Tigo 1

Explanation and History of Tigo 1

The Tigo katas are the most basic kata in all of martial arts. Originally, the set of three was created by Sensei Gichin Funakoshi's son, Gigo Funakoshi. Since he had no dojo, his father introduced it to the rest of the world. They are known by many different names, but primarily "Kihon" (which literally translates to Basic Form) and "Taikyoku (First Cause)." As the name suggests, the most basic of all the Shotokan katas consisting of just two techniques, gedan barai (lower block) and oi tsuki (lunge punch).

It was created with the intention to be an easy introduction to kata and karate itself. They are a simplified version of the Pinan (also known as Heian) katas. You can read about how Gichin developed the kata and name in his book "Karate-do Kyohan."

Zen Shotokai

In Zen Shotokai, we do the first three of this basic kata. The first, Tigo 1, or Taikyoku Shodan consists of only low blocks (Ha Dow Banew) and punches at the solar plexus level (Chun Jin).

It is unknown where the name Tigo comes from.