Okinawan Family Karate.

[Waxahachie]

Remember Miyagi-Do Karate from Karate Kid?

<--------  Wax on.  Wax off.

Never forget Miyagi-Do.  (I have the t-shirt).

[phoenix]

I agree with Tracy, as soon as someone wins with a kata, the popularity of that kata soars.  Anon became very popular in the late 80's, and early 90's.

[Brandon]

Remember Miyagi-Do Karate from Karate Kid? Maybe there's just something cool and alluring about a secret family style. And if you're underhanded, it gives you the option to make up whatever you want and call it a secret, impossibly powerful style.

[bogirl]

That's a good question. 

Maybe part of it is because they are different from the "standard" kata that everyone's been doing, but not too weird.  They have good solid, classical movements, but a few variations that are unique, adding that air of the exotic.

And then of couse, as soon as someone won a major tourney with Anan or Paiku, then everyone had to jump on board.  I have also competed with Anan (still do), placing many times with it.

[Alcatraz]

When looking at Okinanwan Karate, many students look towards the established systems such as Shorin-ryu and Goju-ryu, or else they look at the 'originator' systems from Naha (such as Shorei-ryu) or Aragaki-ryu from Tomari, or a derivative art such as Isshinryu.

Over the last 10 years or so however I have seen a lot more people refering to Okinawan family systems such as Ryuei-ryu for example.

Because of the nature of my studies, I've been involved with looking at these systems for a lot longer, so my question is;

What has made the family systems so en-vogue today?

Is it simply a case that people are looking for something 'new', and they see the family systems as filling a gap?

I remember about 12 or 13 years ago going to a tournament and performing Paiku and Anan, and the referees looking at me with a blank look on their faces.

Now when I attend a tournament, those Kata are as common as the more established tournament Kata of Unsu, Gojushiho, Nijushiho, Seipai, and Sienchien.

So why have the Okinawan family Ryu-ha become so popular?