Does Shotokan have the flashiest/coolest katas?

Wado Heretic · Green Belt

From a traditional perspective, I would probably argue that Inoue-Ha Shito-Ryu probably possesses the coolest kata. After all, the coaching of Inoue Yoshimi produced Mie Nakayama, Rika Usami, and Antonio Diaz. Names that should be quite familiar to those who follow kata competition. Rika Usami is the person I most recommend people watch when it comes to trying to appreciate kata. The way his students perform have that unique mix of poise, grace, and power that is rare to find, and the moments of sheer athleticism are left to where appropriate so that they stand out.

In terms of flashiest; you cannot really reach above the absurdity of Extreme martial arts (XMA) which combine martial arts with acrobatics and gymnastics. Free-Style Karate, which exists as a vehicle for competition, and the American Kenpo Karate tradition have also produced some uniquely “Flashy” kata too. Some of the native Kata of Tae Kwon Do are also rather flashy, in that there are techniques you would not find in traditional kata; for example, high-side kicks, and even turning kicks. I do prefer to give TKD forms the benefit of the doubt though, because several I have seen, are very good for practicing basic techniques or even combinations.

You then have ways of performing Kata which are different, and thus are cool or flashy, in that they go against expectations:

Shotokai, a direct cousin of modern JKA Shotokan, has an approach of minimum contraction and absolute commitment to a technique. Unfortunately, this means many practitioners look sloppy when performing its kata. However, the best of Shotokai karateka do have an oddly compelling look to the way they move.

Tani-Ha Shito-Ryu, and Shukokai, kata can look different from other versions because of many of the underlying principles being slightly different from other schools. Most of the details are minute, but to a trained eye can be entertaining to watch for.

Chito-Ryu evolved from a relatively heterodox tradition, so again, it’s kata is very distinct from the main-stream. Ryuei-ryu is quite similar in that respect, and is of course the system practiced by Tsuguo Sakumoto; whose performance of Anan has yet to be surpassed, in my opinion.

Ashihara and Enshin Karate kata were both developed with competition in mind, and in a lot of ways appear more like pre-arranged shadow boxing, than a traditional kata. Thus, they can make for interesting viewing.

I would argue that Shotokan in many respects does not in fact stand out from the crowd. If one looks at the advanced kata past the Pinan (Heian), Naihanchi (Tekki), and Kusanku (Kanku); the kata are not all that distinct from the versions found in Wado-Ryu, Shito-Ryu, or Shorin-Ryu. This, of course, makes sense as Funakoshi was Ohtsuka’s primary instructor, and Mabuni and Chibana trained under Itosu at roughly the same time. What I would say though, is that after the influence of Gigo Funakoshi, and later Kise and Nakayama; that deep, long stances became a visual cue of Shotokan, as did an exaggerated level of Kime (or fixture) on techniques, and performing kata with intensity and big movements. Thus, I would say that is not the kata of Shotokan that are cool or flashy, but rather the result of the training culture of Shotokan. The stances have become deeper, so the contrast and angles are more obvious, which has a certain aesthetic appeal, compared to the more natural stances of other approaches. The big movements are not necessarily practical, but they can be seen and against the air they look powerful; even if making the moment so big detracts from the intended application. Basically; take any kata from the Itosu tradition, increase the stance size and perform the movements as big as possible, and you will get a similar result.

That is not to detract from the Kata of Shotokan, or to say they do not have unique elements, but rather illustrates that the differences emerged as part of a change in training culture, rather than decisions made in advance. Also, that the kata are largely interchangeable, and that the differences seen are often nebulous, and the reasons they emerged not always logical.
Regarding Shorin-Ryu and the hip movement; it is power generation to an extent, but is also to do with pelvic alignment, and can also hint at what you are supposed to be doing with the front hand when applying the movements.

I personally suspect that it is in-fact a very late innovation of Itosu’s, or even an innovation of Chibana’s further developed by his students; which is why it is seen in Shorin-Ryu today, but is not apparent in the Karate of Funakoshi, Mabuni, or Motobu, even though they were all students of Itosu. I do agree with Wastelander, though, that there is also a distinct possibility that such approaches simply disappeared in the evolutionary path that some descendent schools took in comparison to that of Shorin-Ryu. Regarding, its appearance in other styles with no direct link to Itosu, or Chibana, then I
would argue two points:

1. There are only so many ways to move the human body effectively.
2. Concurrent development; in trying to solve the same problem, they stumbled upon the same solution.

Kyokushin being a great example, where hitting hard is the name of the game. So, it does not necessarily mean such a movement was ever universal in Okinawan Karate. For example; it is not prevalent in Isshin-Ryu or Uechi-Ryu.

Also; regarding deliberate movement. In Japanese Karate; the trend is to try and do everything at once. In Okinawan Karate, it is more important to do what needs to be done as it needs to be done. Neither approach is necessarily wrong, but they do produce a different way of performing kata.
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R. Keith Williams

Prototype · Green Belt

Ironically, I just watched Jesse Enkamp talking about how some Karate styles exaggerate hip movements, and did the exact same salsa-like motion as performed in Shorin Ryu.

MatsuShinshii · Black Belt

MatsuShinshii · Black Belt

G95champ · Black Belt

Many styles share many of the kata, because Shotokan took it from them. So the kata is not better however, I do think the traditional Shotokan dojo preforms those said kata with much more dymanic movements. With a real understanding for fast vs slow, strong vs soft, high vs low, sharp vs smooth, etc etc etc
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(General George S. Patton Jr.) "It's the unconquerable soul of man, and not the nature of the weapon he uses, that ensures victory."

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