Kanku Sho

Kanku Sho is a smaller and more advanced version of Kanku Dai. It is one of the more acrobatic kata found in Shotokan, with two jumping techniques, which are very difficult for the average karate student first learning them.

The first jump is similar to the jump found in Empi (kaiten-tobi), except the jump should be performed on the spot, rather than moving backwards. The second jump, similar to the one found in Unsu (albeit easier), is a jumping spinning crescent kick.

Like most anything, these jumps get easier with practice, but then of course, become more difficult with age. As such, Kanku Sho is usually the preferred kata of younger and more athletic black belts.

Although many of Kanku Sho's techniques can be found in other kata, it is the only kata demonstrating tsukami-uke with the other hand grasping one's own wrist (kaeshi-dori), providing an advanced wrist-locking application (kote-kudaki).