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 »
Kyan No Sai is taught as the third Sai kata in the Isshin Ryu. This form comes either from Shimabuku’s studies of Sai methodology with Kyan, his primary karate instructor, or was possibly a form taught in its entirety. Shimabuku was teaching this kata in 1951 but by 1958 he had dropped in favor of Kosunku... more »
Matsumura no Rohai was once called Kuan Muan (“Crane Dreams or Visions”). This kata’s name is composed of two kanji. The first is rock, and the second is crane (a stork). The common interpretation is a crane standing upon a rock, but it could also be taken to simply imply a species of crane or... 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 »
Myojo which was a private kata of Kenwa Mabuni Sensei, the founder of Shito-Ryu Karate-Do. The word Myojo can be interpreted to mean “morning star” however, the Kata derived its name from the name of the Japanese High School where Kenwa Mabuni Sensei attended to teach the students self defence. The Kata contains the... more »
Nage no kata (throwing techniques kata) is a throwing kata in judo. The kata is composed of 3 techniques from each of the five throw groups in judo: hand techniques (te waza), hip techniques (goshi waza), foot techniques (ashi waza), rear sacrifice techniques (ma sutemi waza) and side sacrifice techniques (yoko sutemi waza). Each... more »
Naihanchi (or Naifanchi, Tekki) is a Karate Kata, performed in straddle stance (kiba dachi). It translates to ‘internal divided conflict’. The form makes use of in-fighting techniques and grappling. There are three modern kata derived from this (Shodan, Nidan and Sandan). Some researchers believe Nidan and Sandan were created by Anko Itosu, but others... more »
Naihanchi (or Naifanchi, Tekki) is a Karate Kata, performed in straddle stance (kiba dachi). It translates to ‘internal divided conflict’. The form makes use of in-fighting techniques and grappling. There are three modern kata derived from this (Shodan, Nidan and Sandan). Some researchers believe Nidan and Sandan were created by Anko Itosu, but others... more »
Naihanchi (or Naifanchi, Tekki) is a Karate Kata, performed in straddle stance (kiba dachi). It translates to ‘internal divided conflict’. The form makes use of in-fighting techniques and grappling. There are three modern kata derived from this (Shodan, Nidan and Sandan). Some researchers believe Nidan and Sandan were created by Anko Itosu, but others... more »
Naihanchi also known as “Naifanchi”: this was the original name for the three Tekki kata, but was changed by Funakoshi. This is a lateral kata learned from Chōki Motobu. Wado ryu practices only the first Naihanchi... 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 »
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 »
Niseishi is the Shito Ryu version of Nijushiho, a kata created by Anikichi Aragaki. Niseishi means “24” in Chinese. In Japanese, it translates as Nijushi, the ‘ho’ character (in this case) means ‘move’ and hence Nijushiho translates as ‘24 moves’. The Chinese and Japanese Kanji are identical. Chito-ryu Niseishi is not the same Kata as Niseishi... more »
The name “Niseishi” means “24 steps”. Transmitted by Ankichi Aragaki, this kata is known in Japanese as Nijūshiho. This kata teaches you to move and defend from many angles, and helps teach you coordination. Many use this kata as a tool to highlight the need for total concentration. If you take a student and... more »
Pinan godan is the fifth and last of the five Pinan Katas. This Kata utilizes double-handed techniques demonstrating both complimentary forces and contradicting forces. Additionally, we also see demonstration of other two-handed tactics and elements not already obvious in the previous Pinan katas. The Pinan kata are a series of five empty hand forms taught... more »