The Japanese word Heian (平安, lit. "peace") may refer to: Heian period, an era of Japanese history. Heian-kyō, the Heian-period capital of Japan that has become the present-day city of Kyoto. Heian series, a group of karate kata (forms)

What does Heian mean in karate?

Heian Shodan translates as 'Peaceful Mind – level one'. In many ways, the symbolic significance of the 'Heian' series represents the spirit and attitude that accompanies Karate-Do as a Martial Art, so these five kata that make up the series are truly significant, both fundamentally and philosophically.

What does Heian kata mean?

When Gichin Funakoshi brought karate to Japan, he renamed the kata to Heian, which is translated as "peaceful and safe".