| Kata | | Print | |
KataKata is prearranged movements in which the practitioner attacks and defends many attackers from different angles using different techniques. What kata provides, over and above Kumite (free fighting), is practice using traditional techniques and stances. This above anything else is the purpose of kata: to learn the traditional forms of attack which shape the style of karate of which the kata belongs. In other words, the student is learning to move in the same way that all practitioners of the same art are moving. This is one of the main forms of continuity in style over time. Karate Kata's come from three main areas of Okinawa where different styles of fighting existed. The three ancestral styles were Nahate, Tomarite, and Shurite. Shurite and Tomarite were light and quick, while Nahate was heavy and powerful. None of the three are superior to the others, but... A student may find that one style fits their body type and mental type better than the others. Wado Ryu karate is primarily Shurite Karate with a heavy influence of JiuJitsu. Many of the principals of evasion, pushing, entering, can be seen in other arts like Aikido and Kendo. The organization of kata: Shurite
Nahate
Tomarite
Various Others(Placement Unknown)
The official WADO-RYU KATASfrom the WKF
In our association, JKF-Wadokai we do all of the above kata. I have not, however, been taught Unsu in the Wado version.. The kata listed under various fall under three categories. Either I do not know where to place them, their history is sketchy, or they do not suit the category that they were inherited from. I wanted this list to be a resource for kata history, so if I wasn't sure I put it under various: If you know, then please email. |