Chintō (鎮東) (In

Shotokan is a style of karate, developed from various martial arts by Gichin Funakoshi (1868–1957) and his son Gigo (Yoshitaka) Funakoshi (1906–1945). Gichin Funakoshi was born in Okinawa and is widely credited with popularizing "karate do" thro ...

, Gankaku (岩鶴)) is an advanced

kata ''Kata'' is a Japanese word ( 型 or 形) meaning "form". It refers to a detailed choreographed pattern of martial arts movements. It can also be reviewed within groups and in unison when training. It is practiced in Japanese martial arts ...

practiced in many styles of

karate (; ; Okinawan language, Okinawan pronunciation: ), also , is a martial arts, martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the Okinawan martial arts, indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tī'' in Okinawan) un ...

. According to legend, it is named after a stranded Chinese sailor (or pirate), sometimes referred to as Annan, whose ship crashed on the

Okinawa most commonly refers to: * Okinawa Prefecture, Japan's southernmost prefecture * Okinawa Island, the largest island of Okinawa Prefecture * Okinawa Islands, an island group including Okinawa itself * Okinawa (city), the second largest city in th ...

n coast. To survive, Chintō kept stealing from the crops of the local people. Matsumura Sōkon, a Karate master and chief bodyguard to the Ryūkyūan king, was sent to defeat Chintō. In the ensuing fight; however, Matsumura found himself equally matched by the stranger, and consequently sought to learn his techniques. Its understood the kata ''Chintō'' was well known to the early

Tomari-te Okinawan martial arts refers to the martial arts, such as karate, tegumi and kobudō, which originated among the indigenous people of Okinawa Island. Due to its location (between " Mainland Japan" and Taiwan), Okinawa was influenced by various c ...

and

Shuri-te Okinawan martial arts refers to the martial arts, such as karate, tegumi and Okinawan kobudō, kobudō, which originated among the indigenous people of Okinawa Island. Due to its location (between "Mainland Japan" and Taiwan), Okinawa was influenc ...

schools of karate. Matsumura Sōkon was an early practitioner of the Shuri-te style. When

Gichin Funakoshi was the founder of Shotokan karate. He is known as a "father of modern karate". Following the teachings of Anko Itosu and Anko Asato,Funakoshi, Gichin (1981). ''Karate-Do: My Way of Life'', Kodansha International Ltd. . he was one of the Okin ...

brought karate to Japan, he renamed ''Chintō'' (meaning approximately "fighter to the east") to ''Gankaku'' (meaning "crane on a rock"), possibly to avoid anti-Chinese sentiment of the time. He also included the use of high side kicks (yoko keri keage) instead of the original front kicks (mae- geri keage) and modified the actual pattern of movement, or ''embusen'', to a more linear layout, similar to the other Shotokan kata. It is sometimes said that Chintō should be performed while facing eastwards due to its name, however, this could equally be a reference to its origins and the legend of Sōkon and Chintō. The kata is very dynamic, employing a diverse number of stances (including the uncommon crane stance), unusual strikes of rapidly varying height, and a rare one-footed pivot. Today, ''Chintō'' is practiced in many karate styles like: Isshin-ryū, Wado-ryū, Shūkōkai, Isshin Kempo, Chitō-ryū, Shōrin-ryū,

Shitō-ryū is a form of karate that was founded in 1934 by . Shitō-ryū is synthesis of the Okinawan Shuri-te and Naha-te schools of karate and today is considered one of the four main styles of the art. History Kenwa Mabuni (Mabuni Kenwa 摩文� ...

, Okinawa Kenpo,

, Koei-Kan, Gensei-ryū, Goshin Kagen Goju Matsubayashi-ryū, Bushikan-Ryu Karate, and Yōshūkai. Chinto is also practiced in

Tang Soo Do Tang Soo Do (; ) is a Korean martial arts, Korean martial art based on karate which can include fighting principles from taekkyeon, subak, as well as northern Chinese martial arts. From its beginnings in 1944 to today, Tang Soo Do is used by ...

Soo Bahk Do Soo Bahk Do (수박도) is a martial art founded by Kwan Jang Nim Hwang Kee, and now is taught by Kwan Jang Nim Hwang Hyun-chul, Hwang Hyun Chul, known as H.C. Hwang, and instructors who are certified by member organizations of the World Moo Duk ...

where it’s known as ''Jin Do'' or ''Jin Tae''.

References

*Redmond, R. Kata: The Folk Dances of Shotokan, 2006 )

External links

Akari-ki Karate: ChintoIsshin-ryu chinto kata page
Karate kata {{karate-stub