Seipai
(“Eighteen Hands”) is derived from 6 x 3 = the 6 represents color, voice, taste, smell, touch, and justice the same as the second 6 of Sanseru.
The 3 represent good, bad, and peace.
*Please note that this may not be the ‘exact’ theory of how Seipai was created. There are numerous different theories and this is one suggestion out of many.
The name Seipai originates is from ‘18 (Seipai) Rakan-Te’. The kata consists of 18 basic hand techniques of the 18 Rakan-Ken of Nan-Pa (Ha) Shorin-Ken. It is the 18 hands of basics from Tsuki, Keri and Uke (punch, kick and block).
Rakan is a saint whose worldly passions attain a higher perception of life. Gautama (Sakyamuni) appointed the names of 18 saints and they reached the stage of Arakan.
After Seipai, Sanseiru ( 36 hands) and Suparimpei (108 hands) were created. The two katas were created as a reverse, opposite and throw technique variations of Seipai. This is why the numbers of Sanseiru and Suparimpei are multiples of 18. It is interesting that in Japanese, 18-ban (read as ‘Ohako’) can mean favorite and Seipai was Sensei’s Miyagi’s favorite Kata. Seipai includes ‘Gyaku-Waza’ and ‘Nage-Waza’ with sekkin-sen (close distance fighting). Seipai has particular Goju movements called ‘En’ which means that all the movements are circular. Seipai has a variety of ‘Atemi-Waza’, ‘Gyaku-Waza’ and
‘Nage-Waza’. There is a good balance of techniques and energetic motion, and therefore it is a difficult kata to perform.
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