The history of Jitte (ten hands) is very clouded, but most agree that the kata developed in Tomari, but probably originated in China. The kata has very moves, associated with defence against a staff. These unusual kata moves seem to have been mixed with the more traditional shotokan karate moves, ie, age-uke (upper rising block),... more »
Ji’in, Jion, and Jitte form a group of kata used in Shotokan and other karate styles, beginning with the same characteristic kamae of the left hand covering the right, which apparently has roots in ancient Chinese boxing. Their origin is thought to be from the Tomari-te school. Ji’in (translated: “Temple grounds”) is important for the execution... more »
The kama is a traditional farming sickle, and considered one of the hardest to learn due to the inherent danger in practicing with such a weapon. The point at which the blade and handle join in the “weapon” model normally has a nook with which a bo can be trapped, although this joint proved... more »
Kanku Dai is one of the most important kata in the Shotokan Karate Syllabus. This is, despite being an advanced kata, quite basic, but is a very long kata. Under the WKF rules, this is one of the Shitei kata alongside Jion, and is fundamentally both challenging and enjoyable to perform. This kata is famous... more »
Kanku Sho, which translates to mean ‘To view the sky minor’, was created by Master Itosu, and was developed using Kanku Dai as the basis. There are fundamental similarities in the kata, one being the physical looking to the sky. In Dai, in the opening sequences, your hands elevate, and so does your head, with... more »
Ko-Bu Nunchaku is the first nunchaku kata that you learn in Okinawan Kobudo. It is a a kihon kata, based on basic exercises. For that reason, the practice of Ko-Bu Nunchaku gives you the fundamentals of Okinawan Nunchaku handling... more »
The Kuwa is one of the many Okinawan weapons, based on a hoe, a tool common in all agrarian societies; in Okinawa, the kuwa has been also used as a weapon for as long as there have been farmers. Compared to garden-variety hoes, the handle tends to be thicker and usually shorter, both due... more »
The Rōhai kata are a family of kata practiced in some styles of karate. The name translates approximately to “vision of a Crane” or “vision of a heron”. The kata originated from the Tomari-te school of Okinawan martial arts. It was called Matsumora Rōhai, after Kosaku Matsumora, who was presumably its inventor. Ankō Itosu... more »
Nijushiho, was apparently created by Anikichi Aragaki, and is a very popular kata. The kata name is translated to mean ‘twenty four steps’, and the simplicity and ambiguity of the name has been a topic of much debate. Kata such as Sochin have a translation that perfectly highlights the attitude and feeling of the... more »
An Introduction to Okinawan Kyusho and Kiko This video covers the basic theories for bunkai using the basic techniques (kihon-waza) found in the Classical (Seito) Kata as examples. It also covers how these theories relate to the form of vital point fighting called kyusho-jutsu or chibudi [tsubo-te]. These are the so-called “hidden techniques” (kakushi-te... more »
Sōchin (Japanese: “Tranquil Force”) is a kata practiced in several styles of karate. It may have derived from Dragon style, and was taught in the Naha-te school in Okinawa by Seishō Aragaki. It was then passed down to Shitō-ryū. Later, a variation of it was introduced into Shotokan by Gichin Funakoshi’s son, Yoshitaka. The... more »
Tekki nidan, literally “horse riding level two”, is the second of a series of three Tekki kata practiced in many styles of karate. The other two kata in the series are tekki Shodan and Tekki Sandan. The series of Tekki kata were derived from the older, original Nifanchin kata. Nifanchin was brought to Okinawa via Fuzhou, China, at some point in the... more »
Tekki Sandan, the most advanced in the Tekki Series, is the most complex and difficult to master. However, once the fundamental elements have been perfected in the previous kata such as maintaining correct posture, and the development of a strong and rooted dachi, attention can be paid to the complicated hand and arm movements. This is in... more »
Tekki shodan, originally a Shuri-te kata, places much emphasis on deep rooting. To maintain a strong kiba-dachi, with accurate posture and to avoid bobbing up-and-down requires much lower body strength, and this kata, as with all of the Tekki Kata are renown for their effective development of the ‘Hara’ (Located three fingertips below the... more »
Unsu, literally “cloud hands”, is an advanced kata found in Shotokan and Shito-Ryu karate styles. It contains many intricate hand techniques, such as the ippon nukite (one finger strike) in the opening sequence. Unsu also contains a 360 degree spinning double kick with a double leg take down at the same time, landing on... more »