Pangai-noon was a style of Southern Chinese kung fu taught by Shu Shi Wa which formed the basis for Uechi-ryū karate. The name Pangai-noon indicates that the art's techniques are half-hard, half-soft,[1] and is derived from the Okinawan pronunciation of the original Chinese.
Shu Shi Wa (1869-1945) was a teacher and medicine hawker in the Fujian province of China.[2] His life is not well documented because of his probable connection with the secret societies which worked for the overthrow of the Ching dynasty and the return of Ming dynasty.[1]
His best-known student was Kanbun Uechi, an Okinawan who was with him from 1897 to 1904. In 1904 when he received his senior instructor grade, Uechi opened a dojo in Nansoye. He continued to visit Shu Shi Wa each year until his return to Okinawa in 1909.[1] Uechi studied with Shu Shi Wa for 13 years.[2]
Pangai-noon technique was based on soft blocks and hard attacks. Uechi learned three Pangai-noon kata: Sanchin, Seisan, and Sanseirui; he did not stay with Shu Shi Wa long enough to learn Supārinpei. Pangai-noon was said to be the fastest of the Chinese styles at that time.[1]
In 1978 a group of Uechi-ryū students (headed by Seiki Itokazu and Takashi Kinjo) broke away from the ryū and formed a style they called Pangai-noon.[1]