Hand and arm

Introduction

This section covers the striking surfaces of the hand and arm in Kyokushin karate.

It brings together both fundamental striking surfaces and more specialized hand forms, as well as the arm's contact and striking surfaces.

The section is based on Masutatsu Oyama's systematic description of the body's weapon forms, but is organized here as a technical reference for instruction and comparison.

Overview

The section contains three main groups:

Fundamental hand striking surfaces

These are central forms in Kyokushin's technical system.

Specialized hand forms

These are used as more specialized striking surfaces or knuckle forms.

Arm striking surfaces

These belong to the arm rather than the hand.

Fundamental principles

All striking surfaces in this section are based on the same fundamental principles.

Structure

correct form
stable contact zone
clear alignment

Body connection

Force is transferred through the body to the striking surface.

English:
ground → legs → hips → torso → shoulder → arm → striking surface

Japanese / romaji:
jimen (地面) → ashi (足) → koshi (腰) → dōtai (胴体) → kata (肩) → ude (腕) → datotsu-bu (打突部)

Kime (決め)

brief concentration of force
immediate relaxation after contact

Precision

correct striking surface
correct direction
correct distance

Overview of striking surfaces

Fundamental hand striking surfaces

Striking surface	Main contact	Basic form	Common use
Seiken	two front knuckles	closed fist	punches
Uraken	back of the knuckles	closed fist	short strikes
Tettsui	base on the little-finger side	closed fist	downward and lateral strikes
Shutō	outer edge of the hand	open hand	strikes and blocks
Haitō	inner edge near the base of the thumb	open hand	directed strikes
Shōtei	heel of the palm	open hand	strikes, thrusts, blocks
Nukite	fingertips	open hand	directed thrusts

Specialized hand forms

Striking surface	Main contact	Basic form	Common use
Tohō	curved area between thumb and index finger	open hand with thumb extended outward	directed thrusts
Keiko	tips of the fingers	pointed hand form	directed strikes
Koken	outer part of the wrist	bent-wrist form	strikes, some blocks
Hitosashiyubi ipponken	second joint of the index finger	specialized knuckle form	point contact
Nakayubi ipponken	second joint of the middle finger	specialized knuckle form	point contact
Nihonken	second joints of the index and middle fingers	double-knuckle form	point contact
Ryūtōken	triangular knuckle surface	specialized knuckle form	point contact

Arm striking surfaces

Striking surface	Main contact	Basic form	Common use
Hiji	elbow area	bent arm	close range
Kote	lower forearm	forearm in seiken position	blocking, contact

Structural comparison

Striking surface	Hand/arm form	Contact zone	Distance
Seiken	compact closed fist	two front knuckles	medium
Uraken	inverted closed fist	back of the knuckles	short
Tettsui	compact closed fist	base on the little-finger side	short–medium
Shutō	open, gathered hand	outer hand edge	medium
Haitō	open hand with the inner edge directed	inner hand edge	short–medium
Shōtei	open hand with bent wrist	heel of the palm	short–medium
Nukite	open hand with fingertips held together	fingertips	short
Tohō	open hand with thumb extended outward	area between thumb and index finger	short
Keiko	bent fingertips forming a point	fingertip point	short
Koken	bent-wrist form	outer part of the wrist	short
Hitosashiyubi ipponken	specialized knuckle form	second joint of the index finger	short
Nakayubi ipponken	specialized knuckle form	second joint of the middle finger	short
Nihonken	double-knuckle form	second joints of the index and middle fingers	short
Ryūtōken	specialized knuckle form	triangular knuckle surface	short
Hiji	bent arm close to the body	elbow	very short
Kote	forearm as contact zone	lower forearm	short

Functional use

Striking surface	Primary function
Seiken	fundamental linear force transfer
Uraken	fast close-range contact
Tettsui	heavy contact from the side or above
Shutō	edge contact in strikes and blocks
Haitō	directed inner-edge strike
Shōtei	stable open hand for strikes, thrusts and blocks
Nukite	pointed precision toward a narrow target zone
Tohō	directed thrust with the area between thumb and index finger
Keiko	pointed, fast contact
Koken	specialized wrist contact
Hitosashiyubi ipponken	concentrated point contact
Nakayubi ipponken	concentrated point contact
Nihonken	double point contact
Ryūtōken	triangular point contact
Hiji	close-range strike with a compact path
Kote	blocking and controlled contact with the forearm

Understanding the system

The striking surfaces of the hand and arm represent different ways of transferring contact and force.

The striking surfaces can be understood as follows:

seiken – linear and fundamental fist contact
uraken – short and fast knuckle contact
tettsui – force through the outer edge of the fist
shutō – contact with the outer edge of the hand
haitō – contact with the inner edge of the hand
shōtei – force through the heel of the palm
nukite – pointed precision
tohō – directed thrust with the area between thumb and index finger
keiko – pointed contact with the fingertips
koken – contact with the outer part of the wrist
hitosashiyubi ipponken – concentrated point contact with the index-finger knuckle form
nakayubi ipponken – concentrated point contact with the middle-finger knuckle form
nihonken – double point contact
ryūtōken – triangular point contact
hiji – close-range contact with the elbow
kote – the forearm as a contact and blocking surface

Together, they show how the hand and arm are used through different structures rather than through a single standard form.

Use

In training, these striking surfaces are used in:

kihon
kata
kumite
technical application

The choice of striking surface depends, among other things, on:

distance
direction
target area
the structure of the technique

Scope

This section covers:

the striking surfaces of the hand and arm
their structure
their function in technique

It does not primarily cover:

complete techniques
kata as complete forms
kumite as a system
vital points

Summary

The Hand and arm section brings together Kyokushin's central striking surfaces for the hand and arm.

It shows how different forms are used for different types of contact, force transfer and technical function.