Ji’in

慈陰

The name Ji’in (or 慈陰 in Japanese) means ‘Temple Ground’. Taking both Kanji characters apart, the first one ( 慈 ) means ‘kindness’ or ‘love’, while the second one ( 陰 ) means ‘shadow’. This kata is important for the execution of many simultaneous techniques and the often-repeated stances, enabling swift changes of direction while maintaining balance, power, and steps of equal length. It starts with the Ming Salutation (from China) or Jiai-no-Kamae posture, that is, left palm over right high fist. In the video embedded below (recorded on 26 June 2023), budoka Johan Oldenkamp, a former national runner-up from the Netherlands, performs this Love and Shadow kata of Shotokan ( 松濤館 ) Karate-do ( 空手道 ).