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Uechi-Ryū is principally based on the movements of three animals: the Tiger, the Dragon, and the Crane. Thus, Uechi-Ryū is also heavily influenced by the circular motions which belong to the kung fu from Fujian province. In contrast to the more linear styles of karate based on Okinawan Shuri te or Tomari-te, Uechi-Ryū's connection with Chinese Shorin-ken means the former shares a similar foundation with Naha-te (and thus with Gōjū-Ryū) despite their separate development. On account of this emphasis on simplicity, stability, and a combination of linear and circular movements, proponents claim the style is more practical for self-defense than most other martial arts. Some of the more distinctive weapons of Uechi practitioners are the one-knuckle punch shōken zuki ( 小拳突き, shōken zuki), spearhand nukite ( 貫手突き, nukite), and the front kick shōmen geri ( 正面蹴り, shōmen geri) delivered with the first toe ( sokusen geri). Uechi-Ryū emphasizes toughness of body with quick blows and kicks. One of Kanei's students, Ryuko Tomoyose, son of Ryuyu Tomoyose, taught a young American serviceman named George Mattson who authored several books on the subject and is largely responsible for popularizing the style in America. Kanbun Uechi's son, Kanei Uechi, taught the style at the Futenma City Dojo, Okinawa, and was considered the first Okinawan to sanction teaching foreigners. In 1940, he and his students, including his son Kanei, renamed the system "Uechi-Ryū Karate-Jutsu" (上地流空手術) in his honor. He taught in small rooms in the company dormitory before work, during lunchtime, and after work until 1932 when he opened a general store and the "Pangai-noon Ryu Karate Academy" (半硬軟流唐手術) to the general public. After two years of private lessons, Ryuyu Tomoyose and about 30 other men interested in learning convinced Kanbun Uechi agreed to resume teaching. While he was working as a security guard for a local cotton spinning mill, he was persuaded by a co-worker, Ryuyu Tomoyose, to teach him privately. ĭue to the economic situation in Okinawa, in 1924, at the age of 47, Kanbun Uechi left for Wakayama City, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan to find employment. As word spread from Go Kenki that Kanbun Uechi was a skilled martial arts teacher, he received requests to teach but refused. In 1912, a tea merchant and White Crane Kung Fu master Go Kenki (Wú Xiánguì) who knew him settled in Okinawa. While in Okinawa, Kanbun Uechi did not teach his martial art. Three years later, Kanbun Uechi returned to Okinawa, determined never to teach again because reportedly one of his Chinese students had killed a neighbor with an open-hand technique in a dispute over land irrigation. Īfter studying about 10 years under Shū Shiwa/Zhou Zihe, Kanbun Uechi opened his own school in Nanjing in 1906, and he continued periodic training under Zhou Zihe for a total of 13 years. While the Fuzhou Wushu Association confirmed the meaning of "half-hard, half-soft" in interviews in 2012, in 1934, Kanbun Uechi explained to Kenwa Mabuni when he asked about the meaning of "Pangai-noon" that it referred to the rapid speed of the kata. In modern times, the katakana version of pangainoon (パンガイヌーン) has been used in Japanese writing rather than the kanji (半硬軟).
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The Cantonese language pronunciation is bun ngaang yun.
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The standard Japanese pronunciation of the three characters is han kō nan (はんこうなん), while the standard Mandarin pronunciation is bàn yìng ruǎn. It is not a Japanese, Okinawan nor Mandarin Chinese pronunciation of the original characters. The exact provenance of the romanization "Pangai-noon" is not clear, and it may be from the lesser-known Min Chinese language.