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Shotokan KATA (JKA style) The Shotokan Canon of kata is basically comprised of the 26 kata that the instructors who graduated from the JKA's instructor training program were taught by Nakayama and his colleagues. The Shotokai, a large line of followers of Funakoshi, do not endorse all of these kata. They do not practice any kata on the list beyond Jutte. Their kata list comes from Karate-do Kyohan, Funakoshi's master text on Shotokan Karate. As you will read in other parts of this document, the JKA were not exactly closely tied to Funakoshi. They rejected his own creations: Taikyoku and Ten No Kata. Most JKA practitioners have heard of them by way of books, but they are not formally instructed or used in the examination process nor competition arenas. Below I have listed the 26 Canon kata with their common names, as listed in Best Karate and other modern works, on the left. Down the right column, I have listed the Okinawan name that the kata lived under before Funakoshi spent so much energy renaming Karate as well as the kata within it. In most cases, the name on the right is simply the Okinawan pronunciation of the kanji characters that make up the name on the left. Mostly, Funakoshi just encouraged the Japanese to pronounce the characters using the Tokyo accent rather than the more country Okinawan dialect, which is on rare occassions closer to Korean and Chinese than Japanese.
Funakoshi's Names In some cases, rather than simply have his Japanese students pronounce the Japanese name of the kata in the Tokyo dialect, Funakoshi attempted to completely rename the kata. In most of these cases, his attempts to rename the kata were failures. The names hang around out there only as karate trivia for the serious enthusiast. Other Kata Outside of the 15 basic and intermediate kata of Karatedo Kyohan and the 26 accepted kata of the Japan Karate Association(s), there are many other kata that are mentioned as being optional kata for Shotokan Enthusiasts both in Funakoshi's and Nakayama's books. Essentially, the statements in these books seem to take the approach that the ideal karate situation is one where all of the kata of karate are available to the student for study. Perhaps the only reason that a Canon of kata was developed by the JKA was because they were one of the first commercial ventures of karate training. Learning kata that the JKA instructors did not know would lead the student to venture away from the JKA for more kata instruction. Some of these kata are Sanchin, Seiunchin, Seisan, Tensho, Seipai, Suparinpei, Tenshin, Shiho Kushanku, and others. Most of the kata that are missing from the Shotokan Canon are the kata of the style known as Gojuryu. Although Funakoshi claimed that Shotokan was a balance of the styles of Okinawa, that is hardly the case. Shorin and Shorei In his book Ryukyu Karate Kenpo, Funakoshi asserts that kata are of two styles: Shorin and Shorei. The characters in Shorin are the same as the Chinese characters for Shaolin. Is this word to be associated with the mythical temple in China? The origins of the word Shorei are unknown to me. Funakoshi never justifies the thinking between the two styles of kata. Legend has it that light and fast kata are Shorin style, and that heavy and slow kata are more Shorei style. Another myth says that Shorin style kata are from Shuri, and that Shorei style kata are from Naha City. Shuri, where Funakoshi studied karate, is supposedly a center of light and fast karate techniques, which Naha is the source of the Gojuryu karate system - a system based on body strengthening and conditioning. Naha, Shuri, and Tomari are all cities very close to each other on the island of Okinawa, where karate was born. The chart below shows his classifications of the kata listed in his first work on karate, and it also shows the probably origin of that kata.. However, note that the likely source of the kata is listed to the right of that column, showing the disparity between Funakoshi's Shorin-Shorei divisions and the actual style that the kata is from.
