Nijushiho

Quick Facts

About the kata

Nijushiho (二十四歩) means "twenty-four steps." In styles that keep the Okinawan names, the same kata is called Niseishi: per English Wikipedia and karatevancouver.ca, it is the only kata Funakoshi Gichin merely renamed, and both names share the same meaning. Karatevancouver.ca states the kata has exactly 24 steps, the source of its name. Themartialway.com.au describes a compact embusen: the kata takes few steps in one direction and changes direction with a small movement. Fast sequences alternate with slow movements, and techniques flow smoothly together. Among elements found in Shotokan only in this kata, the source lists the elbow strike hiji ate at the very start, several awase zuki, and the back-of-hand technique haishu; the stance sanchin dachi also appears. It links the two-handed techniques to close-range fighting. The number of movements differs by how they are counted. Themartialway.com.au gives 34 movements for Shotokan and two kiai, at the 18th and 33rd; Thomas Heinlein (karate-perfekt.de) breaks the kata into 43 movements. The WUKF list from April 2024 places it in Shotokan among the optional tokui katas, and in Wado-ryu as Niseishi.

The kata in different styles

Meaning of the name

Nijushi means twenty-four; karatevancouver.ca interprets the syllable ho as direction, side, part, or step, and considers the translation "twenty-four steps" to be accurate. Themartialway.com.au writes that the name refers to the number of foot movements. Britishwadokai.co.uk offers a different interpretation: according to it, the number in the name Niseishi refers to the twenty-four strikes to acupuncture points that the kata contains. We have not been able to confirm this interpretation in further sources.

Creator and history

According to English Wikipedia, the origin of the kata is unknown; it is assumed that, like Sochin, it belongs among the katas associated with Arakaki, as its similarity to Unsu also suggests. Historyoffighting.com gives two versions: according to some researchers it comes from the Chinese dragon style, while according to others it was created in the 19th century by the Okinawan master Seisho Arakaki, to whom Sochin and Unsu are also attributed. Karatevancouver.ca describes the path into today's styles through the words of Kenzo Mabuni: his father Kenwa Mabuni, the founder of Shito-ryu, learned the kata from Kanryo Higaonna, who had learned it from Arakaki. According to historyoffighting.com, Kenzo Mabuni taught Yoshitaka Funakoshi, the son of Gichin Funakoshi, for some time, and it is through this that Nijushiho, Sochin, and Unsu presumably entered Shotokan.

Differences between styles

English Wikipedia lists the kata in Shotokan, Shito-ryu, Chito-ryu, Ryuei-ryu, Shuri-ryu, and Wado-ryu; in the Korean Tang Soo Do it is called E Sip Sa Bo, likewise "twenty-four steps." The name Nijushiho is kept by Shotokan, while the Okinawan name Niseishi is used, among others, by Wado-ryu and Ryuei-ryu, as shown by the WUKF competition list from April 2024; for Ryuei-ryu it lists it among the compulsory shitei katas. We have not been able to verify from the sources whether Niseishi in Ryuei-ryu matches the form of the kata in Shotokan and Shito-ryu.

Bunkai – applications

Gareth Richards (shinrikarate.blogspot.com) interprets the pushing block osae uke as a block against a strike to the middle level, followed by up to three counterattacks: gyaku zuki to the solar plexus, shuto to the neck, and a raised elbow to the face; depending on the situation, one or two are enough. He reads the large circular arm movement with a double hikite as freeing oneself from a two-handed grip, followed by a double strike to the face and solar plexus. Thomas Heinlein (karate-perfekt.de), discussing the elbow strike chudan hiji ate, emphasizes that the defender's blocking hand must get to the other side of the attacker.

Competition status

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