Tenkan

        

I remember traveling to a seminar, and being asked in front of the class what Tenkan was.  I reflexively replied "Blending."  I earned a glare; the instructor was looking for "Leading."

While the Tohei lineage does have a solo practice of 180 degrees and the hips bladed to the forward arm, in application there are several variables in play.

The initial shift - the distance and the direction.

Which leg is weighted at the start.

Which leg is weighted at the end.

Do the hips blade or stay neutral.

Sinking, rising, expanding, shrinking, pulsing

In partner practice, these variables get even more messy.  All the variables above mixed with my timing and placement in relation to Uke.  

How deep is the shift, In front/behind/neutral.

Collapsing Uke's strength from the inside, moving to the outer edges of Uke's strength, not affecting Uke's strength at all.

How many degrees, how much of the circle, is the turn.

The main English words I hear to define Tenkan are Neutralize, Join, Lead, Follow, and Blend.  I linked to a thesaurus.  Just as these English words are not the same thing, (lead and follow are even opposites) I have come to think there are different basic Tenkan.