25/01/2026
Wankan (wan: king; kan: crown) is a very short kata compared to other advanced kata, but requires the highest level of strategy, use of transition, and rhythm.
Its brevity enhances its essential point: kime, the total decision.
Wankan should be performed, in fact, with the calm and harmony a master of Shodō is capable of in the act of painting with his brush and, at the same time, with the strength and determination with which a master of laidō extracts his katana.
23/01/2026
An ancient proverb says: "Meikyō Shisui" (明鏡 止水 / Bright mirror, quiet water) to indicate the perfect condition to which the mind must aspire.
As a bright mirror or calm water reflects the truth of people and things without distortion, so the mind must be. The first part of Meikyō is repeated in exactly the same way, both forward and backward, with a relaxed pace, yet confident and determined. In the second part of the kata, the pace changes with a crescendo that leads to a conclusion with a spectacular circular technique during a jump.
20/01/2026
Chinte (Chin: unusual, rare; te: hand, technique) is a very particular kata, not only for the use of techniques that are not present in any other kata, such as the hit with the tip of the index and middle finger or the fist with the middle knuckle, but above all for the great strength and energy that the hara needs in order to make the circular techniques that characterize the entire kata powerful and effective.
17/01/2026
The Jiin kata can be considered a complementary version of the kata Jion, presented in the first volume. Jiin shares with Jion the first part of the name (Ji), written with the same kanji, part of the pattern of ex*****on, and many strategies.
Another specific trait that underlines a close link with Jion is shown by the very first action in which the difference is only in the opposite position of the arms, as if to indicate formally that Jion and Jiin are each other's complement.
20/01/2026
17/01/2026