Seisan

The name Seisan means '13' but it is often understood as '13 Hands'. '13' in isolation is connected to good luck and prosperity in China which may account for the naming of the form, though another explanation is that the figure refers to the number of non-repeating techniques found in the original (this kata is not only found in Goju ryu karate but several other styles as well, including Shotokan in which it is named Hangetsu).

This kata is however believed to be one of the four originals brought back directly from Fuzhou by Kanryo Higaonna after learning it from his teacher Ryu Ryu Ko. However, a different version existed in Okinawa prior to this as it is known that Seisho Aragaki (an early instructor of Master Higaonna) was teaching this form as early as 1867. It is believed that the different versions trace their lineage back to the Yong Chun White Crane kung fu style. Some have detected a Hsing I influence. This form (also known as Sesan) is the primary kata that author Nathan Johnson argues in The Great Karate Myth is intended to be a sai form, but performed without the weapons. This is supposedly more apparent in the Uechi ryu version.

Master Morio Higaonna performing Seisan