With 65 movements, Kanku Dai is the longest of the Sentei kata, as well as one of the longest kata in the Shotokan syllabus.
Kanku Dai is basically an amalgamation of the Heian and Tekki kata. When practicing this kata, one will find many pieces of H2-H5, and even some T1. It is a very energetic kata involving jumping, dropping, and spinning techniques.
Kanku Dai has many high and low techniques, requiring a certain amount of flexibility. It is a highly dynamic kata that must be performed with grace in motion.
Tekki Nidan is the shortest Tekki kata, consisting of 24 movements. Similar to Tekki Shodan in many ways, this kata is also performed almost entirely in horse stance, with the exception of a few crossing steps and one heisoku-dachi.
The objective in this kata is to develop grabbing, throwing, and locking applications while maintaining a strong kiba-dachi.
To accomplish this, the student is introduced to many new techniques such as ryo-zenwan-suhei-kamae, zenwan-shomen-gedan-kensei, and oshi-uke. The use of tsukami-uke in this kata teaches how to draw an opponent in for counter-attack.
Tekki Sandan, has 36 movements. It is a very quick kata, having a rapid timing with many consecutive techniques performed without pause. T3 offers some new techniques such as zenwan-uchiotoshi, zenwan-hineri, and zenwan-gedan-furisute.
Many of the techniques in T3 are executed with the "added hand" (soete) for additional support. T3 teaches the student that the added hand may also be used for grabbing or trapping an opponent's techniques.
Much of the bunkai of this kata revolve around this idea of "trapping," meaning to immobilize the adversary's attacking limbs so that they cannot make further attacks.
Bassai Sho is the smaller version of "Penetrating a Fortress," having fewer movements and a slightly smaller frame than its predecessor, Bassai Dai. While Bassai Dai is a very heavy kata that uses very large movements to demonstrate outer strength and power, the smaller techniques of Bassai Sho should exhibit an inner calm and energy.
Many of the kata's applications involve defenses against stick attacks. The kata uses many grasping (tiger-mouth) blocks to that effect.
Although Bassai Sho contains standard techniques found in other kata, they are performed is a very unusual manner. For example, using the back of the hand for awase-uke, or performing double tsukami-uke vertically.
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).
Hangetsu is a unique kata within the Shotokan system. It is an internal kata, focusing on the cultivation and release of ki energy, or one's inner force. The kata's main stance, hangetsu, is an inner tension stance that only appears in this kata and nowhere else (hence the name of the stance).
As such, it tends to be a very under-developed stance that is rarely practiced. Most of the kata's slow moves are executed with atypical tension and isometric contraction. Emphasis is on strong breathing and muscular contraction of the legs, buttocks, and abdominals.
Quite simply, Hangetsu is meditation in motion, with the aim of developing one's ki. Bunkai involve close range fighting in which the hangetsu stance is used to move in between an opponent's legs (or around them) to break their balance.
Gojushiho Dai, or "Fifty-Four Steps Big," is the longer and more complex of the two Gojushiho kata. At 67 counts, it is the lengthiest of Shotokan kata, beating Gojushiho Sho (and Kanku Dai) by two moves.
Its surplus of movements over its twin can basically be accounted for by the inclusion of two techniques in Gojushiho Dai that are not present in Gojushiho Sho: koko-sukui-uke/tsukidashi and washide.
Washide, or "eagle-hand," is a precise attack using all five fingertips pressed together in the shape of a bird's beak to strike an opponent's pressure points. Outside of this kata, washide does not exist in Shotokan.
One of the more difficult aspects of the kata occurs when changing direction from one neko-ashi-dachi to another; many students tend to have difficulty maintaining balance throughout.
Gojushiho is translated simply as "Fifty-Four Steps," making reference to the number of steps or movements in the original kata.
Being labeled as the smaller kata, one would expect Gojushiho Sho to have a smaller frame, fewer movements, and greater complexity than its counterpart Gojushiho Dai. To the contrary, Gojushiho Sho has a larger frame and is slightly less difficult to perform.
Both kata begin with mizu-nagare-uraken-kamae, an elegant posture demonstrating grace and resolve. Both kata rely heavily on the use of the fingers for jabbing strikes.
Almost identical, these kata differ in their execution of the "trademark set." The trademark of Gojushiho Sho is be the ryuun (flowing clouds) set of movements consisting of ryuun-no-uke, followed by haishu-osae-uke/shuto-gedan-barai, and finishing with the triple shihon-tate-nukite.
The main goal here is to perform ryuun-no-uke as smoothly and gracefully as possible, and to rotate the nukite techniques quickly and sharply. In Gojushiho Sho, spear-hand is the attack of choice although sword-hand techniques are also predominant.
Jiin can be interpreted as "Love and Shadow," with some preferring the translation of "Temple Grounds."
Jiin is sometimes grouped with Jion and Jitte, since all three use similar techniques, and all three begin in the "Ming salutation" posture (palm over fist).
Jiin is a fairly plain, no frills kata, not offering much in the way of new techniques. Its primary technique is the kosa-uke (uchi-uke/gedan-uke), similar to the one found at the beginning of Jion, except in Jiin, gedan-uke (rather than uchi-uke) hovers over the front leg.
Jitte is a very robust and "heavy" kata, having many powerful techniques. Even the slow movements are executed with a certain vigor and tension. Although Jitte does not have any really complex movements, some of the hip motions require a lot of practice to develop proper kime.
Many of the applications for Jitte focus on defenses against stick (bo) attacks; such as bo-tsukami-uke, followed by bo-toriage, followed by bo-oshimodoshi. The zenwan-uchi-barai is only found in this kata. The "stick defense" applications of Jitte usually work equally well against an opponent's arm, providing many arm-breaking techniques.
