Kururunfa is an advanced kata brought back from China. It features Tai Sabaki (evasive maneuvers) and very quick movement.

Kata Kururunfa is one of the original Kata from Ryuruko Sensei taught to him while in Fuzchou in the Fukien Province of China and was handed down to Kanryo Higaonna Sensei and on to Chojun Miyagi. The original creator of this Kata is unknown.

When translated it means;

• Holding your ground.

• Ku [long] ru [hold] run [sudden] fa [break]

• Forever stops

• Peaceful and tearing (tearing & shatter share the same Kanji)

We have also heard it called;

The many movements in Kururunfa include Tai Sabaki or evasive maneuvers and are very quick followed by heavy movements (hard followed by soft) similar to Sesan and a wide variety of other motions (many open hand) both attacking and defending or trapping. Kururunfa also utilizes a combination coordinated with hip movements. Kururunfa teaches exceptional balance and transitions from one stance to another. Its close in hooking blocks and grappling maneuvers are reminiscent of Seipai. This is the second to the highest of all Gojuryu Kata.

1st kanji means "a long length of time".

2nd kanji implies a sense of to remain/stay behind/detain, (eg: inviting a friend over for dinner and not wanting him to leave, wanting him to stay longer). Interestingly, a sense of usage of this 2nd kanji can also be seen in a Wing Chun MA saying "lui lao (lao=2nd kanji in Cantonese) hui soong, lut sao jik chung" (ie: "as my opponent comes in, I receive him; as he leaves, I escort him; upon loss of contact, I charge forward") This idea/concept of "lao" is, I believe, a common one in Chinese MA (eg: TaiChi, Mantis), though it may be expressed/interpreted differently.

3rd kanji is translated as "suddenly", or abruptly.

4th kanji can be "tearing"...the kanji consists of 2 radicals, the left one meaning 'stone' and the right side meaning 'skin' ie implying a sense of destroying, 'tearing' apart, solving a problem, or even a sense of breaking through a Defense.

When we see the 4 kanji for "Kururunfa" I see/speculate a kata suggesting a strategy of a "yin" reception to an attack, a sense of "sucking" the attack in, perhaps to invite an over-extension of the attack, and then suddenly and abruptly, with devastaing effect, destroy the opponent with your own counter.