Original schematic · For learning, not a market forecast.

Tenkan uses a 9 bar range; Kijun uses 26 bars. Tenkan often responds sooner to changing extremes, while Kijun gives a broader reference for the current move.

Read slope and distance

A rising midpoint means the rolling high–low range has moved upward. In a sustained advance, price may remain above rising Tenkan and Kijun. Falling markets can show the reverse. A large separation from Tenkan describes extension; it does not specify when a correction must begin.

A pullback toward Kijun gives you a place to observe price behaviour. Does price hold, pause, or close through the level? Kijun is a reference to test, not guaranteed support. In a range, a flat Kijun can mark its centre.

Use the cross as a question

When Tenkan crosses Kijun, ask whether price, Kijun’s slope and the cloud support the change. A cross within a crowded, flat structure carries a different meaning from one within an established trend.

Further reading: Kojiro’s Japanese Ichimoku lesson 04. This English lesson and its diagram were independently written and created by Ichimoku Master.