Heian Godan

Quick Facts

About the kata

Heian Godan is the fifth and last Heian kata and has 23 movements in Shotokan. As the series' first kata, it contains a jump and the mikazuki geri crescent kick, ending in a landing in low kosa-dachi with the gedan juji uke low cross block; which movement this falls on differs by counting method — themartialway.com.au gives the seventeenth, while karateindetails.blogspot.com and the JKA breakdown give the nineteenth. The JKA breakdown marks kiai only at the oi-zuki strike in movement twelve, while both websites give two. The second difficulty is rhythm: shotokankarateonline.com notes movements 9 to 12 have an unusual phrasing of "one, two — three, four," and the last six movements require careful weight transfer between front zenkutsu-dachi and back kokutsu-dachi. In Wado-ryu the kata is called Pinan Godan. Yoshikazu Kamigaito's manual counts 21 movements, the turn in movement thirteen ends in shiko-dachi instead of Shotokan's kiba-dachi, and describes the jump differently: jumping as high as possible with a 180-degree left turn, landing on the toes with the right leg forward.

The kata in different styles

Differences between styles

Kyokushin practices the kata under the name Pinan Sono Go and, according to Jaap Kooman, counts it as 20 steps with three kiai shouts — at steps 9, 10, and 14. Instead of the mikazuki geri crescent kick, the practitioner kicks teisoku mawashi geri into their own palm, and jumps twice into the crossed kake-dachi stance. In Wado-ryu, according to Yoshikazu Kamigaito's manual, the kata begins in the nekoashi-dachi stance, where the JKA breakdown for Shotokan gives kokutsu-dachi. For the slow movements with feet together, Kamigaito keeps the heisoku-dachi stance, as the style's founder practiced it in the early period, although he later recommended musubi-dachi. In Korean Tang Soo Do, the kata is called Pyung Ahn Oh Dan.

Bunkai – applications

Shotokan sources link the jump to a landing in low kosa-dachi with the gedan juji uke low cross block. In Wado-ryu, Kamigaito's manual gives the jump a concrete meaning: an evasion of a leg sweep or a stick strike to the legs, hence jumping as high as possible. The same manual reads further movements as defense against a stick too. The double knife-hand block in movement nine is traditionally practiced against a stick strike, and turning the left hand lets one grab the stick. Pulling the rear leg back in movement sixteen guards against a stick sweep from behind, and the backward lean in movement seventeen evades an attacker's stick from behind while the strike targets a second opponent.

In competition

In the official WUKF kata list of April 7, 2024, the kata is a mandatory kata (shitei) of the Shotokan, Shito-ryu, Wado-ryu, Shorin-ryu, Kyokushinkai, Budokan, Shukokai, Sankukai, and Shisui-ryu styles, named Heian Godan or Pinan Godan depending on the style. In grading syllabuses, shotokankarateonline.com places it at 4th kyu, and Jaap Kooman in Kyokushin at 2nd kyu.

Competition status

• Sport karate (WKF) — Official kata list · valid from 1/1/2026 ↗
• WUKF (World Union of Karate-Do Federations) – Kyokushin — Shitei (compulsory) · valid from 4/26/2024 ↗
• WUKF (World Union of Karate-Do Federations) – Sankukai — Shitei (compulsory) · valid from 4/26/2024 ↗
• WUKF (World Union of Karate-Do Federations) – Shito-ryu — Shitei (compulsory) · valid from 4/26/2024 ↗
• WUKF (World Union of Karate-Do Federations) – Shorin-ryu — Shitei (compulsory) · valid from 4/26/2024 ↗
• WUKF (World Union of Karate-Do Federations) – Shotokan — Shitei (compulsory) · valid from 4/26/2024 ↗
• WUKF (World Union of Karate-Do Federations) – Wado-ryu — Shitei (compulsory) · valid from 4/26/2024 ↗

In grading syllabi

• IKO grading (traditional honbu): 4th Kyu – Green belt

Technique Sequence — Shotokan

Breakdown source: jkakarate.co.uk

1. #1
   Kokutsu DachiUchi Uke(L)
2. #2
   Kokutsu DachiGyaku Zuki(R)
3. #3
   Heisoku Dachi
4. #4
   Kokutsu DachiUchi Uke(R)
5. #5
   Kokutsu DachiGyaku Zuki(L)
6. #6
   Heisoku Dachi
7. #7
   Kokutsu DachiMorote Uke(R)
8. #8
   Zenkutsu DachiJuji Uke(both)
9. #9
   Juji Uke(both)
10. #10
    Osae Uke(both)
11. #11
    Seiken Choku Zuki(L)
12. #12
    Zenkutsu DachiOi Zuki(R)
    kiai
13. #13
    Kiba DachiGedan Barai(R)
14. #14
    Kiba DachiKake Uke(L)
15. #15
    Kiba DachiMikazuki Geri(R)
16. #16
    Kiba DachiEmpi Uchi(R)
17. #17
    Kosa DachiMorote Uke(R)
18. #18
    Renoji Dachi
19. #19
    Kosa DachiJuji Uke(both)
20. #20
    Zenkutsu DachiMorote Uke(R)
21. #21a
    Zenkutsu DachiShuto Uchi(R)Nagashi Uke(L)
22. #21b
    Kokutsu DachiGedan Barai(L)Uchi Uke(R)
23. #22
    Heisoku Dachi
24. #23a
    Zenkutsu DachiShuto Uchi(L)Nagashi Uke(R)
25. #23b
    Kokutsu DachiGedan Barai(R)Uchi Uke(L)