Passai

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Passai (katakana パッサイ), also Bassai (バッサイ), is a karate kata. According to Motobu Chōki, the Passai kata was one of the three most practiced kata in Okinawa, along with Naihanchi and Kūsankū, but was already lost in China at the time.^[1] Originally there were two types of Passai, Dai (大, lit. 'big') and Shō (小, lit. 'small'), but today there are many different variations depending on the school. In 1935, Gichin Funakoshi changed the name of the Passai Dai (パッサイ大) to Bassai Shodan (抜塞初段, now Bassai Dai) to reflect the Japanese pronunciation and Kanji, and the pronunciation Bassai was subsequently popularized on the Japanese mainland.^[2]

The Passai kata is practiced today in various Korean martial arts besides karate, such as Taekwondo, Tang Soo Do, and Soo Bahk Do. In Korean, the kata have several names: Bassahee, Bal Se, Pal Che, Palsek, Bal Sae, Ba Sa Hee, and Bal Sak. The kata focus on the idea of changing disadvantage into advantage by strong and courageous response, switching blocks and differing degrees of power. The feeling of kata should be precise, with fast execution of technique and attention given to appropriate balance between speed and power.^[3] Passai kata are usually classed as intermediate.