What do you think is the most important kata to learn?

[kenttiensankari]

Single one? Kusanku (Chatan Yara). It has all that is needed and more, when talking about bunkai.

yeah, Ive heard that kusanku got all everything important. And it is also the name of the club where I train so it would be obvious choice for me also.

Second place goes for seisan, I have only trained the form of it, but it seems to be very interesting kata, also very tough one. I have also heard that this includes much of what is important in the style what I train.

Ananku is on third. The bunkais that I have trained seems to be very effective, and I also love training the form. Personally my favorite kata.

[Jussi Häkkinen]

Second place goes for seisan, I have only trained the form of it, but it seems to be very interesting kata, also very tough one. I have also heard that this includes much of what is important in the style what I train.

Seisan is a basic kata in Kyan lineage. It should be taught first - it includes basic (no, "basic" doesn't mean "unadvanced") striking, seizing, blocking and movement ideas. Obvious choice for many, good basics.

Ananku is on third. The bunkais that I have trained seems to be very effective, and I also love training the form. Personally my favorite kata.

You're doing Kyan's lineage Ananku. Kyan created his Ananku based on three other kata - Seisan, Wansu and Passai. So, take three and skip Ananku and you'll have all that's in Ananku + much more.

Personally, I only do Ananku in seminars now (and sometimes in warmup). It's a funny curiosity and nice "trailer" of Kyan's karate, but doesn't have anything personal to it that wouldn't be in other kata. However, it's short and easy.

For Kenttiensankari, read this (sorry, in Finnish) and this (again in Finnish). They contain stuff that should be interesting for you.

And if bunkai isn't taught to you straight with the kata, I'd recommend for searching an another club. It's rather disappointing to see people who can do the form of kata but have gaps in its bunkai.

[pers]

Each kata is important for developing your karate ,they all have a purpose .You learn them one by one and then acoarding to your body type and attitude you may prefare the one's that suit you best ,but all katas complement each other.My favourite is hangetsu as I enjoy the health benefit of exercising internal organs by its breathing techniques.

[kenttiensankari]

For Kenttiensankari, read this (sorry, in Finnish) and this (again in Finnish). They contain stuff that should be interesting for you.

And if bunkai isn't taught to you straight with the kata, I'd recommend for searching an another club. It's rather disappointing to see people who can do the form of kata but have gaps in its bunkai.

Great article. Seisan is teached after kenshuho(not a kata anymore), ananku and wanshu in Finland. Since it is too hard for beginners. Seisan is asked in the test of blue belt and brown belt (2.kyu and 1.kyu), so Im just beginning to learn it. Some bunkais were trained in trainingcamp in Lappeenranta last week. Few bunkais from ananku, and one from seisan. (Short camp, not much time). Also other camps are included bunkaitraining of the katas, so it is not forgotten.

Of course it is a little shame that now there is not much time for bunkai in normal training since the big change happened this year, and lot of new stuff came in after Sensei Matsuoi left the style.

[Jussi Häkkinen]

Great article. Seisan is teached after kenshuho(not a kata anymore), ananku and wanshu in Finland. Since it is too hard for beginners.

Think about it - it's taught as a first kata in Renshinkan in Japan and in most Kyan-originated styles. It really isn't all that hard - Wansu is a lot harder kata (bunkai-wise) than Seisan. Seisan gives a base that everything else is good to built on. It's not hard - it's just long. It basically just teaches to use the shikodachi-zenkutsudachi -switch that is a basis to Seibukan (and later Renshinkan) and was taught by Kyan.

Also other camps are included bunkaitraining of the katas, so it is not forgotten.

You don't train bunkai always when training a kata? Bunkai training isn't a major form of kata training?

Of course it is a little shame that now there is not much time for bunkai in normal training since the big change happened this year, and lot of new stuff came in after Sensei Matsuoi left the style.

Actually, I'd be prepared to claim that lots of old stuff came in. However, I don't understand the point of training kata at all if you haven't learned the bunkai for it - at least for a major part of it. Personally, I'm a big "fan" of teaching kata via bunkai - i.e. first the needed basics, then the bunkai and finally the solo form to have something to train at home and to remember the bunkai.

[Samurai Shotokan]

Hi agian I was watching a video of both Kasku Dai and Kanku Sho then i watched Heian Nidan and Sandan and they have alot of movements that are pretty much the same so who was saying the heians came from the kanku kata?

But im not saying the Heians are useless i think the benifit everyone

[Shorin Ryuu]

See my post on the top of page 2...

[P.A.L]

Sanchin has some benefits but it doesnt provide all round fighting skills like other Kata and neither does it develop fast twitch muscular development

sorry i didn't mean Miyagi Version, i was thinking more of some Shuri Sanchins(or it's better to say Chinese oriented sanchin on okinawa) like Shorinji Sanchin and little bit of Tsuru Sanchin,

[Uechi Kid]

It would have to be Sanchin Kata.

[patusai]

I'm not sure that there really is a single most important kata. I heard that Chosen Chibana has others teach students the Pian kata 1 - 4 but personally taugh students Pian Godan because he felt it was inmportant...but that could be because he enjoyed teaching it more than the rest.