Heian Yondan – Kata & Bunkai – Shotokan Kata – Karin Prinsloo

The fourth level Heian has 27 counts and has many similarities to Heian Nidan. The kata’s primary stance is kokutsu-dachi (back stance), but students first learning this kata must also contend with the new kosa-dachi, a cross stance that is quite awkward for most karateka. H4 introduces the student to many new techniques such as kosa-uke, shuto-uchi, kakiwake-uke, mae-empi, and hiza-tsuchi. To perform Heian Yondan also has more kicks (5) than the other Heian kata. Slow moves must also be mastered in this kata. Much of Heian Yondan involves double-hand techniques, with morote-uke (double-hand block) occurring more than any other technique. Obviously, morote-uke was held in high regard during this kata’s creation.
References: Stacy Unger