I have read many times that folks think that Itosu sensei created the Pinan kata to water down karate for mass consumption in the Okinawan middle school system.

If the Pinans are watered down karate, the "real" thing must have been unbelievably brutal.

I think that an alternative view of the Pinans, and one I find more valid is that Itosu was putting the best techniques of the Shuri-te and Tomari-te systems into five easy to remember forms. If the rule that Funakoshi put forth of: three years for one kata, it could take many years to master all of the forms in one system let alone traveling around to learn all of the variations and all of the different kata on Okinawa. The Pinans are sort of a "Readers Digest" version of kata, or as I put it in the title: Itosu's greatest hits.

The opening moves in particular are each one, nearly a fighting system unto themselves. Consider:

Pinan Shodan (Heian Nidan) The first move should be applicable to nearly any mid to high level attack coming from either hand from the front or from the side. The second move can be either an elbow break or an elbow lock, an inside shuto to the neck with a simultaneous cut punch to the floating ribs, etc.; the third move can be a throw, a strike to the side of the neck/jaw/side of the head, etc. We have come up with over thirty applications of the three opening moves.

Pinan Nidan (Heian Shodan) the "hammer strike first move is a short course in breaking wrist holds, combination elbow-hand strikes, pressure point strikes (forearm, juncture of biceps and delts, point of shoulder, collar bone, below collar bone, etc. It can also be a neat-o deflection block: punch coming at body or head, step forward, arm comes back, elbow comes up, fist to the rear, pushing punch to the outside as the "hammer strike" is chambered past the head.

Pinan Sandan: Here's one I'm sure the pressure point guys love: step in, "outside block"/strike to PP on inside of upper arm, under bicep. Step forward and double strike first to quadrants 1 and 4 and then 2 and 3 hitting pressure points of choice. From what I've been told, if you hit the right spots, the guy falls dead after the second double strike.

Pinan Yondan: Catch the incoming punch at the wrist, activate the pressure points while hitting ST-9 with a shuto. there is a "stacking" move implicit after the double block moves that indicates a neck break.

Pinan Godan: Activate pressure points on enemies foot (cat stance) "outside block" to inner arm, punch to floating ribs, grab head and snap neck (the side punch)

Now tell me, are these "sanitized" movements?

Oy, how bad the "real" stuff must have been.