This Kata was originally made by Sensei Anko Itosu and initiated to Sensei Kenwa Mabuni. The origin of the name Kokosun came from a name of military officer of China, Kusanku, who introduced the... more »
Shito Ryu Karate-do is probably the most popular form in West Japan. It was founded by Kenwa Mabuni who studied under Yasutsune Itosu. Mabuni also later studied under Kanryo Higashionna and later named his style of karate the Shito style, taking the first characters of each of his teacher’s names. ‘Shi’ is the one... 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. The rhythm of the kata is dynamic, it is characterized by slow, deliberate movements interspersed... more »
Sokon Matsumura (1809 – 1899) was one of the well-known original karateka of Okinawa. He studied Chuan Fa (Kempo in Japanese) in China as well as other martial arts and brought what he learned back to Okinawa, where he taught a select few students and became a well-known master. He was appointed instructor and... more »
Suparinpei is a very long and complex Kata. You can find this form in Shito Ryu and Goju Ryu syllabus. The kanji traditionally used for Suparinpei mean “108 hands”. This kata utilizes many techniques and contains a great number of applications. Suparinpei not only contains many of the techniques from earlier kata but also... more »
Tensho was originally created by Chojun Miyagi. “Tensho” means rolling or fluid hand, literally translated as “rotating palms”. Tensho is the soft and circular (yin) counterpart to the hard and linear (yang) Sanchin kata. Tensho is a basic illustration of the definition of Karate, derived from Chinese kempo, as a technique of circles based... 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 »
Wankan (“King’s Crown” or “Emperor’s Crown”) (also called Okan) is a Karate kata practiced in many styles of Karate. Not much is known about the history of this kata. It originates from the Tomari-te school and in modern karate is practiced in Shito Ryu, Shorin-ryu, Shotokan, Genseiryu and Matsubayashi-ryu. Wankan is often considered an... more »
Wanshu is also the Okinawan-adapted name of Sappushi [Jp. ‘diplomat’] ‘Wang Ji’ (1621-1689), the leader of a large ambassadorial mission from China sent by the Qing government to the village of Tomari, Okinawa in 1683. A poet, calligrapher, diplomat, and martial artist in the Shaolin tradition of Fujian White Crane, he is often credited... more »
The Kata Yantsu originates with Motobu-ha Shito ryu. The name “Yantsu” or “Yansu” is derived from the characters Yan, meaning safe, and Su, meaning three. The name is attributed to that of a Chinese military attaché to Okinawa in the 19th Century. The word yansu also means to keep pure, striving to maintain the purity of principles and ideals... more »
Yoshinao Nanbu Doshu-Soke is the founder of the system of martial arts known as Nanbudo. He was born in 1943 in Kobe (Japan), in the Nanbu family, a traditional bushi (samurai) family from the Iwate Prefecture on Northern Honshū. He grew up in a milieu where martial arts were greatly respected. Growing up in... more »