History

The origins and meaning of Jion are shrouded in mystery, but its name and starting salutation (resonant with Chinese boxing) place it firmly alongside Jitte and Jiin as a collection. The name seems to give it some connection to the Jion Temple, which was apparently known for its martial arts. It most probably comes to Shotokan through Yasutsune Itosu, who is said to have made no changes to the kata (though it did develop slightly within Shotokan in the 1930s and 40s, notably in the general change of nekoashi dachi to kokutsu dachi across all the kata). ~ GE