For my projects this year, I finally had to grade up to the next Dan in Goju-Ryu Karate, but when I had my accident in April, I had to put those plans on hold. With the knee recovery ongoing, I really sparsely attended any classes and mostly acted in support of tournaments, gradings, and seminars. Unfortunately, my home club does not have a kids’ program and my wife does not like driving me around all the time, so the compromise a few years ago was to put both kids into a Shito-Ryu club. With the kids in the club, I also occasionally attended classes there, mostly to support my kids.

Last week, Shihan brought up the issue that I have been a Goju-Ryu outcast in his Shito-Ryu club for a while now. He asked me if I wanted to grade up in Shito-Ryu too. While I was a bit taken aback at first, I thought it might not be such a bad idea and something to look forward to as part of the recovery process.

Shito-Ryu has a lot of similarities to Goju-Ryu, especially in the basics. The stances are similar, the breathing techniques are similar, but there is a strong emphasis on kata. Mabuni Sensei was a kata nerd, and Shito-Ryu has a whopping 65 kata in its curriculum. Some of them are identical to Goju-Ryu kata, like Sanchin, Tensho, Seisan, Kururunfa, and Seipai, but there are many more that are unique to Shito-Ryu.

I used Shihan’s words wisely and put regular advanced Kata class on my calendar again. Sparring is still out of the question, my stances still look awful. I have not found a good way to brace my knee for lateral movement yet, so I will have to wait a bit longer for that. But getting the Kata back into my system is a good start.

JMAC has excellent instructors for Shito-Ryu; you have the opportunity to directly train with Shihan himself, as well as very seasoned Kata experts who have a solid competition record. So I rebooted my Kata training there and was welcomed back warmly.

Jion Kata

This is one of the katas of the Jion Family. I suspect from the kanji (慈恩) that it means “Temple of Benevolence”; it must have had its origins in a Buddhist temple (慈恩寺). Anko Itosu seems to be the lineage that the modern version of Jion in Shito-Ryu and Shotokan descends through. Kenwa Mabuni (1889-1952) is the founder of Shito-ryu karate. Mabuni trained under Itosu for thirteen years, absorbing the entirety of his Shuri-te system. He also studied extensively under Kanryo Higaonna, the foremost master of Naha-te. This dual lineage became the foundation of his own style, which he named Shito-ryu in honor of his two primary teachers—the name “Shitō” (糸東) is formed from the first kanji in the names Itosu (糸洲) and Higaonna (東恩納). This is one reason why the Nidan (at least in JMAC) is almost an exact mirror image of my Shodan Goju-Ryu kata, while their Shodan kata are mostly from the Itosu lineage.

My first stab at Jion with shoddy knee movement is still a bit rough around the edges, so below see my instructor demonstrating the proper form. Credits to Sensei Annie from JMAC for the video.

I will spare you the form-by-form breakdown, but what piqued my interest were potential bunkai applications for self-defense. Having the bunkai down for each move (at least in Goju-Ryu) is part of the grading requirements, and actually helps me to memorize the moves better. So I started to think about how some of the moves in Jion could be applied in a self-defense scenario with some input from Sensei Annie.

• The first movement—stepping back with a hasami uke (scissors block)—seems like a direct and effective response to a common assault: a two-handed grab to the lapels or a throat grab.
• The wedge block is not a passive defense but an aggressive splitting action, used to drive through an opponent’s arms if they attempt a double grab, a push, or even a series of punches. As the arms are split, the practitioner angles off to a dominant outside position. From here, the kata provides a clear and brutal follow-up: a low front kick (mae-geri) targets the opponent’s knee, shin, or groin to destroy their base and structure. This is immediately followed by a barrage of three powerful punches to the head, demonstrating the principle of finishing the fight once an advantage has been gained.
• The series of three advancing age uke looks like more than defense against a high strike. In a more aggressive interpretation, this sequence is a method for relentlessly pressing forward and breaking down an opponent’s defenses. Each age uke can be used as a rising strike with the forearm to the opponent’s chin, jaw, or armpit, shocking and unbalancing them. The immediate follow-up with a gyaku-zuki (reverse punch) capitalizes on the opening created by the rising strike.
• Dynamic Positional Control: The large, dynamic turns seem like applications for dealing with multiple opponents or an opponent who is attempting to flank the practitioner.
• The high, sweeping block can be used to clear an opponent’s attacking limb while simultaneously striking their head or neck. At the same time, the low block protects the lower body from kicks or a second attacker. The powerful rotation of the body during the turn generates significant force, not only for the block but also for unbalancing the opponent, creating an opportunity for a decisive counter-attack from a newly established dominant angle.

Another interpretation, looking at the swirling movements, is to take Iain Abernethy’s concepts of Kata interpretation into account. I definitely see a Tai-Otoshi in those double-hand swirls there.

There is probably a lot more to unpack in Jion, but it is a good start, and it was my first contact with that particular Kata, looking through a Goju-Ryu lens. A lot more to learn. Maybe the Shito-Ryu Shodan is feasible sometime next year.

Published: 2025-10-18
Updated  : 2025-10-18
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