Hakutsuru

 

Hakutsuru means "white crane fist", and is a kata practised in some Goju Ryu schools, usually taught to a select few students after learning the rest of the kata syllabus. It is a white crane form, and it's true origins are unclear. It is definitely derivative of the Chinese white crane styles, but some versions have a uniquely Okinawan flavour. Gokenki taught these forms in Okinawa, and to others in their travels to China, but is reputed to have taught a different version to different people on any given day, and this has probably added to the confusion and mysticism surrounding the form.