The table shows quite obviously that there is little logic behind the classifications of Shorin and Shorei in Funakoshi's book. He classifies Jiin, Jutte, and Jion as different styles, when clearly the opening and closing postures identify these kata as being developed together. Also, Enpi and Bassai are also linked by this same posture, modified over time to appear lower on the body. These kata are probably all from Tomari. There is a version of Bassai called Tomari Bassai. Another version of Bassai is called Oyadomari, which when read says, "Parent - Tomari." It's pretty clear that Shotokan is also completely unbalanced in the kata department from this chart as well. None of the kata above originated in Naha City that anyone can tell. Even Hangetsu, which has distant relatives in the Goju System called Seishan, actually comes from a Shuri kata that looks just like Hangetsu by the same name. Our Hangetsu is not a distorted version of Goju's Hangetsu. Rather, it is distantly related, but actually taken from a Shuri kata. What does this mean? There are no Naha kata in Shotokan's Canon. That means that the Goju system is fairly separated from Shotokan, but Shitoryu, another Japanese style, is more of a mix of the two, since it contains the kata of both systems. Kata names are hard to translate I grew tired of wondering what the names of the kata must mean. In my karate books, some kata had translations for the names, some kata names were just left alone. Only a few of the translations agreed with each other. So, I went off and learned Japanese to do my own translating. Once I sat down and started doing a bibliographical study of the karate kata names, I was pretty surprised at what I found. Even the commonly used translations from supposedly reliable sources were totally incorrect or off-base. Even though many famous and respected works on karate have the names of the kata translated, you'll be surprised at just how dead wrong some of the translations are. Most works in English that contain translations of the kata names are written by authors who either do not read Japanese or who lack the courage to present information contrary to that presented by famous instructors before them. Some Japanese authors simply don't give very good English. Some of the common interpretations are completely invalid. So, what does the name of a kata mean? No one really knows for sure, since the Okinawans and Japanese who named them are all dead, and most of the names were created out of thin air. Some people today like to "create" names for their children. Almost all of the names have some sort of reference to the movements of the kata. For example, Unsu means "Cloud+Hand(s)." There are two times in the kata that one performs the "Spreading Clouds Block." Obviously, this kata was named for this movement. he names of the kata are the same kind of thing as made up people names. These names are usually not real Japanese words that a Japanese would know. What does Richard mean? Do you know? I don't. Most Japanese wouldn't know what Bassai or Kanku means, either. You cannot just look these names up. What the names mean is up to each person who bothers to dig around and find meanings for the characters in that they are written with. I did just that. I went out and looked up every character in every possible writing of every possible name for the accepted 26 JKA style Shotokan Karate kata that I could find. Where did I find the kanji that the names are written with in the original Japanese? In several Japanese works:
 Tekki = Tetsu + Ki Tetsu means iron or steel. Ki means ride on a horse, equestrian, or knight. Iron Knight, Steel Knight, Steel Horse Riding are all valid interpretations. Are the techniques supposed to be used from the back of a horse?!? Nope. That's just the shape of the stance. For more info on this kata, contact Elmar Schmeisser Elmar's book on Tekki Bunkai - explains everything!  Bassai = Batsu + SaiBassai #1 -->Batsu (On reading)/nuku (Kun reading) means pull out, draw out, uncork, or extract. Sai means castle, and it also means obstruction. Pull out of a castle? Rescue? You decide. Bassai #2 -->First kanji is the same, second kanji is definitely fortress. Bassai #3 -->First kanji is discharge, break out, or disclose. Second kanji is fort or obstruction. One thing is for sure, whoever came up with "To Penetrate a Fortress" created a international dogma which is totally incorrect. I have yet to find a dictionary that will allow batsu/nuku to be read as "penetrate." One dictionary says this word means, "to extract; to omit; to surpass; to draw out; to unplug." Tuttle's The Kanji Dictionary by Spahn and