Chintō


Chintō is an advanced kata practiced in many styles of karate. According to legend, it is named after a stranded Chinese sailor, sometimes referred to as Annan, whose ship crashed on the Okinawan 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 and Shuri-te schools of karate. Matsumura Sōkon was an early practitioner of the Shuri-te style. When Gichin Funakoshi brought karate to Japan, he renamed Chintō to Gankaku, possibly to avoid anti-Chinese sentiment of the time. He also included the use of high side kicks instead of the original front kicks 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, 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, Okinawa Kenpo, Shotokan, Koei-Kan, Gensei-ryū, Goshin Kagen Goju Matsubayashi-ryū, Bushikan-Ryu Karate, and Yōshūkai. Chinto is also practiced in Tang Soo Do Soo Bahk Do where it’s known as Jin Do or Jin Tae.