Gekisai Dai Steps 1) Bow into Mokuso and slide out into Yoi Dachi. Looking to your left, step back with your left foot, turn your hips to the left 90degrees into sanchin dachi SD and perform JU with your left hand. Step into right ZD and punch jodan level with your right hand. Step back […]
Tsuki No Steps 1) Bow into Moksu and come out in yoi dachi. Step back with your right foot into KD as you turn your hips to a 45-degree angle. Perform a GB with your left hand and follow with a right reverse punch chudan level, across your body due to hip alignment.2) Step through
転掌 Tensho Tensho means rolling or fluid hand, literally translated as “revolving palms”, from the characters Ten 転 (revolve) and Shō 掌 (palm of hand). Tensho is the soft and circular (Yin 陰) counterpart to the hard and linear (Yang 陽) Sanchin kata. Not only was Tensho one of Mas Oyama’s favorite kata, he considered
最破 Saiha Saiha (known also as Saifa) means extreme destruction, smashing or tearing, from the characters Sai最, meaning utmost, and Ha 破, meaning rip, tear or destroy. The word Saiha can also mean great wave.
征遠鎮 Seienchin Seienchin means conqueror and subdue over a distance, or attack the rebellious outpost. From the characters Sei 征, meaning subjugate or attack the rebellious, En 遠, meaning distant, and Chin 鎮, meaning tranquilize. In feudal Japan, Samurai warriors would often go on expeditions lasting many months, and they needed to maintain their strength and spirit over a long period of
撃塞小 Gekisai ShoGekisai means conquer and occupy. The name is derived from the characters Geki 撃, meaning defeat or conquer, and Sai 塞, meaning fortress or stronghold (literally translated as “closed”, “shut” or “covered”). The word Gekisai can also mean demolish, destroy or pulverize. The katas teach strength through fluidity of motion, mobility and the utilization of various techniques. Flexibility of attack
十八 Seipai Seipai is the Okinawan pronunciation of the kanji characters for 18 (pronounced Jū 十 Hachi 八 in Japanese). In other karate styles, this kata is sometimes called Seipaite, or eighteen hands. The number 18 is derived from the Buddhist concept of 6 x 3, where six represents colour, voice, taste, smell, touch and justice and three represents good, bad and peace.
臥竜 Garyu Garyu means reclining dragon, from the characters Ga 臥 (lie prostrate) and Ryū竜 (dragon). In Japanese philosophy, a great man who remains in obscurity is called a Garyu. A dragon is all-powerful, but a reclining dragon chooses not to display his power until it is needed.
In our Black Belt Kata class this weekend (7/16/2022) we focused on the the last (on our list of black belt katas), the longest, and the most complex kata, Sushiho. According to Shihan Cameron Quinn’s book, “The Budo Karate of Mas Oyama”, Sushiho 五十四歩 translates to Fifty Four Steps. In his book he writes: This
