Gankaku - 岩鶴
Legend has it that Gankaku was created by Sokon Matsumura, who was inspired by the teachings of a shipwrecked Chinese sailor skilled in the art of kung fu. Formerly known as Chinto (Battle East), Gankaku is one of the most graceful Shotokan kata. The kata is usually translated as “Crane on a Rock,” referring to the crane stance (tsuru-ashi-dachi), when one must sink on one-leg as if a crane perched, ready to strike. The crane stance in Gankaku is performed in manji-kamae and is always followed by an uraken/yoko-keage (followed by a punch) combo. Even though the kata has many fast and sharp attacks, it also exhibits several slow postures as well, lending a certain calmness to the kata, especially given the slow double-counts in tsuru-ashi-dachi. The embusen of this kata is a straight line (perpendicular to Tekki), characteristic of fighting in narrow passages or alleys (or even stairways).
Gankaku has several challenging forward spinning turns, unlike most kata which have reverse turning motions. Simply put, forward turns begin with a stepping forward motion in order to change direction while reverse turns begin with a backward stepping motion to change direction. The only “normal” reverse stepping turn of Gankaku occurs during the 3rd manji-uke (#17), and even that is performed linearly (360 degrees), making it more difficult to maintain one’s balance. In addition to forward spinning and standing on one leg, the karateka must also be agile enough to execute a jumping double front kick. As can be seen, the practice of Gankaku helps to develop (and requires) excellent balance. The ability to pivot smoothly on one foot is also essential. Other aspects of the kata are fairly simple, consisting mostly of 3 repeated techniques: kosa-uke, kakiwake-uke, and manji-uke. The kata has a total count of 42.
| Kyodo | Technique | Translation | Stance | Target | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ryosho-awase-uke | both palms combined block | kokutsu-dachi | jodan | |
| 2 | ryosho-juji-osae-uke | both palms X-pressing block | kokutsu-dachi | chudan | |
| 3 | tsuki (sokumen-zuki) | punch (side punch) | kokutsu-dachi | chudan | |
| 4 | gyaku-zuki | reverse punch | kokutsu-dachi | chudan | |
| 5 | gedan-barai | down block | kiba-dachi | gedan | |
| 6 | kaisho-kosa-uke (ryosho-juji-uke) |
both palms cross-block (both palms X-block) |
zenkutsu-dachi | jodan | |
| 7 | ryoken-mune-mae-kosa | both fists crossed in front of chest | zenkutsu-dachi | – | slow speed |
| 8 | nidan-geri & ryoken-kosa (juji)-uke |
two-level kick & both fists cross (X) block |
– zenkutsu-dachi |
chudan/jodan gedan |
|
| 9 | ryoken-kosa (juji)-uke | both fists cross (X) block | zenkutsu-dachi | gedan | |
| 10 | gedan-uke | down block | kokutsu-dachi | gedan | |
| 11 | shuto-uke | knife-hand block | kokutsu-dachi | gedan | |
| 12 | ryosho-kakiwake-uke | both palms wedge block | zenkutsu-dachi | chudan | slow speed |
| 13 | ryosho-kakiwake-uke | both palms wedge block | kiba-dachi | chudan | slow speed |
| 14 | ryoken-kakiwake-uke | both fists wedge block | hachiji-dachi | gedan | slow speed |
| 15 | uchi-uke/ gedan-uke (manji-uke) |
inside block/ down block (swirling block) |
kokutsu-dachi | jodan/ gedan |
|
| 16 | uchi-uke/ gedan-uke (manji-uke) |
inside block/ down block (swirling block) |
kokutsu-dachi | jodan/ gedan |
|
| 17 | uchi-uke/ gedan-uke (manji-uke) |
inside block/ down block (swirling block) |
kokutsu-dachi | jodan/ gedan |
|
| 18 | ryoken-kosa (juji)-uke | both fists cross (X) block | ashi-orishiki (hiza-dachi) |
gedan | |
| 19 | ryoken-kakiwake-uke | both fists wedge block | kiba-dachi | chudan | slow speed |
| 20 | ryoken-kakiwake-uke | both fists wedge block | hachiji-dachi | gedan | slow speed |
| 21 | ryoken-ryokoshi-kamae | both fists on both hips posture | hachiji-dachi | – | |
| 22 | furi-enpi (enpi-uchi) |
swinging elbow (elbow strike) |
hizakutsu | chudan | |
| 23 | furi-enpi (enpi-uchi) |
swinging elbow (elbow strike) |
hizakutsu | chudan | |
| 24 | ryoken-kakiwake-uke | both fists wedge block | kosa-dachi | chudan | slow speed |
| 25 | uchi-uke-kamae/ gedan-kamae (manji-kamae) |
inside block/ down block posture (swirling posture) |
ashi-dachi (tsuru-ashi-dachi) |
jodan/ gedan |
slow speed |
| 26 | ryoken-koshi-kamae | both fists hip posture | ashi-dachi (tsuru-ashi-dachi) |
– | slow speed |
| 27 | uraken-yoko-mawashi-uchi/ yoko-geri-keage |
sideways backfist strike/ side snap kick |
ashi-dachi | jodan/ chudan |
|
| 28* | oi-zuki | lunge punch | zenkutsu-dachi | chudan | |
| 29 | uchi-uke-kamae/ gedan-kamae (manji-kamae) |
inside block/ down block posture (swirling posture) |
ashi-dachi (tsuru-ashi-dachi) |
jodan/ gedan |
slow speed |
| 30 | ryoken-koshi-kamae | both fists hip posture | ashi-dachi (tsuru-ashi-dachi) |
– | slow speed |
| 31 | uraken-yoko-mawashi-uchi/ yoko-geri-keage |
sideways backfist strike/ side snap kick |
ashi-dachi | jodan/ chudan |
|
| 32 | sokumen-zuki (gyaku-zuki) |
reverse punch (side punch) |
kiba-dachi | chudan | |
| 33 | uchi-uke-kamae/ gedan-kamae (manji-kamae) |
inside block/ down block posture (swirling posture) |
ashi-dachi (tsuru-ashi-dachi) |
jodan/ gedan |
slow speed |
| 34 | ryoken-koshi-kamae | both fists hip posture | ashi-dachi (tsuru-ashi-dachi) |
– | slow speed |
| 35 | uraken-yoko-mawashi-uchi/ yoko-geri-keage |
sideways backfist strike/ side snap kick |
ashi-dachi | jodan/ chudan |
|
| 36 | sokumen-zuki (gyaku-zuki) |
reverse punch (side punch) |
kiba-dachi | chudan | |
| 37 | shuto-uke | knife-hand block | ashi-zenkutsu | jodan | shuto-uchi variation |
| 38 | tate-enpi-uchi | vertical elbow strike | ashi-zenkutsu | jodan | |
| 39 | ryote-koshi-kamae | both hands hip posture | ashi-zenkutsu | – | |
| 40 | ryoken-koshi-kamae | both fists hip posture | ashi-dachi (tsuru-ashi-dachi) |
– | natural speed |
| 41 | uraken-yoko-mawashi-uchi/ yoko-geri-keage |
sideways backfist strike/ side snap kick |
ashi-dachi | jodan/ chudan |
|
| 42* | oi-zuki | lunge punch | zenkutsu-dachi | chudan |