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Kata (Japanese: 形, or more traditionally, 型; lit. "form") is a Japanese word describing detailed patterns of movements practiced either solo or in pairs. Karate kata are executed as a specified series of a variety of moves, with stepping and turning, while attempting to maintain perfect form. The kata is not intended as a literal depiction of a mock fight, but as a display of transition and flow from one posture and movement to another, teaching the student proper form and position, and encouraging them to visualise different scenarios for the use of each motion and technique. Karateka "read" a kata in order to explain the imagined events, a practice known as bunkai. There are various kata, each with many minor variations.

Origins

Kata originated from the practice of paired attack and defense drills by ancient Chinese martial artists, these were known as the "five form fists" or "five patterns" after the fighting methods of five different animals. These were brought to Okinawa and were later used as the foundations for new kata to be devised.

Kata were created as solo forms containing the concatenated sequences of movements of the defensive portions of the drills. The initial forms being simply strings of movements, sets of rules were created to allow the creation of kata which could fit comfortably within training spaces.

Teaching

Traditionally, kata are taught in stages. Previously learned kata are repeated to show better technique or power as a student acquires knowledge and experience. It is common for students testing to repeat every kata they have learned but at an improved level of quality.

As a library of technique, it is understood that kata works best through consistent repetition. The most basic kata continues to be performed by practitioners throughout their practice of Karate. This repetition is believed to perfect technique, strengthen the body, and ultimately act as a form of moving meditation that develops character.

The various styles of karate study different kata, or variations of a common core. Some kata may therefore be known by two names, one in Japanese, the other in Okinawan or Chinese. This is because Gichin Funakoshi, and others, renamed many kata to help Karate spread throughout Japan.

Kata names

Chinese connections

The number 108 has mythological significance in Dharmic religions and is present in a number of traditional kata. This number also figures prominently in the names of Karate kata, predominantly those with an origin in Naha-te, including Goju-ryu. The advanced Gōjū-ryū kata, Suparinpei, literally translates in Fuzhounese to the number 108, while gojushi of Gojūshiho is the Japanese pronunciation of the number 54 (half of 108). The other Gōjū-ryū kata, Sanseru (meaning "36") and Seipai ("18") are factors of the number 108.

However this direct connection between Zen Buddhism and karate particularly has been discredited in recent times as both a modern Western misinterpretation and as part of a tendency towards nationalist religious homogenisation in the early unified Japan of the late 19th century. Other propositions for the origin of the number 108 in kata include the legendary story of Outlaws of the Marsh (of which there were 108), or from Yue Fei, a 12th-century Chinese general who created the Yibai Lingba Qinna (一百零八擒拿; "108 Locking Hand Techniques") of the Ying Sao (Eagle Hands) or Ying Kuen (Eagle Fist) which evolved into modern Chinese boxing that karate was influenced by.

Kata performed in various styles

Some kata and/or styles are not included here, due but not limited to popularity and common usage for kata, and recognition (or not) of styles by the various governing bodies.

See also

• Bunkai
• Kime
• Comparison of karate styles
• Hyeong
• Kihon

References

1. "The Global Allure of Karate". 2 January 2017. Retrieved 27 May 2018.
2. ^ McCarthy, Pat (1987). Classical Kata of Okinawan Karate. Ohara. p. 55. ISBN 9780897501132.
3. Black Belt Magazine. Active Interest Media, Inc. November 1995. p. 80.
4. Toguchi, Seikichi (2001). Okinawan Goju-Ryu II: Advanced Techniques of Shorei-Kan Karate. Black Belt Communications. p. 48. ISBN 978-0-89750-140-8.
5. Pawlett, Ray (2004). The Karate Handbook. New York, NY: Rosen Publishing. pp. 149–233. ISBN 978-1-4042-1394-4.
6. "A Performance Theory Analysis of the Practice of Kata in Karate-Do". ejmas.com. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
7. Bluestein, Jonathan (2024). Martial Arts Politics Explained. Amazon Digital Services LLC - KDP. ISBN 979-8335564984.
8. "Hyaku Hachi No Bonno: 108 Defilements". www.seinenkai.com. Archived from the original on 1 June 2007. Retrieved 27 May 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
9. Bragg, Melvyn. "In Our Time, Zen". BBC Radio 4. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
10. Hopkins, Giles (2021). Suparinpei: The Last Kata of Goju-Ryu Karate. Blue Snake Books. p. 3. ISBN 9781623175597. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
11. Gōjū-ryū kata Archived 2006-04-21 at the Wayback Machine
12. "Shitō-ryū kata". Archived from the original on 24 May 2012. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
13. "Best Travel Safety Tips & Tricks -". Best Travel Safety Tips & Tricks. Archived from the original on 7 February 2012. Retrieved 27 May 2018.

v t e Karate
Comparison of styles List of terms
Origins	Japanese martial arts Okinawan martial arts Chinese martial arts
Styles	Ashihara Budokan Byakuren Chitō-ryū Enshin Gensei-ryū Gōjū-ryū Gosoku-ryu Isshin-ryū Kyokushin Motobu-ryū Ryūei-ryū Seidokaikan Shidōkan Shindo Jinen Ryu Shitō-ryū Shōrin-ryū Shōrei-ryū Shōrinjiryū Kenkōkan Shotokan Shūdōkan Shūkōkai Shuri-ryū Tōon-ryū Uechi-ryū Wadō-ryū Yoseikan Yoshukai
Techniques	Blocks Joint lock Kicks Punches Stances Strikes Throw
Training methods	Kihon Kata Bunkai Kumite Kobudō Makiwara Full contact
Culture	Dōjō Dōjō kun Karate gi Kyū Obi
Competition	Karate Combat Karate at the World Games Karate World Championships World University Karate Championships Asian Karate Championships Karate at the Asian Games European Karate Championships Karate at the Summer Olympics Karate World Championships Junior
Kata	Anaku Ananku Annan Chinte Chintō/Gankaku Enpi Fukyugata Gojūshiho Jion Hangetsu Kūsankū/Kanku-dai Naihanchi/Tekki Nijūshiho/Niseishi Passai/Bassai Pinan/Heian Rōhai/Meikyo Sanchin Seisan/Hangetsu Seiunchin Shisochin Sōchin Taikyoku Tensho Unsū Wankan Wanshū
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