Shutō Uke of Old Style

I have written about this story before. While Motobu Chōki was away from home in Osaka, the sōke (Motobu Chōsei) would practice karate in an empty lot with some neighbors from Okinawa. There were many Okinawan people living near his house, and some of them were from the shizoku (samurai class) who practiced karate and Ryūkyū dance. And from one of those people, whose identity the sōke no longer remembers, he learned Pinan. When Motobu Chōki returned home, the sōke thought that he would be praised, so he performed the Pinan, but Motobu Chōki became very displeased and gave him various instructions.

One of those instructions was related to shutō uke (knife hand block), which is included in the Pinan. The shutō uke, which the sōke had learned in the neighborhood, was to hold the front hand slightly bent at the wrist, as is commonly seen today. However, this did not please Motobu Chōki. And in shutō uke’s case, he instructed his son to keep the wrist straight and not bent.

Motobu Chōki said, “The word shutō (手刀) is written as “hand sword.” Is it good for the sword to be bent? Keep your wrist straight!”

Note: Shutō is commonly translated in English as knife hand, but literally it means hand sword.

Of course, he is not discussing the kanji meaning of the word. A sword is essentially used for attack. Perhaps from the principles of Motobu-ryū, shutō uke in kata is not limited to “uke” (受け, block). It could be shuto “uchi” (打ち, strike). Therefore, the wrist should be straight so that it can be used for…