Shotokan Kata · Advanced (Dan grade)
Step through all 37 movements. Use the arrows or press play. These are simplified schematics of a fast, dynamic kata — the kneeling drop, crane stance and jump are best seen on video and with your instructor; pair them with the written sequence below.
Empi is a study in level change and agility. Its swallow-like rise-and-fall — dropping low, springing up, ducking under, leaping — teaches you to attack and defend at every height and to move your whole body between them without losing balance or power. Three times it repeats a “swallow” sequence: down-block low, rising punch up, knee strike with a grab, then a dropping punch into a crossed stance. It ends by launching into a full turning jump.
Empi is very old. It descends from the Tomari-te kata Wanshu — said to be named after a Chinese envoy who taught in Okinawa around 1670 — and Gichin Funakoshi renamed it Empi (“flying swallow”) in the 1920s for its bobbing, soaring motion.
A text reference for the whole kata — the kneeling opening, the three “swallow” sequences, the knife-hand run, and the palm-heel drive into the jumping finish.
| # | Technique | Stance / note |
|---|
JKA counts 37 with kiai on 15 & 36 and the 360° jump at 35; some tutorials split combinations for a ~46-count. Techniques and landmarks (kneel, crane elbow, palm-heels, jump) are consistent across sources.
Empi introduces several distinctive shapes. Each links to a full breakdown in the techniques glossary.
Empi’s level changes read as ducking, grabbing and uprooting an opponent.
Block a low attack, drive a rising punch up under the chin, grab the head and pull it down onto a knee, then drop your weight into a punch as they fold — a complete take-down-and-finish in four beats.
Lifting into the crane checks a low kick or clears a leg; the elbow, thrown from that poised height, drives into a seized opponent’s head — power from stillness, the first kiai.
The grab and jump spin you behind or over an attacker — evading a sweep and repositioning — to land already covering with a knife-hand block, the final kiai.
The opening drop to one knee should be sharp and low, with a strong down-block — not a tentative crouch. It sets the tone for the whole kata.
Sagi-ashi-dachi must be still and balanced before the elbow fires. Rushing the strike off an unsteady leg loses the poise that makes move 15 special.
The 360° jump is a turn, not a leap — spin tight, stay compact, and land softly and balanced in a strong back stance ready to block.
Empi lives in its rise and fall. Perform it at one height and you’ve lost the swallow — commit fully to each drop and each rise.
As a dan-grade Sentei kata, Empi is judged on genuine level changes — sharp drops and springing rises — a balanced, still crane stance before the first kiai, connected, flowing transitions between its bursts, a controlled 360° jump landing softly in a strong stance, the two kiai in place, and an accurate embusen. Requirements vary by association — confirm with your dōjō.
The illustrations on this page are study schematics — they show the shape of each move, not a real body in motion. To see Empi performed at full speed by senior instructors, watch reference footage:
▶ Watch “Empi” performances on YouTubeOpens a YouTube search in a new tab. Look for JKA / Japan Karate Association or established Shotokan instructor demonstrations for the most standard version of the form.
Or explore Bassai Dai and Jion, or return to the kata library.