The History of Fighting

Hirokazu Kanazawa performing Ji'in

Ji’in (Inverted mercy) is no longer accepted as a kata of the Japanese Karate Association (JKA) and along with Wankan, was not included in the ‘Best Karate’ series by Masatoshi Nakayama, which is widely seen as a definitive guide to Shotokan kata. Despite this, many associations still teach it and many instructors feel the kata has a lot to offer their students.

The origins of Ji’in are obscure though as it shares the same Yoi position as Jion and Jitte, it may be closely related to them and have its origins in Chinese boxing (Kung Fu). Like many of the kata, Sensei Gichin Funakoshi changed the name of this form, however the new name, Shokyo (Pine Shadow), did not stick and the name was changed back to Ji’in.

More Kata History