfully while moving into zen stance. This move suggests the proper way to counter an opponent who attempts a middle thrust at you during this action.
Go: Immediately now sliding your right foot to your left foot execute in unison into a 45 degree right ko stance swing both right hand and left hand to perform a re-inforced right middle block left palm reinforcing right inside outside block at wrist. Blocking opponents left thrust. Immediately follow-up with left foot sliding forward into kiba performing low parry against front kick from opponent, immediately followed slide left foot back in second kiba performing gedan barai. These last two moves are very linear. We are setting up for next 45 degree other side sequence on left side.
Roku: Now slide left foot to right foot into left ko stance and repeat Go bukai. Right foot needs to slide setting up next move for uni-uke double block, essentially a knife-hand roundhouse block in kiba dachi.
Nana: You might say here at this juncture you are headed back down the "I" from whence you came. After executing last low left parry in kiba move Roku, bring left foot to right foot, stay low. At this point knees comes together, bent, back straight, bring elbows together. Left arm elbow brushes against right arm elbow. Left arm with palm facing your face, right arm lower with palm facing down. This is the beginning of une-uke double block. Left leg reaches out into deep kiba (straight back) now execute right inside fingers pointing to your rib cage circle down block, left arm in unison comes across your forehead as though grabbing opponents who tried an upper thrust from your side. According to Master Oyama this move allows you to seize his thrusting arm, raise it to your own shoulder and throw him.
Hachi: Repeat Nana by moving in right kiba dachi.
ku: Immediately after throwing opponent over shoulder from right kiba, shift weight to left foot, immediately come up bring left arm/hand to side of right elbow, right arm block re-inforced. This moves serves both as a blow to opponent's face or body and as a block against your opponents upper thrust, into Musubi dachi, followed immediately by explosive strike with uraken to opponents face into moro ashi dachi, kia!
Ju: Remaining in movement of Ku you are now in moro ashi, knees bent, left arm top of hand supporting right elbow, right uraken to face. Now shift weight to left foot cross over with right foot pivot while executing 45 angle chudan uchi uke and gedan barai, into left sanchin. Be sure your angle is 45.
Ichi: Now this next move is somewhat a repeat of the "Go" bunkai rhythm and timing. Bring left hand out extending it (torquing your hips) so as to be your hikite, right hand comes to right armpit, sliding right foot out into kiba dachi, execute a rising punch to opponents jaw while left hand pulls back to cover the solar plexus. So end point you are in kiba, deep, left hand covers solar plexus, right hand under opponents jaw, immediately execute a uraken to face with power kia, followed immediately with a gedan barai sinking in kiba, immediately right foot steps back into a left kiba executing a left gedan barai, deep kibas. This sequence done as movement Go is executed.
Ni: Now coming up from kiba and pulling left foot back, facing linear executing an right elbow strikes in left cat stance, right arm comes up and twists as though you were doing chudan uchi uke, pinky facing inside to your face, chin high, left arm crosses in front fist level with floor. Dropping back into cat stance, sticking buttocks out and executing a rising elbow block from opponents strike to your face. Note here, Advanced Karate shows the elbow block followed by a uraken to opponents face, this has not been carried over into this bunkai, we do not do this.
San: Right foot slides back to cat stance executing left elbow black as depicted in bunkai Ni.
Shi: Now your in left foot crosses in front of you pivoting into right sanchin dachi executing double block, chudan uchi uke gedan barai.
Go: Left foot slides into bringing right arm across in front of your body acting as hikite, left fist comes to left armpit execute bunkai sequence as stated in bunkai "ichi".
Roku: Now come up to cat stance sliding right foot back execute bunkai "ni" left jodan elbow block.
Nana: Slide left foot back to cat stance executing right jodan elbow block following "ni" bunkai description.
Hachi: From left cat stance after sticking buttocks out and executing right jodan elbow block, bring right hand back to back of your head, left hand comes under your left armpit (hikite) step quickly as you move into moro ashi dachi striking with uraken to your opponents face.
Ku: Jump back into ko stance executing the arm movement from first three moves in this form, or from shotei movement coming back dropping both elbows, little fingers once again at the sides of your hands. Double block descending down to middle area with hands splaying out as though blocking a grab made by opponents using both hands. Should be in deep ko, back straight, 70-30, sit in bucket, eyes straight.
Ju: Norae right foot to left back to masubi dachi, hands clasped left hand inside right hand palm, eyes open, Norae Yasume left foot moves back to heiko dachi.