Kūsankū is a cornerstone of many styles of karate. It is characterized by the use of flowing techniques that resemble those found in
White Crane Kung Fu. It also has a wide variety of open-handed techniques. In
Matsubayashi-ryu karate, the kata is known for its flying kick and its "cheating" stance, which robs the opponent of opportunities to attack by extending one leg along the ground and squatting as low as possible on the other (ura-gamae). One possible
bunkai for this technique allows the practitioner to escape a
bear hug from behind by twisting and dropping out of their grasp. The hand techniques that accompany the stance block the head, while allowing for a strike to the groin, knee, or foot. Because of the complexity of its techniques, Kūsankū is the highest ranking and most complex kata in Matsubayashi-ryū, and is said to take more than ten years to master. In
Shotokan, Kankū-dai consists of 65 movements executed in about 90 seconds. It is a major form of the kata; its equivalent minor form is called Kankū-shō. Kankū-dai was one of
Gichin Funakoshi's favorite kata and is a representative kata of the Shōtōkan system. The
embusen (path of movement) of Kankū-shō is similar to that of Kankū-dai, but it begins differently. It is a compulsory Shōtōkan kata and of high technical merit. As a result of
Anko Itosu's efforts, the
Heian kata contain sequences taken from Kankū-dai. ==References==