Library › 10. Philosophy › Body tension
Okinawan karate distinguishes several types of body tension. Some terms come from Japanese, some from Okinawan (Uchināguchi), which had no written tradition of its own for technical terms; kanji spellings are therefore often later assignments. The shared basic idea: when the joints are aligned and briefly “locked” at the moment of impact, the body transmits force through bones and tendons more effectively than pure muscle power can. For the physics behind it, see the chapter Physics in karate.
Overview
| Term | Spelling | Language | Short meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kime | 決め | Japanese | Focus, decision; brief full-body tension at the end point of a technique |
| Chinkuchi | 筋骨 (assigned, kinkotsu) | Okinawan | “muscle, tendons, bones”; aligning and locking the joints at the moment of contact |
| Muchimi / Mochimi | 餅身 or 鞭身 (both attested) | Okinawan / Japanese | heavy and sticky like rice cake, or whip-like |
| Gamaku | no fixed kanji | Okinawan | Flank between pelvis and ribs; generating power from this area |
| Shime | 締め | Japanese | Tightening, fastening; held tension, also the testing of posture in Sanchin |
| Kunchi | no fixed kanji | Okinawan | Endurance, power reserve; part of the pair Chin + Kunchi |
Kime (決め)
Kime comes from kimeru (決める, “to decide, to fix”). It means the brief, complete tension of the body at the end point of a technique, combined with exhalation and concentration; immediately afterwards it is released again. In the glossary of this library, Kime stands for “maximum tension with fighting spirit in execution”. In the kata description, the end point is called the Kime point (see Kata).
Chinkuchi (筋骨)
Chinkuchi is an Okinawan term usually linked to 筋骨 (Japanese kinkotsu, “muscles and bones”, also “musculoskeletal system”) and explained as “muscle, tendons, bones”. Morio Higaonna (東恩納盛男) uses it to describe the tension and stability of the joints: when punching or blocking, the joints are fixed for an instant and concentration is directed to the point of contact; the stance is consolidated by fixing ankles, knees and hips and by gripping the floor with the feet. The fast, free movement is briefly arrested on impact, the force is transmitted, then everything is released at once.
Other explanations derive the term from chin (“muscle, tendon”) and kunchi (“endurance, strength”) and write Chinkunchi. Tokashiki Iken describes Chinkuchi as contracting the trapezius, triceps and pectoralis major during the punch with the armpit closed. The explanations differ in detail but agree on the core: brief, coordinated tension of muscles, tendons and joints at the moment of contact.
Muchimi and Mochimi
Muchimi (ムチミ) is the Okinawan pronunciation; Mochimi is used partly as the Japanese reading of the same word, partly as a separate term. Two interpretations of the spelling are common:
- 餅身 (also 餅味) – from mochi (餅, rice cake made from glutinous rice): heavy, soft and sticky. The technique “sticks” to the opponent, heavy and yielding at once; this fits the image of the sticking hands in Kake-Te.
- 鞭身 (also 鞭味) – from muchi (鞭, whip): loose, elastic and whip-like. The power is generated from relaxed movement and only snaps into the target at the very end.
Some authors assign the heavy, sticky quality rather to Gōjū-Ryū (Naha-Te) and the whip-like quality rather to Shōrin-Ryū (Shuri-Te); so does the Glossary of this library (“sticky-rice body” and “whip body”). Others use Muchimi as an umbrella term for both.*
Gamaku
In Okinawan, Gamaku refers to the soft area of the flank between pelvis and ribs. “Using Gamaku” means transmitting power from the pelvis and core through this area into the upper body and arms. The term also comes from classical Ryūkyū dance (Ryūkyū Buyō), in which Gamaku, Chinkuchi and Muchimi are taught as well. There are no fixed kanji.
Shime (締め)
Shime means “tightening, fastening”. It refers to held, inward-directed tension, such as closing the armpits, drawing in the knees in Sanchin-Dachi and pulling the shoulder blades together. In Gōjū-Ryū, Shime also refers to the testing of posture by the teacher during the kata Sanchin.
Muchimi, Kunchi and Chinkuchi as a triad
Some presentations name Muchimi, Kunchi and Chinkuchi as a triad: Muchimi for the heavy, sticking or whip-like movement, Kunchi for endurance and power reserve, Chinkuchi for the brief tension on contact. This triad is found in English-language literature and on Dōjō websites, but is not consistently documented.**
Basic idea: structure instead of muscle power
According to the principle of action and reaction, the same force acts back on one’s own body on impact. If a joint is not aligned, it gives way: part of the force is lost in one’s own body, the contact time lengthens and peak force drops. If the joints are aligned and briefly fixed, however, the force acts along the bones and a larger part of the body mass joins in. The physics is explained on the pages Force and Momentum and impulse.
- Accelerate loosely in the movement, tense briefly on contact, release immediately afterwards.
- Tension is linked to breathing (see Breathing – Ibuki and Nogare).
- Sanchin serves as the basic exercise for posture, joint alignment and held tension (see Sanchin).
* The distinction Muchimi/Mochimi is inconsistent in the sources. Whether these are two terms or two pronunciations of one term, and which kanji were originally meant, is not certain.
** The triad Muchimi – Kunchi – Chinkuchi could not be traced to a reliable primary source; the meaning of Kunchi as a separate type of tension is uncertain.
Sources
- Jesse Enkamp: Chinkuchi – Another Exotic Okinawan Karate Word (with quotes from Morio Higaonna and Tokashiki Iken)
- Ryukyu Martial Arts: Uchinaaguchi Technical Terminology
- Budo Japan: The secrets of Gamaku (karate and Ryūkyū Buyō)
- 「チンクチ」と「ガマク」 (Japanese)
- Morio Higaonna: Traditional Karatedo – Okinawa Goju Ryu, Vol. 1: Fundamental Techniques. Japan Publications, Tokio 1985.
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