Hadamitzky gives the following possible meanings for Batsu: BATSU nu(ku) - pull out; remove; leave out; outdistance; surpass; nu(keru) - come/fall out; be omitted; be missing; escape; nu(karu) - make a blunder Best Karate #6 by Nakayama (English edition) and Karatedo Kyohan by Funakoshi/Oshima (English edition) both use the "Penetrate a Fortress" translation. Patrick McCarthy's Classical Kata of Okinawan Karate says that the meaning is "To Thrust Asunder." Well, I'm sorry to be a party pooper, but there is simply no way on God's Green Earth that Bassai can mean that, and I can't imagine where these guys are getting these horrible translations. You'd think that one of the translators would know better, but apparently none of them used a dictionary. In Japanese works, the first pair of Kanji are the most popular, followed by the next two which give the meaning of "fortress" more solidly. Which kanji are correct? Exactly what does this mean? I like the meaning of Rescue since it is romantic, and it makes some sense from the actual definitions. The meaning is obviously to escape from a fortress, or to rescue from a fortress, or to remove an obstruction. If you can find a kanji dictionary that will define this kanji differently, please, by all means submit your findings.  Kanku = Kan + KuKan means to look at, to view, or to see. Ku means "empty", "void", "air", and "sky." A The popular "To Look at the Sky" is certainly not the only possible meaning. My favorite is "Look at the Emptiness." You can mix and match your own. The man who named it is long dead, and he failed to leave behind any English works.  Enpi = En + piEn means "swallow" (the species of bird, not to swallow your food.) Pi means "Fly" Flying Swallow, Flight of the Swallow (?), A Swallow Flying(?). Fairly cut and dry, I think. Some people enjoy pointing out that the name should have an 'm' rather than an 'n.' This is incorect. Japanese has an 'n' equivalent that can stand alone, but no stand-alone 'm.' However, the 'n' does change pronunciation sounds, as it does in any language, when placed before B or P. The more correct way to write this? Take your pick.  Jion = Ji +onJi means Universal Love, tender, gentle, and loving. On means grace, favor, benevolence, or kindness. Take your guess. Supposedly a Buddhist term listed in some ancient texts which no longer is used in modern conversation. Some try to use this to tie Jion back to China. But, there are a bunch of temples in Japan named Jion. Many of them use the above kanji spelling for their names. Jion as a temple name is as common as people named Jones.  Hangetsu = Han + GetsuHan means "half". Getsu means "month" and "moon." Is it the shape of the stepping or is it something else? The kata comes from the Okinawan Kata called Seisan. Seisan means 13. The crescent shaped stepping may be reminiscent of a half moon? There were originally thirteen different techniques? In fact, this is probably where the name comes from. Start at the yoi posture, and begin counting non-repeating instances of different techniques. Remember, if a technique occurs once, no matter how or where, that is the only time you count it.
 Jutte = Ju or Jutsu + TeJu means ten. Te means hand. Ten Hands? OR, Jutsu means "technique." Technique Hands? It's written both ways in different Japanese texts. Like Hangetsu above, this kata also has a name that is counting the number of uses of different techniques in non-repeating instances, in my opinion.
 Gankaku = Gan + KakuGan means "rock." Kaku refers to the little white cranes that can be found throughout Japan, picking around the trash that the Japanese throw into the many urban rivers and streams. I'm not being funny. That is really what the little white cranes do in Japan. "Rock Crane", "Crane on a Rock", and "Crane like a Rock" are all possible. Obviously this refers back to the one legged posture before the side snap kicks.  Anything with -shoSho means small or little. Don't confuse it with the ordinal number sho which means "first." There are some of you out there calling 3rd and 4th versions of kata Ni and San. This sho means small, and it does not imply the sho in Shodan. Any name with this attached means small. Little Bassai = Bassai Sho. Little Kanku = Kanku Sho, etc. Naming further kata ni and san only exposes a lack of study of the Japanese language, and only occurs in the West.  Anything with -daiDai is a way of reading the kanji for "big." Bassai Dai = Big Bassai.  Nijushiho = Ni + Ju + Shi + HoNijushi means "24." There is no question of that. Ho can mean "direction", "side", "part", "walk", and "step." Since there are exactly 24 steps within the kata, it is generally believed that this is the purpose of the name. 24 steps is the generally accepted translation. 