Jion

Jion is believed to be named after the Jion-ji, a Buddhist temple in China. The actual translation of Jion means "Love and Goodness."

Jion is the simplest of the Sentei kata and is comprised mostly of pieces from Heian and Tekki kata. It has 47 counts and contains some of the most basic movements that Shotokan has to offer. Being a simple kata, there are no fancy moves to hide behind.

If a student possesses poor basics, then the performance of Jion will be weak. For this reason, it is an excellent kata to judge one's overall technique.

The simplicity of its movements demonstrates one's humility, yet each technique should be performed with explosive power and unwavering stability.

Instructors have been known to group Jion along with Jiin and Jitte, since each start with the same hand-over-fist salutation and have very similar movements.