The soft side
If Sanchin is the hard side of Goju-ryu, Tensho (転掌) is the soft side. Both are trained in the same stance, sanchin-dachi, and with the same attention to breathing, but Tensho replaces closed fists with open hands that turn, push, pull and cut in continuous circular movements.
Creation
Tensho was created by Chōjun Miyagi, probably in the 1920s, from a Chinese form called Rokkishu, the "six hands". Miyagi organized the open-hand movements into a short, slow kata to complete Sanchin and give the style the balance the name Gōjū promises.
How it is trained
The execution calls for a firm body, as in Sanchin, but relaxed hands and arms so that the circular movements flow. The breath follows each gesture, with nogare, the soft breathing, alternating with ibuki. That is exactly the difficulty of Tensho: keeping the structure while the hands move lightly.
What it teaches
- The open-hand blocks of Goju-ryu: kake uke, hiki uke, mawashi uke.
- Sensitivity in contact, later trained in kakie.
- Breath control at a slow pace.
- The ability to alternate tension and relaxation within one movement.
Tensho is trained at every rank and, with Sanchin, forms the pair of kata that sums up Goju-ryu.