24 Directions might be another. 24 parts is also thought provoking. This kata cannot be interpreted to mean Twenty Four Fighting Chickens. That is impossible.  Sochin = So + ChinSo generally means robust, manhood, ancient peace, energetic, vigorous, or grand. Chin can mean suppress, put down by force, or to make calm. I like Grand Suppression...it makes me think of a punitive military strike against some heathens, and somehow it is fitting for the Japanese view of life.  Unsu = Un + SuUn means cloud. Su is a different way of pronouncing Shu, another reading of Te which means "hand." Cloud Hand, Cloud Hands, Hands in the Clouds: these are all legitimate interpretations. The name is thought to refer to the movement at the beginning of the kata, and in the middle, where the hands are spread apart. The technique is called the "Spreading Clouds Block."  Gojushiho = Go + Ju + Shi + HoSee Nijushiho. Go means 5. Ju means 10. Shi means four. Ho means step. 54 Steps. Just like Nijushiho, ho can mean directions, steps, etc. Take your pick.  Wankan = Wan + KanWan means King. Kan means crown. Thought to refer to the shape of the first three techniques, this kata is named King's Crown. Another cut and dry meaning. Look for the crown in the first three movements.  Chinte = Chin + TeChin is "unusual", "weird", or "strange." Te is hand. Unusual Hands would be the most dignified translation of this kata's name, but I like Weird Hands simply because it outrages some of the more fanatic Shotokan practitioners.  Jiin = Ji + InJi, just like in Jion, means Universal Love, tender, gentle, and loving In means shadow, shade, or backing assistance. Giving the impression of receiving mercy rather than giving it as in Jion, Jiin might mean "Place of Mercy." or In the Shadow of Kindness. There are probably better ways to translate this, however. Probably another overused name for temples scattered all over Japan.  Meikyo = Mei + KyoMei means bright. Kyo clearly means mirror. The name of this kata refers to the opening movement where the performer appears to be looking into a mirror that he is holding in his hands.
Translation of Kata Names
Heian Kata
Hei means flat, even, level, calm, ordinary, peaceful. An means safe, stable, easy, peaceful, or inexpensive. It's always amusing to read a book written or translated by someone who gets a little creative and adds a little flair to the name even though the basis for the "enhancement" is not present. For this kata, "Peaceful Mind" is a popular misnomer, but the character that represents "mind" or anything else referring to "mind" are not there. Some claim that this name refers to the fact that all of the Heian begin with blocking. I doubt that. All of the 26 kata begin with blocking actions, but none of these actions is really only a block. They are mostly blocks combined with simultaneous striking actions. Heian could mean any number of things combining any two of the meanings above. Calm and easy, peaceful and stable, ordinary and inexpensive (?)...well, maybe not inexpensive. Anything is fine as an interpretation, as long as you don't add a meaning that the characters cannot represent. There are five Heian kata. They are respectively known as Shodan, Nidan, Sandan, Yondan, and Godan. Each of these name tags means first level, second level, etc. Even though the Chinese characters in the name and the meaning of the characters are the same on Okinawa and mainland Japan, the Heian are called Pinan on Okinawa due to pronunciation differences. Okinawa and the mainland of Japan speak somewhat different dialects of the same language. How Difficult is Heian?Each of the five Heian are considered by most experts to be basic in nature. They are considered basic for several reasons. The Heian are relatively short and require little from the performer in the way of physical exertion. The Heian are non-acrobatic, meaning that they contain no truly athletically challenging techniques. There is only one technique within the entire sequence of five kata that involves the feet leaving the ground. The Heian are also thought to have possibly been taken from kata which are considered moderately difficult. And, these kata are the first five required on any examinations given in karate. All of these factors combine to create Shotokan's easiest and most basic kata that are practiced universally among almost all organizations. Who created Heian? The origin of the Heian is unknown. Some say that they were created by Itosu Yasutsune of Shuri City, Okinawa circa 1905. Supposedly, he created these five kata