Kime-no-Kata

Quick Facts

About the kata

Kime-no-kata consists of twenty techniques in two parts: eight practised kneeling (idori), twelve standing (tachiai). Per the English Wikipedia, both parts include defence against attacks without a weapon and with one. The attacker (uke) brings a sword and dagger into the kata, carried at the right hip with blades facing up; during the kata the dagger is tucked under the jacket above the belt. Practitioners start facing each other about 5.4 metres apart, then kneel and close to a distance of two fists (hiza-zume). Per the description on judoinfo.com, taken from Jigoro Kano's book Kodokan Judo, a kiai shout accompanies uke's attack and is also heard in tori's response. The first kneeling technique, ryote-dori, shows this well: uke grabs tori by both wrists, tori breaks free, kicks him in the solar plexus, moves into the elbow lock waki-gatame, and uke submits by tapping his thigh. In the Czech Judo Federation's examination regulations, in force since 12 April 2023, Kime-no-kata is mandatory for 3rd dan, always with the ceremony.

The kata in different styles

Meaning of the name

Kodokan Global translates the name as forms of decisive techniques, seeing the kata's purpose in training techniques for serious, real combat. The older name Shinken Shobu no Kata (真剣勝負の形) is translated by the English Wikipedia as "kata of real combat"; per judoinfo.com it teaches the basics of attack and defence in an actual combat situation.

Creator and history

The English Wikipedia and judoinfo.com agree that the kata originated at the Kodokan around 1888; we have not been able to establish in the sources who compiled it. Kodokan Goshin Jutsu, founded in 1956, is according to the English Wikipedia a more modern self-defence set by comparison: instead of sword attacks it includes defences against a stick and a pistol.

In competition

Kime-no-kata is one of the five katas contested at the IJF Kata World Championships. At the 2021 World Championships in Lisbon, only Nage-no-kata and Katame-no-kata were open to juniors under 23. In Kime-no-kata that year, the French pair Michel and Laurent Jeuffroy won, the French pair Grégory Marques and Stéphane Bega finished second, and the Spanish pair Miguel Ángel and Antonio Vicens Siquier finished third.

Competition status

• Judo IJF (International Judo Federation) – Judo — Official kata list ↗

In grading syllabi

• IJF system (dan grades): 3rd dan