Sanchin is the fundamental form of the Naha-te styles. My cousins learned it in Uechi Ryu and I recently was talking with another Uechi-ryu 5th dan, and we were discussing the point of the form. While he was aware of the widespread use of the form in styles like Goju-ryu, he did not know about its chinese roots in white crane / whooping crane. Many of the ‘hakkutsuru’ movements that we associate with the crane had their start there as well. As luck (and youtube) would have it, I found a whooping crane Sanchin / Samchien video:(Please click through to watch)
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But then I found something even better – a group of masters putting on a comparative demonstration, including some of the greatest masters of Okinawa:
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Readers of Classical Fighting Arts Magazine – keep an eye out for Morio Higaona and Shinyu Gushi.
Thanks for posting these great videos. Yes indeed, Sanchin/Sam Chien is a fundamental form in many of the Chinese arts coming from Fujian Province, China, in particular. You can also see this form in many of the styles that are attributed to the Hakka people of China as well. Sam Bo Gin, the fundamental form in Southern Praying Mantis Kung Fu is yet another version of Sanchin. I have trained with Shinyu Gushi on a number of occasions, and his version of Uechi-Ryu style Sanchin is simply awesome. Great post, many thanks.
Thanks for taking the time to comment. It must have been pretty amazing to train with Shinyu Gushi. I’ve seen pictures of him when he was young doing Sanchin with his giri, and he was a monster – huge and ripped. He’s still pretty darn ripped.