What is Kata?

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Hironori Ohtsuka 10th Dan Wado ryu . Founder of wado ryu

Kata Meaning

The Kanji meaning for Kata is shape, form or pattern and is made up of two simple characters. The one on the left means 'pattern' and the one on the right means 'hairs', The implicaion is 'to put hairs into a pattern''. The kata is an artistic presentation in which all movement is defense and counter attack, and put together in a refined manner with no wasted effort. It is a sequence of movements which are both defensive and attacking performed as a result of several attackers."A kata may be regarded as an integration of offensive and defensive techniques, but it is more than that. One should try to understand the spirit of the master karateka who created the kata, for it has a life of its own and requires five or six years to be mastered." Due to changes that have taken place in the technique and the underlying spirit, the kata, even though their general layout has not changed considerably, the technical rhythm and speed have been modified. Kata is good for all ages, builds the body and helps the practice of self defense in areas such as speed, mental concentration, spirit, strength, and stamina .

 

KATA MEANING ORIGIN
Pinan Shodan

Pinan Nidan

Pinan Sandan 

Pinan Yondan

Pinan Godan

Peaceful Mind No.s 1-5 Shorin ryu kata created by Yasutsune Itosu between 1903 and 1906. They are thought to have been composed from Ku Shanku . (see next kata)
Ku Shanku Named after originator. But roughly translated as 'Sky viewing'.  This Kata was adapted and developed by Okinawan Masters, having been originally brought to Okinawa in 1762 by a Chinese envoy named Kung Shang Kung (pronounced Kosokun in Japan). Reputed to be the most advanced and difficult of all the Okinawan kata, it is said to require more than a decade of practice to master. Gichin Funakoshi called this kata Kanku Dai (kan=observe, Dai=big) because of the first movement of the kata (making a circle with both hands) observing the world. 
Naifanchi Named after Nai hanchi dachi stance(horse riding stance) Name can be translated as ' battle in a narrow place.' Shorei Ryu kata. Naifanchi kata is the only kata where all the activity takes place in a straight line.
Chinto Fighting to the east.  The technique first introduced in this kata is the 'sagiashi' or crane stance Strongly based on white crane gung-fu brought to Okinawa via a Chinese official with the same name. 
Seishan Named after Seishan dachi stance. Translated as 'crescent moon'. Shorin ryu kata integrating both the slow motions of shorei ryu and the keagi technique of shorin. Was originally the first kata taught prior to the pinan series.
Wanshu Flying swallow Shorin Ryu. Brought to Okinawa in 1683 by a Chinese envoy of the same name.
Bassai To penetrate a fortress. Sometime also referred to as Passai. Shorin Ryu
Ni Sei Shi 24 steps Shorin ryu kata. This kata is effectively conducted in 3 directions, to the points of a triangle.
Jitte Ten Hands. Anyone who masters this kata can be said to have the strength of five men. Shorei ryukata. The only kata in Wado ryu not to feature  KIAI.
Jion Temple sounds. Named after the Jion-Je a buddhist temple. Shorei Ryu
Rohai Clear mirror Shorin ryu, belonging to the Tamari-Te family of kata
Suparimpei 108 steps. This is supposedly the 'lost' kata of traditional Wado-ryu.

 

KATA HITETRU SANNEN

Means kata requires three to four years of practice to understand and perform properly.

Su

SU - indicates that the beginner must copy ALL karate techniques from his instructor correctly.

Ha


HA - means that after a number of years of training, when a karateka has reached a high degree of black belt, he is allowed to develop new techniques, provided they are improvements. This applies to all movements EXCEPT basic techniques.

Ri


RI - is the highest form. It means that after even a longer period of time, the karateka must be able to perform ALL forms of karate automatically, not stopping to think of or about the moves

 

Every movement and every defensive or offensive technique has its meaning, and a serious trainee must take this into consideration and practice accordingly, trying to understand the meanings and when they will actually be effective.

The movements within a kata must take into consideration the three pairs of opposites established by Master Gichin Funakoshi:

 

Force applied soft and hard

 

Bodily expansion and contraction

 

Fast and slow movements in the techniques

 

If you have mastered Kata then there is no doubt that you would be good at kumite also. But it does not necessarily work the other way.