Unsu

Meaning

Hand in the Clouds, Cloud hands

Also known as Unshu.

History

Introduced by Arakaki Seisho and passed down to Mabuni Kenwa (Shito-ryu) and later adopted by Shotokan, presumably by Funakoshi who was a contemporary of Mabuni’s. It is a White Crane form and it resembles greatly a Southern Shaolin Kung-fu set, known as “The Walking Crane”. It is considered to be the most advanced kata in the Shotokan curriculum.