Manji Uke
卍受け
Literally: manji (卍)-shaped block
A double karate block: one arm sweeps down, the other guards the head, tracing the manji sign 卍. Featured in Kanku Sho and Jion kata.
Quick Facts
Katas containing this technique
About
Manji uke, literally block in the shape of the manji sign (卍), joins two blocks in a single motion. One arm performs gedan barai, a low-level sweep, while the other simultaneously raises the upper block age uke above the head. The forearms thus point in opposite directions and, together with the body, trace the outline of the old symbol 卍, from which the technique takes its name. It guards the head and the lower body at once, and in applications it is also read as a motion that unbalances the opponent. In Shotokan it appears in three kata. In Kanku Sho it is followed by a move into kiba dachi with a double strike, morote zuki. Jion has the same sequence, only ending it with a kagi zuki strike; in outlines of this kata, manji uke is listed as a typical turn followed by blocks at the upper, middle and lower level. The third kata is Kanku Dai. Who named the technique, and whether other karate styles practise it the same way, we have not been able to document.