specifically for the purpose of teaching High School children karate kata. Having experienced difficulty in passing karate kata along to children when in a large class, Itosu supposedly hoped to simplify the kata Bassai and Kanku that he taught through the teaching of Heian. He allegedly took techniques from each of those kata and compounded them in increasing order of difficulty. Another possible origin of the Heian Kata is in a kata known as Chanan. Supposedly this kata is much more ancient than the Heian, and there are two of them. One apparently looks like three of the Heian spliced together. The Heian could be these two kata broken apart to make them more easily studied. Did Itosu take this old kata and break it from two into five smaller kata? Heian Shodan <-> Heian NidanOriginally Heian Nidan was the first Heian kata. However, at some point in the 1930's, Funakoshi Gichin apparently changed the name of Heian 2 to 1 and changed the first to the second. The reason for this change is unclear to this day. Since the founder of Wado Ryu, Otsuka Hinori, had practiced Shotokan Karate under Funakoshi from 1922 until 1939, his Wado Ryu style still practices the Heian kata under the name Pinan. The first and second of the kata are still reversed from the modern Shotokan ordering. The Goju and Shito styles also maintain this ordering, since they are closer to the original Okinawan Toh-te than modern day Shotokan Karate. Itosu claimed in his writings that the Heian kata were gymnastic in nature and not really intended to pass on any secret fighting techniques or specific combat strategy. Heian EnbusenWhen the performance line is viewed from above, each of the Heian kata seems to describe an arrow, a bow, and a target. Since the modern Shotokan kata utilize slightly different angles and stances from the original patterns that they followed prior to the 1930's and 1940's, this is no longer as apparent as it would have been. Itosu was a great lover of Kyudo [the way of archery], it is told, and he apparently shaped the kata in such a way that they would describe implements from that art. However, since the kata all follow prescribed performance lines that are very common among karate kata, this is merely speculation.  It is also rumored that if you lay certain of the Heian enbusen on top of each other, they almost look like the kanji for Heian (top of page). I find this a bit far fetched. The angles for some of the lines are totally incorrect for this to be the case. However, there are kata whose enbusen clearly writes a kanji on the floor in precise detail. Heian as Elementals There is also some speculation as to why there are five Heian kata rather than four or six. Apparently there is a belief held by some that the five elements of ancient Japanese belief are the reasoning. The famous book by Musashi Miyamoto, Gorin no sho, A Book of Five Rings, is divided into five chapters, each of which is named after an element. The Ground, Water, Fire, Wind, and Void are the elements used for the title of each new book, or "ring." Supposedly the Shodan kata is very rooted to the ground, therefore it is the Ground kata. Nidan is more flowing, and less choppy and blocky - the Water kata. Sandan is less like technique practice and more like fighting - the Fire Kata. Yondan contains more kicking and other air techniques - the Air kata. Godan contains a movement where the performer jumps into the air - the Void. Heian and Taikyoku The Heian kata proved to be difficult for Funakoshi to teach to his middle school students, so he created some even more simple kata which he called the Taikyoku. These kata were based upon the simplest movements from the Heian kata. There are six Taikyoku kata, most of them consisting of the simplest of movements from the Heian kata, using the performance line (enbusen) of Heian Shodan. Heian Statistics I collected some statistics on the movements in the Heian kata that I present below. You may ask yourself, "Why would he bother to do this?" I was curious as to the composition of the kata, so I could gauge the training of my students in the kata accordingly. Whatever techniques appeared the most often are frequently the most important to a student at that level. Mastering the most frequent techniques will greatly enable a student to overcome a kata mentally as well as physically. Furthermore, this information serves the purpose of helping an examiner scale out the importance of a mistake. If, for example, someone messes up the bottom fist in Heian Shodan, that is only 6% of the kata. If they have a bad stepping punch (chasing punch), then they have blown about 1/3 of the total kata. I have