Juroku (十六) is a Mabuni-kei kata, created in 1941 by Mabuni Kenwa while living and teaching in Osaka, Japan.  According to tradition, Juroku, which simply means “sixteen” was named for Showa 16, the year in which it was created.

The Japanese calendar follows each emperor’s reign, starting a new year count and acquiring a new name with each new

Emperor.

Why Study Juroku?

Although at first glance Juroku may seem deceptively simple, it contains examples of all five principles of Mabuni’s Uke no Go Gensoku (受けの五原則) or ‘Five Principles of Defense’.

Uke no Go Gensoku (受けの五原則)

Uke no Go Gensoku or ‘The Five Principles of Defense’ also known as Uke no go genri (受けの五原理) or ‘The Five Principles of Receiving’ and Uke no go ho (受けの五法) or The Five Laws of Receiving’, Mabuni designed Juroku as an introduction to understanding five principles for applying defensive strategies in Karate. 

These five defensive strategies are defined as:

• Rakka (落花), force against force, 
• Ryusui (流水), To deflect without resistance; 
• Kusshin (屈伸), Body contraction and expansion; 
• Ten’i (転位), Dodge with changes of position and 
• Hangeki (反撃), Simultaneous defense and counterattack.

                                                                              Defining Uke no Go Gensoku 

Rakka (落花 – らっか) – “Blossoms fall from a shaking tree”, analogous to a tremor of the earth that shakes a tree with such tremendous force as to knock the blossoms from its branches. 

This principle primarily refers to hard blocking techniques applying sudden maximum power to literally stop the opponent’s attack and destroy his/her confidence.

Ryusui (流水 – りゅうすい) – “Two rivers join in harmony”, analogous to the greeting of two rivers the ultimately create a force greater than each river alone, although doing so with little or no turbulence.

This principle primarily refers to softer blocking techniques that absorb an attack and redirect it, using circular or deflecting blocks or parries in a continuous and flowing movement.

Kusshin (屈伸 – くっしん) – “The lion crouches low in the grass”, analogous to a lion that crouches unnoticeably in the grass with his body coiled for the attack on its prey.

This principle primarily involves lowering the centre of gravity; literally by bending and stretching. The concept is that of disguising one’s stance with the ability to either shift quickly out of one stance and into another, or reflexively dart away and then back, typically at an angle, momentarily “disappearing” from the attacker. The aim is to develop a reflexive type of body shifting from any angle. 

Ten’i (転位 – てんい) – “A willow sways in the wind”, analogous to the branches of a willow tree that sway in the wind, allowing the tremendous force of the wind to pass, seemingly effortlessly.

This principle primarily refers to the general concept of body shifting or tai sabaki (体捌き – たいさばき), shifting the body and turning away from the opponents’ line or angle of attack to avoid the direct force of the attack. Ten’i is often utilised with the evasive manoeuvres and soft deflecting blocks contained within ryusui (流水).

Hangeki (反撃 – はんげき) – “A flower greets the morning sun”, analogous to a flower opening its petals in the early morning to accept the rays of the sun for nourishment.

This principle primarily involves meeting an attack with a counterattack. Typically, this involves developing the high-level skill and advanced concept of reading an opponent’s body actions to determine his or her intent, prior to the opponent’s attack.

Response can be to greet the attack with a counter-attack, Go no Sen (後の先– ごのせん), or to precede the attack with a neutralising action to defeat the opponent’s aggression, or Sen no Sen (先の先– せんのせん).

These five elements should be combined for practical use. Whether you use a hard block (落花 rakka), a gentler, deflecting block (流水 ryusui), or a counter-attack (反撃 hangeki), always move into a safer and more advantageous position without wasting movement or energy, using kusshin (屈伸) and ten’I (転位).

Happo (八) / Tenshin Happo (天心八方)

Also inherent in Juroku kata and integral to the principles of Uke no Go Gensoku is the principles of Happo/Tenshin Happo.

The term combines two concepts:

• Tenshin (転身): Body shifting, pivoting, or evading.
• Happo (八方): Eight directions (represented by the infinity of ‘eight’ in Japanese culture).
  

                                                                                          A common principle in all oriental martial arts, understanding eight directional movement is designed to develop a special awareness to teach practitioners to instinctively evade attacks and counter from eight distinct angles: forward, backward, left, right, and four diagonal directions.

Its purpose is primarily to train the body and mind to deal with multiple attackers or dynamic threats from all angles without losing balance. It teaches practitioners to step off the line of an attack rather than just meeting force with force, to create openings and to off-balance an opponent. 

Moving through these eight directions forms the spatial foundation of many advance katas in all styles of karate. 

While a deceptively simply kata on first appearance, Juroku contains a wealth of advanced technical, tactical and strategic principles and concepts which can take a lifetime to master, that said, the fast pace of the kata and the number of alternating techniques make this kata quite challenging and is typically reserved for intermediate to advanced practitioners. 

This seminar will teach not only the performance of the kata but explore in depth, how these complex principles can be applied in application. 

This seminar will be taught by Charles Hunter sensei, 7th Dan Itosu-ryu, Chief instructor of Itosu-Kai Scotland the official representative organisation for Itosu-ryu Karatedo International Federation in Japan. 

He is a highly regarded martial artist who has hosted international seminars and achieved high-ranking Dan grades in both Karate and Kobudo and trained directly under Ryusho Sakagami, a direct student of Kenwa Mabuni. 

It is proposed to schedule this seminar in the Autumn of 2026. We require a minimum of 4-6 participants to run this seminar. You can register your interest in this seminar here  or book directly using the button below.