Kopasho

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Kopasho is an advanced, or black belt level, kata in the style of karate known as Shorei Gojuru.

[edit] On the Kata

Although Shorei Gojuru is a Japanese martial art, the kata originated in India, the second civilization known to have made significant use of martial arts, the first having been Egypt. Indian animal imitation can be seen throughout the kata, the most mimicked animals being peacocks, tigers, and cobras. It lends itself most readily to rigid movements and crisp distinctions between them, unlike, say, the Himino series, which have movements often blurred together. It does not make use of gymnastics, jumps, or non-standard stances, positions of the body which are used in karate to strike, block, or kick from, although it uses several odd hand movements. In this vain, only stances four, six, seven & fourteen are used. It uses a tiger immitation consisting of a mountain punch, U-punch and low block often, as well as a peacock imitation involving stance fourteen and a hand movement resembling a horizontal kagi wagi. Kopasho is performed as follows.

[edit] Performance

• Break, step into stance fourteen going to your left with your right leg while bringing your hands to your belt knot in tenji, turn into a stance four facing forward and make two double spear hands, block a kick coming from your left with a low block, with your right hand punch to the groin with a tsiken, chin with an uppercut, and finally to the jaw with a roundhouse, repeat this going to your right, reverse right and left, do a double block.

• Make quarter turn going backwards, do another double block, step into your left foot and step into zen facing your left, push away block in tenji, tiger claw strike in tenji, roll an empi and an uppercut in the same movement, step forward in zen with a low block, tsiken suzuki to the chest, half turn backwards into a stance four with a double block, another double block, step to your right into a stance seven facing forwards, step into a stance four with a tsiken to the groin with your left hand, with your right hand punch to the groin with a tsiken, chin with an uppercut, and finally to the jaw with a roundhouse.

• Step into your left foot and step into zen facing your left, a double snake hand to the eyes, retracting them in tenji, step into your back leg, step into a stance four to your left with synonymous empi and tsiken, step into your left foot, side kick with your right foot on a diagonal line, set your foot down with a moroto tsiken to the groin on the diagonal line, bring your back leg to the front in a stance fourteen with a groin grab on a horizontal line.

• Step into a stance fourteen going in the opposite direction while bringing your hands to your belt knot in tenji, turn into a stance four facing forward and make two double spear hands, step to your left into a stance seven with a chuto, turn your extended hand so that the palm faces outward, inside crescent kick to the palm, empi, step back into stance four with an uppercut, turn into a stance fourteen going in the opposite direction with a tsiken to the groin, break and bow.