If Karate-do is an art, then kata is the martial artist’s portfolio. Like any good painting, kata can be enjoyed on the superficial level for the sheer beauty of its movements. But as the talent of the artist grows those same movements begin to display a hidden quality, much in the way the brush strokes of a fine painter add depth to the subject. This hidden quality is the bunkai, or application of, the kata.
Read moreThe Essence of Karate-Do
The very essence of karate-do is found in its kata, for it is here that all of the techniques, knowledge, spirit and philosophy have been combined, concentrated and cataloged...
Read moreMy Shotokan is Not "Pure"
"Because karate eventually takes on a deeply personal character, it may be said that every karate-ka has his own karate." Gichin Funakoshi
Read moreEnglish Translations of Kata Names
Name of Kata Translation
Heian Peaceful Mind
Sochin Energetic Calm
Tekki Iron Horse
Nijushi-ho 24 steps
Bassai Storm a Fortress
Gojushiho-Sho 54 steps
Kanku To View the Sky
Chinte Many Hands
Jion Named after a Temple in China
Unsu Cloud Hands
Empi Flying Swallow
Gankaku Crane on a Rock
Jutte (Jitte) Ten Hands
Meikyo Polish a Mirror
Hangetsu Cresent Moon
Wankan Kings Crown
Trade, War, Privilege and the path to Matayoshi Kobudo
The purpose of this paper is to look back into the history of Okinawa and decipher what it was about the island and its people that led up to Matayoshi Kobudo Kodokan...
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