Taikyoku

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The Taikyoku series is a series of kata in use in several types of karate. The name Taikyoku (太極) refers to the Chinese philosophical concept of Taiji. The Taikyoku kata were developed by Yoshitaka Funakoshi and introduced by Gichin Funakoshi as a way to simplify the principles of the already simplified Pinan/Heian series. The embusen, or pattern of the kata's movements, are the same as in Heian shodan. Students of karate systems that use the Taikyoku kata series are often introduced to them first, as a preparation for the Pinan/Heian kata. Some Korean Tang Soo Do and Song Moo Kwan Taekwondo schools, also practice these kata (poomsae); they are termed, "Taegeuk", which is a direct Korean translation of the Kanji/Hanja characters used to write "Taikyoku". They are distinctly different from the 8 Taegeuk poomsae practiced in Kukkiwon. Gōjū Kai developed five of its own Taikyoku kata, based on the Shotokan katas and retaining the I-shaped embusen. The embusen (pathway) of all the Taikyoku kata is simple (here, the # represents the starting and ending point):

               *--!  
               |
               |
               |
               |
            !--#

On each turn, a block is executed, followed by a step and a strike. Up and back the middle, then there are three punches.