What is team kata, and what is bunkai?
I · Intermediate · The competition · 1 of 3A kata team is three athletes performing the same kata in unison, all starting in the same direction and facing the judges. In medal matches the team then performs bunkai, a demonstration of what the kata's movements mean in a fight. Kata and bunkai together may take five minutes at most, and bunkai counts as much as the kata.
How it works
- Team size: three or four athletes, of whom three compete in each round.
- All men or all women: teams are not mixed.
- The start: all three facing the same direction, towards the judges.
- What is judged: every aspect of the kata, and synchronisation.
- Bunkai: performed in bouts for medals only, straight after the kata.
- No bow between: kata and bunkai are one performance.
- Time limit: five minutes for kata and bunkai together, from the opening bow to the bow after the bunkai.
- Equal weight: bunkai is given the same importance as the kata.
- No audible cues: using a sound to keep time is a foul.
- Playing unconscious: a downed athlete should rise to a knee or stand within two seconds.
- Scissor takedowns: allowed to the body or legs, and prohibited to the neck.
The glossary has the team kata, the bunkai, the kata criteria, the kata scoring, the kata faults and disqualification and the judges.
Tricky cases
Does a team perform bunkai in the early rounds?
No. Bunkai is performed in the bouts for medals. In other rounds the team performs the kata only.
Can the team breathe loudly together to stay in time?
No. Using audible cues to guide the tempo is a foul, whether from a team member or anyone else.
A team's kata and bunkai run to five minutes and ten seconds. What happens?
Disqualification. Exceeding the total time limit of five minutes is on the list.
In bunkai, one athlete is thrown and lies still for effect. Is that allowed?
No, not for more than two seconds. Simulated unconsciousness beyond that is a foul, and the rule book calls playing unconscious inappropriate.
Why the rule exists
Three athletes moving as one show a precision that a single performer cannot. Bunkai then answers the question a kata leaves open, which is what each movement is for. The limits on acting and on throws to the neck keep the demonstration realistic and safe.
Where it differs
| Where | What changes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Early rounds | Kata only | WKF Kata 3.5.4 |
| Medal matches | Kata and bunkai, five minutes in all | WKF Kata 3.5.4; 3.5.6 |
| Bunkai criteria | Timing and distance, and control, replace synchronisation and breathing | WKF Kata 5.6 |
| Scissor takedown to the neck | Disqualification | WKF Kata 5.8 |
| Individual kata | No bunkai | WKF Kata 5.4.3 |
From the rule book
World Karate Federation, Kata Competition Rules (version 2026.0, valid from 1 January 2026), Articles 3.3.2, 3.5, 5.3.1, 5.4.3, 5.6, 5.7 and 5.8. Checked 14 October 2026. Official document: the federation's Kata Competition Rules.