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is a Japanese language, Japanese term used in martial arts like
]
is a Japanese language, Japanese term used in martial arts like karate
(; ; Okinawan pronunciation: ) is a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tii'' in Okinawan) under the influence of Chinese martial arts, particularly Fuj ...
and judo
is an unarmed modern Japanese martial art, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyclopedia Nipponica, "Judo") ...
to refer to the spot where 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 practis ...
'' begins, as well as its line of movement. Though it is not stressed in Okinawa, nearly all Japanese-influenced ''kata'' start and end on exactly the same ''embusen'' point (Kiten). This word is also commonly romanized
Romanization or romanisation, in linguistics, is the conversion of text from a different writing system to the Latin script, Roman (Latin) script, or a system for doing so. Methods of romanization include transliteration, for representing writ ...
as ''enbusen''.
The ''embusen'' line varies for each series of ''kata''. It is always perpendicular to the battle line of an engagement and is the line one travels back and forth in battle. So it is, for example, a straight line for the Shōtōkan ''Tekki Tekki may refer to:
* Naihanchi, also known as Tekki, a series of kata in Karate
*''Steel Battalion
is a video game created by Capcom for the Xbox console where the player controls a "Vertical Tank"—a bipedal, heavily armed mecha. To control ...
'' series of ''kata''. It follows the form of a capital letter ''I'' for the ''Heian The Japanese word Heian (平安, lit. "peace") may refer to:
* Heian period, an era of Japanese history
* Heian-kyō
Heian-kyō was one of several former names for the city now known as Kyoto. It was the official capital of Japan for over one ...
'' series of ''kata'', as well as for the '' Taikyoku'' series. More advanced ''kata'', such as Shotokan's '' Kanku-Dai'' and '' Gojūshiho Dai and Sho kata'', as well as the Gōjū-ryū '' Seipai and Kururumfa kata'', for example, have increasingly more complex ''embusen'' to train the practitioner in more advanced defensive angles and footwork. For any ''kata'', the ''embusen'' is fixed and must be followed exactly for proper mastery of the style.
The rule of embusen
Japanese Kata are mostly arranged to start and end on or around the same point. Many were modified from their original Okinawan versions to accomplish this feat. The purpose of this is simply to allow the movements to be practiced in a small training space. The rule of embusen is that any movements in one direction should be symmetrical and countered by an equivalent number of movements in the opposite direction. In Okinawan karate the maximum number of steps in any direction is normally three.
Further reading
* Marius Podeanu. ''Best Embusen: Shotokan''.References
Karate kata {{karate-stub