arranged the ingredients of these kata like the label on a can of soda pop. The first item is the most frequent, the last item the least common. Heian Shodan --- Number of Movements = 21; Composition: 33% Chasing Punches (7), 28% Lower Level Blocks (6), 19% Sword Hand Blocks (4), 14% Upper Level Rising Blocks (3), 6% Bottom Fist Strikes (1) Heian Nidan --- Number of Movements = 26; Composition: 27% Sword Hand Blocks (7), 8% Rear Punch/Arm Blocks (2), 8% Bottom Fist/Punches (2), 8% Lower Level Blocks (2), 8% Upper Level Rising Blocks (2), 8% Forearm Blocks (2), 8% Reverse Punches (2), 8% Reverse Inside Blocks (2), 4% Side Snap Kick - Back Fist Strikes (1), 4% Four Finger Spear Hands (1), 4% Double Hand Blocks (1). Heian Sandan --- Number of movements = 21; Composition: 15% Stomping Kick/Elbow Blocks (3), 15% Back Fists (3), 10% Inside Blocks (2), 20% Cross Blocks (4), 10% Chasing Punches (2), 10% Vertical Punch/Elbow Strikes (2), 5% Double Hand Blocks (1), 5% Spear Hands (1), 5% Bottom Fists (1), 5% Fists on Hips Posture Heian Yondan --- Number of Movements = 27; Composition: 16% Double Hand Blocks (4), 16% Punches (4), 12% Front Snap Kicks (3), 8% Open Hand Forearm blocks (2), 8% Side Snap Kicks with Back Fist strikes (2), 8% Wedge Blocks, 8% Sword hand block/strikes (2), 8% Sword Hand Blocks. 4% Lower Level X Blocks (1), 4% Vertical Back Fist Strikes (1), 4% Open Hand Grabs (1), 4% Knee Strikes (1) Heian Godan --- Number of Movements = 25; Composition: 12% swastika posture (3), 8% inside blocks (2), 8% reverse punches (2), 8% straight or stepping punches (2), 8% double arm blocks (2), 8% lower level X block (2), 4% upper level jab (1), 4% jump (1), 4% upper level X block (1), 4% wrap-pull (1), 4% lower level block (1), 4% back hand block (1), 4% crescent kick (1). Heian Shodan Originally the second of the five kata, this is now practiced as the first by most novice students in modern Shotokan Karate clubs. Heian Shodan is distinguished by its use of the down block, the upper block, the middle level stepping punch, the sword hand block, and the fact that every technique takes one step to complete. A mystery is why the wrist release motion made after the second down block is not mirrored on the other side. All of the other techniques are generally taught to students within weeks of beginning lessons in karate. The purpose of this kata is to teach the student basic stepping in a front stance and back stance, to teach the application of stepping punches following blocks which remove any obstructing limbs, and the use of blocking as attacking. Heian Shodan is generally best introduced to students after they have completed a 2 month long sequence of training in the basic techniques. They should be familiar with the concepts of the individual hand and foot motions, the three basic stances, the basic kicking techniques, and the processes involved in advancing, retreating, and turning the body about in a stable fashion. Generally students are passed on this kata on their first exam if they can remember and replicate the basic techniques with any accuracy at all. Some examiners even allow the candidate for 8th kyu to perform this kata to a count.  If the kata were to be considered representative of the five elements mentioned in Musashi's Go Rin no Sho, Heian Shodan would definitely be the Ground kata. Heavy and plodding, the techniques are always large and heavy, emphasizing the close connection to the earth that can power a strongly rooted technique.Heian Nidan The second of the Heian kata was originally taught as the first. The connection with Kanku Dai, even without analysis by experts, is readily apparent from the entire first half of the kata, since Heian Nidan mimics Kanku Dai almost exactly. In fact, the resemblance is so strong that even long time experts and masters frequently confuse the two kata and change from one kata to the other without thinking right in the middle of national tournament performances both in Japan and in the West. The large scale use of sword hand techniques, spear hands, reverse side blocking, and kicking distinguishes it from the other Heian kata. This kata is usually considered more difficult for students to grasp than Heian Shodan. Whether or not that is why Funakoshi re-ordered the first two Heian kata or not is unclear. It is possible that Heian Nidan is considered more difficult today simply because of modern teaching methods being so different from what they once were on Okinawa. One thing is sure, the relative difficulty of kata is largely a function of the times that it is performed in, not the techniques of the kata.  