Heian Yondan

平安 四段

The Heian series consists of five basic Kata introduced by Gichin Funakoshi (1868 – 1957). The name Heian ( 平安 ) literally means ‘peaceful and safe’. The original Okinawan name of this series is Pinan, with the same meaning. The fourth Kata of this basic series is named Yondan ( 四段 ), meaning ‘fourth grade’. In the video embedded below (recorded on 5 June 2023), budoka Johan Oldenkamp, a former national runner-up from the Netherlands, performs this fourth grade Peaceful Mind Kata of Shotokan ( 松濤館 ) Karatedo ( 空手道 ).

In the next video (recorded on 9 september 2024), budoka Johan Oldenkamp performs the Bunkai of this Heian Yondan kata. Bunkai (or 分解 in Japanese) literally means ‘analysis’ or ‘disassembly’. In this Bunkai, the kata of Heian Yondan is broken down and studied for its offensive and defensive elements in twelve practical applications.

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