is a kata from

Okinawa is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi). Naha is the capital and largest city ...

karate (; ; Okinawan language, Okinawan pronunciation: ) is a martial arts, martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the Okinawan martial arts, indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tii'' in Okinawan) under the ...

. Its history in

Okinawan martial arts Okinawan martial arts refers to the martial arts, such as karate, tegumi and Okinawan kobudō, which originated among the indigenous people of Okinawa Island. Due to its central location, Okinawa was influenced by various cultures with a long hist ...

is relatively short in comparison to other kata as it was composed by Chotoku Kyan. Its meaning is "Light from the South" or "Peace from the South", as it is thought to originate when Kyan returned from a trip to Taiwan.Ananku Kata, The Central Pennsylvania Martial Arts Academy Retrieved on 2009-02-08 What makes this kata special is its techniques of offense and defense while in

zenkutsu dachi Front stance, sometimes also called forward leaning stance or forward stance, is a basic stance used in various Asian martial arts. Although the specifics of the stance vary by style, overall it is visually similar to a lunge, with the forward le ...

and Naname Zenkutsu Dachi (otherwise known as front leg bent stance or

bow stance Bow often refers to: * Bow and arrow, a weapon * Bowing, bending the upper body as a social gesture * An ornamental knot made of ribbon Bow may also refer to: * Bow (watercraft), the foremost part of a ship or boat * Bow (position), the rower ...

and Slanted Front Stance, Ryo-hanchin dachi in Okinawan) This kata also introduces the aforementioned Naname Zenkutsu Dachi in

Shōrin-ryū Shōrin-ryū (少林流) is one of the major modern Okinawan martial arts and is one of the oldest styles of karate. It was named by Choshin Chibana in 1933, but the system itself is much older. The characters 少林, meaning "sparse" or "scanty ...

and

Matsubayashi-ryū Matsubayashi-Ryū (松林流), is a style of Okinawan karate founded in 1947 by Shōshin Nagamine (1907–1997) (an Okina Sensei). Its curriculum includes 18 kata, seven two-man yakusoku kumite (pre-arranged sparring) routines, and kobudō (wea ...

. It is also the first Shōrin/Matsubayashi-ryū kata to start with a centered movement blocking to both sides of the body. One could argue that this kata introduces Double Downward/Lower Forearm Block. In this kata you don't go four directions You go only two directions. That is another reason it is very special.

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