Chinte (珍手) (Japanese: "Rare Hand" or "Unusual Hand") is a

kata ''Kata'' is a Japanese word ( 型 or 形) meaning "form". It refers to a detailed choreographed pattern of martial arts movements made to be practised alone. It can also be reviewed within groups and in unison when training. It is practised ...

practiced in

Shotokan is a style of karate, developed from various martial arts by Gichin Funakoshi (1868–1957) and his son Gigo (Yoshitaka) Funakoshi (1906–1945). Gichin Funakoshi was born in Okinawa and is widely credited with popularizing "karate do" throu ...

, Shito-ryu and in Okinawan Shorin-ryu Kyudokan. It is a very old kata originating from China. Its mixture of standard movements and rarely seen techniques, vestiges of ancient forms, give this kata a special appeal. Particularly dynamic, with its alternating strong and slow passages, Chinte is unique also in the presence of a number of circular techniques, despite the preference in

Shotokan karate is a style of karate, developed from various martial arts by Gichin Funakoshi (1868–1957) and his son Gigo (Yoshitaka) Funakoshi (1906–1945). Gichin Funakoshi was born in Okinawa and is widely credited with popularizing "karate do" throug ...

for linear movements. It is a kata of close-distance

self-defense Self-defense (self-defence primarily in Commonwealth English) is a countermeasure that involves defending the health and well-being of oneself from harm. The use of the right of self-defense as a legal justification for the use of force in ...

techniques. The somewhat peculiar closing movements allude to the absorption of the power of the waves by the sand, which is a symbol of the return to tranquility after the violent storm. Some believe the final three movements of the Shotokan version, a series of backwards hops, were added to bring the kata back to the original starting place in order to facilitate competition, because they are not present in the other versions of the kata practiced by other styles of Japanese

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 ...

. Alternatively, it could be that the final movements were dropped by other styles because their meaning was lost. One interpretation of the final movements is that an opponent's grab to one's chest is secured and then the hops are used to apply one's body weight to break his wrist. In Seiyo Shorin-Ryu Karate, the last three hops are replaced by taitoshi (body leg drop) followed with a series of blocks, a kick and punch.

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