Gankaku

Gankaku is one of the most graceful Shotokan kata. The kata is usually translated as "Crane on a Rock," referring to the crane stance (tsuru-dachi), when one must sink on one-leg as if a crane perched, ready to strike. The crane stance in Gankaku is performed in manji-kamae and is always followed by an uraken/yoko-keage (followed by a punch) combo.

Even though the kata has many fast and sharp attacks, it also exhibits several slow postures as well, lending a certain calmness to the kata, especially given the slow double-counts in tsuru-dachi. The embusen of this kata is a straight line (perpendicular to Tekki), characteristic of fighting in narrow passages or alleys (or even stairways).

Gankaku has several challenging forward spinning turns, unlike most kata which have reverse turning motions. Simply put, forward turns begin with a stepping forward motion in order to change direction while reverse turns begin with a backward stepping motion to change direction.

In addition to forward spinning and standing on one leg, the karateka must also be agile enough to execute a jumping double front kick. As can be seen, the practice of Gankaku helps to develop (and requires) excellent balance. The ability to pivot smoothly on one foot is also essential.

Other aspects of the kata are fairly simple, consisting mostly of 3 repeated techniques: kosa-uke, kakiwake-uke, and manji-uke. The kata has a total count of 42.