Kata and other four letter words...

When you've been doing something over 20 years, you tend to do one of two things: Forget how much you know, or forget more than you know.
When it comes to karate I've done my share of both.
Today, while committing to paper all that we would be teaching (i.e. writing the manual), it blew my mind how many kata we could teach. The list for the adult class comes in right under 50 kata.
(counting weapons)
When you consider Master Soken and other early martial artist could spend 2-3 years on learning Naihanchi kata alone, we have our hands full.
Now I'm not saying I'm entirely proficient in all 40 something katas, far from it.
Some of the katas are basic katas used to teach schoolchildren in Okinawa, some are variations on a theme (Rohai 1,2,3), and some I haven't done more than once or twice.
Still, in today's world of teaching karate it is often times better to have too many kata than not enough.
And while I consider a paltry 39 of them important enough to demand my students learn them,
I also expect it will take them 20+ years to do just that.
Karate, the gift that's always new.

Here's a NON comprehensive list of the kata we will teach and/or have seen associated with Ken Shin Kan over the years:
OPEN HAND
Kihongata
Fukyugata Ichi, Ni, San *
Fukyugata Ni International *
Wansu *
Pinan Sho, Ni, San, Yon, Go *
Naihanchi Sho, Ni, San *
Seisan *
Ananku *
Chinto *
Passai Sho, Dai *
Jion *
Ji'in
Gojushiho *
Kusanku *
Ryu Sho Ken (Got it written down, don't know if I can remember it)
Rohai 1,2,3 (Don't know)
Hakutsuru (Don't know)


WEAPONS
Bo Sho, Ni, San, Yon, Jitsu *
Sai Sho, Ni, San, *
Kama Sho, Ni *
Kamagata No Nichigama
Tonfa Sho *
Soken no Nunchaku *
Tekko *
Ni Tanbo
Chatan Yara No Sai
Tsuken Sunakakai no Kon (can't remember all of it) *
Ananku Sai *
Urasoi No Kun (can't remember all of it)
Tokumine No Kun *
Sakugawa No Kon Sho *
Syushi no Kon Sho, Dai *
Chiken Bo (can't remember all of it)
Eku (never done, only seen)
Tinbei/Rochin (which I don't know)

This doesn't include a lot of the children's katas which we've borrowed from other styles.
My goal is to bone up on my weapons katas so that by the end of the year I feel like I can go through all of them without pausing. Katas with a * will be taught and expected for promotion.