Kūsankū (クーサンクー) or Kōshōkun (公相君) was a Chinese martial artist who is said to have visited Okinawa during the Ryukyu Kingdom in the mid-18th century.[1] He performed a martial art called kumiai-jutsu (組合術) in Ryukyu, which is believed to have contributed to the later development of karate.
Kusanku | |
---|---|
Born | unknown Qing China |
Died | unknown |
Other names | Kōshōkun |
Style | Kumiai-jutsu |
According to "Ōshima Records" (大島筆記, 1762) by Yoshihiro Tobe, on April 26, 1762 (lunar calendar), a ship carrying Ryukyuan envoys set sail for Satsuma (present Kagoshima Prefecture). On the way, however, it was caught in a storm and drifted ashore on Ōshima, a small island in Tosa (present Kochi Prefecture). The crew consisted of 52 people, including Shiohira Pēchin Seisei (潮平親雲上盛成).
The book, "Ōshima Records," is a record of interviews conducted by Tōbe Yoshihiro, a Confucian scholar of the Tosa Domain, with the crew members, and contains a detailed description of the domestic situation in Ryukyū in the mid-18th century, including descriptions of Kūsankū and Kumiai-jutsu (literally, the art of grappling).
The book describes a recent visit to Ryukyu by a Chinese martial arts master named Kōshōkun, who demonstrated a martial art called kumiai-jutsu. The "recent" refers to the year 1756, when the Qing Dynasty's envoy visited Ryukyu, and it is commonly believed that Kōshōkun may have been a military officer on this envoy's mission. Kūsankū is the Okinawan dialect for Kōshōkun.
There is no mention anywhere of a relationship with karate or his teaching of kumiai-jutsu to the people of Ryukyu, but this book has been repeatedly mentioned in connection with karate because it is one of the few references to bare-knuckle martial arts in the Ryukyu Kingdom period.
According to Tobe, "Kōshōkun" is a title in praise of the man and not his real name. Hence, the identity of Kōshōkun is unknown, although various guesses have been made to this day.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ec/Young_karateka_performing_K%C5%ABsank%C5%AB-sh%C5%8D_%28Karate_kata%29.jpg/220px-Young_karateka_performing_K%C5%ABsank%C5%AB-sh%C5%8D_%28Karate_kata%29.jpg)
The karate kata "Kūsankū" is said to be a kata taught by Kōshōkun, but there are no primary historical documents to prove this.
References
edit- ^ Miyamoto, Tsuneichi; Haraguchi, Torao; Higa, Shunchō, eds. (1968). 日本庶民生活史料集成 [Collection of Historical Documents on the Life of the Japanese Common People]. Vol. 1. San'ichi Shobō. p. 345.