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.
This guide is cross-checked against the references below. Where sources genuinely disagree, that is flagged in the text above rather than smoothed over.