Heian Nidan could be considered the Water kata of Musashi's five elements. Flowing and quick, Heian Nidan emphasizes fast execution and relaxed movement. Heian Nidan may be simple and easy to break down into its essential content, but within it can be found some very effective techniques and maneuvers. The opening movements are interesting joint attacks aimed at the opponent's elbows. The spear hand techniques demonstrates the use of simultaneous blocking and attacking. The side snap kick and back fist performed early in the kata are other examples of the tactic. The kata also includes reverse side blocking techniques in its second half. Some instructors interpret these techniques as elbow locks performed against the opponent's attacking arm. The final four techniques are more examples of blocking as attacking. The down blocks are sometimes interpreted as strikes to the opponents groin while using subtle footwork to avoid the attacker's technique. While teaching basic postures and turning, Heian Nidan also provides training in many combat ready sequences of techniques. Heian SandanThe third Heian kata is the strangest of all of the basic kata, save the Tekki which we will discuss later. Within this kata are bizarre and difficult to apply techniques ranging from the most simple to very complicated turning maneuvers. The kata contains many drastic and choppy changes in strategy, posture, and execution. Clearly Heian Sandan training is designed to impart an understanding of complicated turning and footwork as well as close distance fighting techniques. Heian Sandan is not a physically taxing as either Heian Nidan or Heian Shodan. The small scale techniques it contains seem to draw more upon the brain power of the karateka rather than physical strength and endurance. Some of these dramatic changes in technique from one area to another are indicative of the kata having been edited by someone upstream of modern karate, possible Itosu himself.
Of particular interest are the techniques 12, 13, and 14. Many schools interpret the stomping kicks as crescent kicks designed to block the oncoming techniques of an attacker. However, this interpretation is largely in the West, where a simple knee raise is quickly interpreted to be a flashy and high level kicking technique. Either interpretation is just as valid as the others, and Japanese instructors of high rank often have difficulty agreeing upon what exactly these techniques are when the subject comes up. Most karateka despise either Heian Sandan or Heian Yondan more than the others. Heian Sandan in particular seems to fail to convey a sense of fluidity of movement, and is perhaps more poorly constructed than the other Heian. As you can see from the graphic above, the enbusen of Heian Sandan is a bit out of synch with the rest of the Heian kata.Heian Yondan These are some of the more basic techniques in Shotokan Karate, so much of the kata (about 44%) is composed of relatively simple and previously seen techniques. The problems for karateka first encountering this kata come in at the side snap kicks, making the kata flow, and constructing the awkward and unflattering back stances. Heian Yondan is more difficult that Heian Sandan. The kata utilizes more kicking with back fists thrown simultaneously, more reinforced blocking using both hands, and large use of the elbows and knees. These are very difficult techniques to learn and put into practice. The most difficult movements are generally considered to be the back stance and the side snap kick by novices and many older students. They require flexible ankles and knees for proper performance, something that is a symbol of good technique of Shotokan Karate according to many Westerners. Originally, Heian Yondan ended about one stance distance back from the starting point (Approximately 3 feet). However, Heian Godan ended about one stance distance in front of the starting point, therefore if the two kata were performed in sequence, the starting point and ending point for all of the Heian would balance out to the same location. The difference is that the back stances at the end of the kata are completed by pulling the foot backwards. However, a back stance is usually instigated by stepping backward, and it is usually stood up from by stepping forward - the reverse of the way that a front stance is assumed. Today, instructor level karateka make subtle adjustments to the performance line of Heian Yondan in order to force it back to the same starting/ending point. Since the kata's last technique is not very adjustable, the rest of the kata must be rigged to return the kata solidly to the starting point, especially with today's competitions demanding that the starting and ending point be identical. I like to widen the angle of the wedge block back stances so that they are more shallow. That is a subtle change that makes returning to the starting point happen more easily.  