All katas in all systems should never start with the same ready stance (kamae) or fixed posture at the beginning of each form. The tell a story mudra theory was believed created by Chinese Si Jou (Great Grandmaster) Yueh Fei (1135) and were handed down through intervening times to China, India, Okinawa and Japan combative and/or martial artists (Jan, Tsun I, Tang, Hsiang, Sakugawa, Matsumura, Peichin, Azato Itosu Matsumora Motobu, Funakoshi, Konishi Gima, Obata, etc.) The mudra code of body postures and hand movements (gestures) for martial arts has an apparent likeness to the mudras/hand gestures of Shaolin-Her Chang, Hokkien-Hop Chiong, Mudras of esoteric Buddhism, Indian Yoga asanas and Eastern indian warlike dance scriptures. Listed below are the mudra codes of body postures and hand movements for the Okinawan Shuri-Ryu system:

Wunsu - Both hands open palms facing forward fingers touching (left hand on top of right hand) in front of chest. (I bring no evil and bear no weapons.)

Anaku - Both hands open palms facing back fingers touching (left hand on top of right hand) in front of chest. (A reflection of self and the desire to rise above ideals and discipline oneself by good thoughts, words and deeds.)

Naihanchi - Both hands open palms facing down fingers touching in front of body. (Bring all forces of earth into your body and obtain peace, tranquility and ultimate reality.)

Sanchin - Both hands open palms up fingers touching in front of chest. Slowly turn both hands over palms down fingers touching and slowly lower both hands straight down to a lower stomach level. (Completion of a life cycle and return to source (womb) life starts again.)

Empi Sho - One hand open one hand clenched by left side of the body. The spiritual (left hand covers the physical (right) hand. (I will uphold universal spiritualization (rnoral and spiritual uprightness) through adherence to all laws, Justice, charity and honesty.)

Bassai Dai - One hand open one hand clenched (left hand on top of right hand) in front of body. (Strong convictions in the intrinsic goodness of all mankind and the affirmative nature of life and in the values of love, charity, faith and loyalty.)

Go Pei Sho - Both hands open palms facing up approximately two (2) feet apart in front of the body. Slowly turn both open hands palms down fingers touching to the stomach level. Place the left hand below the right hand. (Do away with dualism and confusion and allow only immovable serenity to prevail.)

Dan Enn Sho - Both hands open palms facing each other I extending approximately two (2) feet apart in front of the body. (The white crane spreading its wings - the open arms represent patience and tranquility and the hands reach out for divine force in order to obtain reality and self liberation.)

Nan Dan Sho - Circle both arms over and around the head. Both open hands meet (palms up) in front of chest. Bring both hands palms up touching the chest. (Gathering of all forces and energies from earth and bringing them into the body. When the body returns to earth - give back to the earth the body, mind, spirit and all energies and forces taken from earth.)

Kan Ku Sho - Both hands clenched approximately one (1) inch apart in front of the body. (The perfect balance of yin and yang (hsiangs) deals with complete understanding of all life force and the law that governs the nature of all things-dual inseparable parts (male / female, absolute / relative, pleasure / pain, cause / effect, mind / body etc.) can not exist without the other.

Ten Sho - Both hands open palms facing down fingers touching in front of the body. Slowly turn both hands over keeping the fingers touching. Both open hands should now be palms up held close to the chest. Slowly bring the hands around fully with open arms extended approximately one (1) yard apart. Hands, arms and eyes gazing at the sky. (Harmony is peace - one with the universe.)