Heian (Kata)

In many styles of martial arts karate, the term Heian describes a series of five kata (stylized battles against imaginary opponents). In other styles these are also known under the name Pinan , whereby in the Heian series, compared to the older Pinan series, the first two kata were exchanged due to their demands on the learner. Itosu Ankō developed it for a general teaching system from the Kushanku in order to make karate accessible to a wider mass. This time was an extremely peaceful time by Japanese standards and Itosu defused the original kata by removing the dangerous techniques or converting them to okuden .

Surname

The name of the series 平安, ie Heian according to the Japanese version, originally comes from the Chinese where it is transcribed as píng'ān . From this the reading Pinan developed on Okinawa , which is still widely used today as the name of the Kata series. It literally means peace but also (inner) calm , calmness of mind , peace of mind or peaceful spirit . The name Heian was dedicated to the city of Heian-kyō and the Heian period .

sequence

The numbering of the Heian / Pinan range can cause confusion due to the differences in styles. The Heian Shodan ("first Heian") from z. B. the Shotokan style corresponds to the Pinan Nidan ("second Pinan") from the Wadō-Ryū , whereas the Pinan Shodan ("first Pinan") from the Kyokushinkai . It is the opposite with the Heian Nidan. The numbering from the Wadō-Ryū is the original way of counting. Since the Pinan Nidan is much easier to learn than the Pinan Shodan , Funakoshi Gichin placed it at the beginning and was given the name Heian Shodan . In Kyokushinkai, the Kata series is (again) called Pinan , but the newer numbering has been retained, so the Heian Shodan in the Kyokushinkai style is called Pinan Shodan or (synonymous) Pinan sono Ichi .