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Heian Go-dan

Heian Go-dan
The Pinan (平安) or Heian kata are a series of five empty hand forms taught in many karate styles. The Pinan kata originated in Okinawa and were adapted by Anko Itosu from older kata such as Kusanku and Channan into forms suitable for teaching karate to young students. Heian Godan is the last Kata in the Heian series and…
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Heian San-dan

Heian San-dan
The shortest kata in the Heian series, Heian Sandan has 20 movements and the embusen is almost I-shaped. This Kata is not as long or varied as Heian Nidan. Heian Sandan is known for it’s four sets of fast, simultaneous block/strike combinations at the start of the Kata. This Kata has the first use of Kiba-dachi (horse riding stance) in a shotokan Kata, we…
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Heian Sho-dan

Heian Sho-dan
Heian Shodan is the first Kata in the Heian series and is usually the first Kata that a beginner must learn. It has 21 movements and its embusen is roughly I-shaped. This Kata takes the student through a similar floor pattern as Taikyoku Shodan, but incorporates different techniques including a hammer fist and a knife hand block. The Kata also introduces changing stances…
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Heian Yon-dan

Heian Yon-dan
The fourth level in the Heian series, Heian Yondan has 27 movements and the embusen is almost I-shaped. This Kata has many similarities to Heian Nidan. The Kata's primary stance is kokutsu-dachi (back stance), but students first learning this Kata must also contend with the new kosa-dachi, a cross stance that is quite awkward for most Karateka. Heian Yondan introduces the student to many…
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Heian Ni-dan

Heian Ni-dan
Heian Nidan, the second Heian Kata, has 26 movements and the embusen is almost I-shaped. This kata uses the same floor pattern as Taikyoku Shodan and Heian Shodan, but utilises a wider variety of techniques. Some of the new techniques include the front kick, side kick, brace block and spear hand. The complexity of Heian Nidan is much greater…
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Taikyoku Sho-dan

Taikyoku Sho-dan
Taikyoku Shodan is the first kata in the Taikyoku series. It is the most basic of all kata and has only 20 moves with three recurring techniques: down block, lunge punch, and front stance.  Although credit is usually given to Gichin Funakoshi as the author of the Taikyoku kata, his son Gigo was largely responsible for their creation. Taikyoku Shodan post-dates Heian Shodan,…
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Taikyoku San-dan

Taikyoku San-dan
There are several different variations on how Taikyoku Sandan should be performed. One may also find descriptions of six Taikyoku kata. The Taikyoku kata described on this website refer to Gichin Funakoshi's book, Karate-Do Kyohan, in which he describes only three Taikyoku kata. Again, Taikyoku Sandan is almost identical to Taikyoku Shodan except that six (of the eight) down blocks (on top and bottom of embusen) are replaced with…
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