The Koshiki Kata were designed both as highly efficient, encrypted combat forms and as an effective means for the mental development of the practitioner, serving as a path to deeper self-awareness. They are indeed inexhaustible treasure troves, infinite riches. Roland Habersetzer, a practitioner and historian of martial arts, describes in this book the history, philosophy, and practice of the Koshiki Kata. In parallel, he outlines the development from Tôde to Okinawa te and the emergence of the most significant styles of Japanese and Okinawan Karatedo. 28 Koshiki Kata are presented in detail and in a practically comprehensible manner through words and images: 105 image plates with a total of more than 1700 drawings showcase classic versions and variations of the Kata Pinan (Heian) and Kushanku (Kanku).