Kanku Dai
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Kanku Dai (観空大) (translated as gazing heavenward, viewing the sky, or contemplating the sky), is a popular kata in many Shorin-ryu style karate schools.
Kanku Dai is also known by the names Kashanku or Kusanku in Okinawan styles; in Japanese styles it is sometimes called Kosokun-Dai. The original name, Kosokun/Kusanku, refers to the name of a Chinese diplomat from Fukien who is believed to have traveled to Okinawa to teach his system of fighting. The kata was renamed to Kanku Dai by Funakoshi Gichin during the 1930s, while developing the system of karate known as Shotokan.[1]
Kanku Dai consists of 65 movements executed in about 90 seconds, and symbolizes attack and defense against eight adversaries. It is a major form of the kata; its equivalent minor form is called Kanku sho. Kanku Dai was one of Gichin Funakoshi's favorite kata and is a representative kata of the Shotokan system. The Heian kata contains sequences taken from Kanku Dai, as a result of Anko Itosu's efforts.[2]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Redmond, Rob, Kata: The Folk Dances of Shotokan, 2006
- ^ Gursharan Sahota, The Shotokan Karate Handbook - Beginner to Black Belt, ISBN 0-9524638-0-6
