Niseishi Kata

Niseishi.

This kata is practised in several different karate systems including Shukokai, Shito ryu, Wado Ryu, Shorin ryu, Okinawa Hakutsuru Kenpo and Shotokan karate. (In Shotokan the kata is called Nijushiho).

The kata varies slightly between these systems but is most certainly from the same lineage. 

The kata’s origin is thought to be Chinese.

 It was most likely brought to Okinawa by Seisho Arakaki (1840-1918). He also went by the name Arakaki Kamadeunchu. Arakaki was an official of the royal court in Okinawa and travelled to China to act as an interpreter in 1870. He learnt the katas Niseishi, Seisan and Sanseiru from his teacher, the warrior, Wai Shinzan. These kata were all practiced at the Southern Shaolin Temple. He later added the ‘harder’ karate aspects to these Chinese kata and taught them in Okinawa in the Naha district. 
Arakaki was considered to be a rather reclusive character and did not develop his own style of karate. However he taught many of the great masters including: Kenwa Mabuni, the founder of Shito Ryu; Tsuyoshi Chitose, the founder of Chito-Ryu; Gichin Funakoshi of Shotokan, and Kanken Toyama of the Shudokan school.

This probably explains why the kata Niseishi is practiced so widely.

When Funakoshi taught Niseishi kata in Japan, to make it more acceptable to the Japanese, he renamed it as Nijushiho.   The words Nijushiho and Niseishi both translate as “24 Techniques”. Nijushiho contains the Japanese Kanji, ni (2), ju (10), shi (4) and ho (techniques).

Together these characters can be pronounced, Nijushiho  or Niseishi.

This rather uninspiring name for a kata has some intriguing Buddhist symbolism. It is said that it is not simply an interpretation of the number of movements or techniques extant in the kata. Twenty-four is related to 108, which is an auspicious number in Buddhist scriptures. Both 2 and 4 are divisors of the larger number (though 24 isn’t). One hundred and eight refers to the 108 'afflictions' of the soul, which are to be symbolically stricken down in events like Kagamai Baraki (Japanese New Year). However, the kata itself is not a Buddhist exercise - the Buddhist symbolism is only an artefact of its originators, who were most likely Buddhists of one school or another.

So, what  about  the kata itself?   It is thought to originate from one of the Chinese "Dragon" styles. This kata requires you to move and defend from many angles. It contains both circular and linear techniques and requires good balance and coordination. This kata contains sudden contrasts between very slow movements, and explosions of power, giving the kata a distinctive rhythm.. Alternating fast and slow movements. 

The most common of today's versions are derived from Aragaki  (Arakaki) Seisho who lived in Okinawa from the mid-1800s, to the early 1800s . 

The Funakoshi  "Nijushiho" version is a derivative of the Shito-Ryu version, in a similar manner to the pinan kata having been passed to Funakoshi by Mabuni .

Gichin Funakoshi changed the name of the kata from Niseishi to Nijūshiho.  for the Japanese who would accept this much better than a Chinese   or Okinawa reference or  name   
  Both names mean "24 steps." This kata is also practiced in Tang Soo Do  a Korean type of Karate and is called E Sip Sa Bo in Korean.

 Due to its difficulty, this kata is often reserved for advanced black belt level students. Like its Japanese and Okinawian counterparts E Sip Sa Bo also translates to “24 steps.”

Nothing is precisely  known about the origins of this form, other than the supposition that it stems from a  Dragon Style Kung fu of china . The history of this Kung fu system is equally obscure due to the style's practice of passing on its traditions orally, with very little written history. The system probably began in the Shaolin Temple in the 16th or 17th century.  

Niseishi" means "twenty four steps". This is likely to be a reference to the number "24" which holds spiritual significance in Buddhist lore.

Dragon Style Kung fu seeks to emulate the imagined zigzag footwork of dragons. Its strikes are described as having their energy rise up from the feet and legs, as hip rotation guides the force through the fists, into the attack. From this description, we immediately think of the movements like this in Seishan. Kata Seishan's primary influence was Fujian White Crane Kung fu, but it demonstrates what one would first think of from this description of Dragon Style movement.

This type of motion is vaguely suggested in Wado Ryu's Niseishi Kata, but upon examining the forms of Dragon Style Kung fu, the influence becomes more apparent. The Dragon Form is much more dynamic than Niseishi, but it is not difficult to see the similarity of the techniques of the two forms

All of the katas that are named with numbers (Niseishi(24), Seisan(13), Sanshiru (36) and kata from other styles, Suparempai(108), Nipaipo(28), Seipai (18), Gojushiho (54) etc.) were practiced in China and passed to Okinawa in the 19th century and earlier. Historians debate the significance of numbers as kata names. There are several theories, the simplest being that the number was the number of movements in the kata when it was created. Others think that in ancient China, a charting system was created numbering the vital points on the human body and sets of movements were created to attack these points (see the “Bubishi”).

As with most cultural phenomenon in China, there is a definite Buddhist influence on some kata names. In Buddhism, the number 108 has great significance, specifically referring to the 108 defilements . This is reflected with the kata as many of the kata names are factors of 108, i.e. Gojushiho (54), Sanshiru (36), Seipai (18).

Niseishi (Nijushiho) –means 24 moves or 24 steps. The exact origins of the kata are unknown. It is known to have been practiced by Tomari-te. In its varied application of tension and relaxation, and immediate transition from slow application of Kime to rapid execution of consecutive techniques,. The kata affords practice in various grasping and countering techniques, and employs much use of elbow and open hand locks and counters, and demonstrates the use of  unbalancing to gain advantage. It  may have been created by Ankichi Aragaki. Sensei Nakayama tells of being taught this kata by Kenwa Mabuni the founder of the Shito-ryu karate school. Practiced by: Shito Ryu and Wado Ryu. Nijushiho by Shotokan.