i came across an article about “shisa kanko” or “pointing and calling”, which is a method used by the railway in japan and other organisation to improve accuracy and avoid mistakes and accidents. watch the video which i’m sure will be fascinating. over and above the beauty of the method and the oh-so-japanese feel it has i was also captivated by elegance and commitment with which it is executed. when the train operator points at a sign in the distance he does not do it casually. first he brings his hand to the side of his head and then points very directly and very deliberately at the object in the distance and finally the elegant gesture ends with a kind of “kime”, a certain focus. i could not avoid drawing parallels between it and shuto uchi (e.g. in heian yondan).
what can this teach us about karate? i’m not really sure. draw your own conclusions, but i hope you find the video as fascinating as i did.
Kanshin Karate club 