With its many high level kicking and hand techniques, Heian Yondan could be considered Musashi's Wind kata. Of course, Musashi never encountered any karate at all. But, his 5 element classification system was certainly indicative of some of the reasoning behind creating five kata in the structure of Heian. Certainly the body lunges about during the performance of this kata enough to create stirrings in the air about the karateka. The kicks may also be indicative of the nature of the Wind. Heian Yondan introduces several technical patterns which will appear over and over again in Shotokan kata. For example, the two side kicks with the thrusting back fist strikes will be repeated in Sochin and the two Kanku kata. The front kick followed by the vertical back fist strike is also another technique that will be demanded of the karateka later on. Among the Heian kata, Heian Yondan is another that is very little liked among people who are not specialists in kata. Although exciting to learn a new kata at first, Heian Yondan demands techniques from the human body that some people are simply not capable of performing, and this tends to make it popular only among kata specialists and people who do not realize how bad they are at karate. Heian GodanThis kata continues with Heian Yondan's survey of reinforced, double armed blocking and countering. There is also a very difficult jumping maneuver in Heian Godan. This is the first time that the student of karate has been required to jump off of the floor in a kata. Later and more difficult kata require jumps that may reach high in the air, so jumping skills, while of questionable use in actual fighting, become very important in Shotokan's kata. Be sure to read about the importance of jumping in the bunkai article. The mysterious techniques, known as the Swastika Posture, at the end of the kata are generally interpreted as strikes followed by throws, although each instructor will certainly interpret them according to his preference. Throwing techniques throughout Shotokan Karate kata are apparently encrypted into the structure of the kata. Why they are not more apparent is unclear. The last two techniques in Heian Godan, apparently meaningless to the untrained observer, are samples of this coding of throws and locks into the kata.  The Heian kata are required by literally all Shotokan Karate organizations at the rate of one per kyu rank beginning at the eighth kyu. Generally, Heian kata are taught at a rate of one per every three months. Many students are exposed to the kata long before they ever learn them formally, meaning formal instruction is usually aided by the 3 month delay between the learning of each of the Heian kata. By the time a student is first being shown Heian Godan on a formal basis, it is likely that they have already been doing the kata out of curiosity. This makes the instructor's job much easier at this point, and might explain why many instructors say that they feel that they are teaching Heian Shodan and Heian Nidan continuously to their clubs, but they never seem to be teaching the other three Heian kata. The Heian kata are required kata for competition in most organizations, especially in the JKA tournaments. The Heian kata are randomly chosen for elimination rounds in which two karateka simultaneously perform the same kata side by side. The winner is chosen, and the loser is eliminated. Tekki Shodan is also used as a first round elimination kata. Heian Godan's jumping techniques is the first real obstacle faced by non-athletic karateka. Aged and physically weak individuals generally gloss over the jump by emitting a tremendous kiai during the jumping action, increasing the intensity of other techniques, or other methods. Mastering the jump in Heian Godan is only the beginning for a future kata champion, however. Later, Enpi, Kanku Dai, Kanku Sho, Meikyo, and Unsu will challenge the karateka to their absolute physical limits. Clearly, some of the kata "separate the men from the boys" through these difficult techniques, but most of the jumping about is believed to be a relatively recent development. Most of these techniques are thought to originate from simple stepping actions. |
In Musashi's elements, Heian Sandan would be the Fire kata. I cannot think of anything that would justify such a title for this particular kata, other than the unusually disjointed sets of techniques.
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