Wankan

王冠

The name Wankan (or 王冠 in Japanese) means ‘King’s Crown’ (or ‘Emperor’s Crown’). Wankan is an old kata, whose creator is unknown. It was handed down by the warriors from the Tomari area. Its characteristics are many passages in which defense and offense are performed in one single, formidable action. In the video embedded below (recorded on 11 September 2023), budoka Johan Oldenkamp, a former national runner-up from the Netherlands, performs this Crown of the King kata of Shotokan ( 松濤館 ) Karate-do ( 空手道 ).