Tekki Nidan

Quick Facts

About the kata

Tekki Nidan is the second kata of the Tekki series. JKA material gives it 24 movements on a single line, practised almost entirely in the horse-riding stance kiba dachi, with only a few crossed steps and one stance with the feet together, heisoku dachi. Themartialway.com.au calls it the shortest kata of the series. The same source sees its purpose in training grips, throws and locks from a firm kiba dachi. It adds new techniques over the first kata, among them holding both forearms horizontal, ryo zenwan suihei kamae, and the pushing block oshi uke. The grasping block tsukami uke is meant, per the same source, to pull the opponent into a counter-strike. In the JKA grading syllabus, per northstowekarate.com, Tekki Nidan is compulsory for no kyu grade; examiners may pick it from Heian Shodan to Tekki Sandan for the 5th- and 6th-dan exams. In WUKF competition it is an optional tokui kata for Shotokan, and Shorin-ryu lists it as Naihanchi Nidan among both its shitei and sentei katas. The official WKF list gives both names, Tekki Nidan and Naifanchin Nidan.

The kata in different styles

Differences between styles

Jaap Kooman describes Naifanchin Nidan as Hatsuo Royama reintroduced it into Kyokushin Kan for black belts. It starts from heisoku dachi, and already in the 2nd movement comes an uraken strike to the upper level, whereas the JKA version starts with a crossed step and a slow spreading of the elbows. We have not been able to confirm the movement count: the introduction gives 24, but the numbered breakdown just repeats the same text past the twentieth movement. In Shorin-ryu the kata is practised under its Okinawan name, Naihanchi Nidan.

Rhythm and dynamics

JKA material puts the kata's length at roughly 50 seconds. Only two moments are slow: spreading the elbows horizontal in the 1st step, and the grasping block tsukami uke with an open hand in the 20th step, while the 12th step does the same block with a fist at normal tempo. The kiai come at the 16th and 24th steps, each with a back-fist strike uraken to the upper level, the other forearm staying horizontal before the chest.

Bunkai – applications

Gareth Richards (shinrikarate.blogspot.com) reads the opening section as a defence against a lapel grab: double back-fist strikes aim at the attacker's hands, and the joined elbows stop an attempted headbutt. The double-forearm block morote haiwan uke in the second section, he says, serves to lift and twist the attacker's arm, followed by an elbow strike mawashi empi. In the third section the vertical knife-hand block tate shuto uke covers a straight punch, followed by a hooking punch kagi zuki. Richards rejects the widespread claim that the Tekki katas were created for combat on a cramped Japanese ship; he sees them as drilling for close-range fighting.

Competition status

• Sport karate (WKF) — Official kata list · valid from 1/1/2026 ↗
• WUKF (World Union of Karate-Do Federations) – Shorin-ryu — Shitei (compulsory) · 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 ↗

In grading syllabi

• IKO grading (traditional honbu): 2nd Kyu – Brown belt

Technique Sequence — Shotokan

Breakdown source: jkakarate.co.uk

1. #1
   Kosa Dachi
2. #2
   Fumikomi Geri(R)Kiba DachiUchi Uke(R)
3. #3
   Kosa DachiFumikomi Geri(L)
4. #4
   Kiba DachiGedan Barai(R)
5. #5
   Heisoku Dachi
6. #6
   Kiba DachiUchi Uke(L)
7. #7
   Kosa Dachi
8. #8
   Kiba DachiGedan Barai(L)
9. #9
   Kiba DachiKoshi Gamae(both)
10. #10
    Kiba DachiUchi Uke(R)
11. #11a
    Sagi Ashi DachiKoshi Gamae(R)
12. #11b
    Fumikomi Geri(R)Kiba DachiEmpi Uchi(R)
13. #12
    Kiba DachiTsukami Uke(R)
14. #13
    Kiba DachiKagi Zuki(L)
15. #14
    Kosa Dachi
16. #15
    Fumikomi Geri(R)Kiba DachiUchi Uke(L)
17. #16a
    Kiba DachiNagashi Uke(R)Gedan Barai(L)
18. #16b
    Kiba DachiUraken Uchi(R)
    kiai
19. #17
    Kiba DachiKoshi Gamae(both)
20. #18
    Kiba DachiUchi Uke(L)
21. #19a
    Sagi Ashi DachiKoshi Gamae(L)
22. #19b
    Fumikomi Geri(L)Kiba DachiEmpi Uchi(L)
23. #20
    Kiba DachiTsukami Uke(L)
24. #21
    Kiba DachiKagi Zuki(R)
25. #22
    Kosa Dachi
26. #23
    Fumikomi Geri(L)Kiba DachiUchi Uke(R)
27. #24a
    Kiba DachiNagashi Uke(L)Gedan Barai(R)
28. #24b
    Kiba DachiUraken Uchi(L)
    kiai