Original schematic · For learning, not a market forecast.

A developing trend is a sequence of relationships. Price may regain Tenkan, then Kijun, while the cloud and Chikou still disagree. This describes improving short term balance before broader confirmation.

Use stages as observations

Follow price relative to Tenkan, Kijun and the current cloud; then inspect the Tenkan–Kijun relationship, Chikou and the spans. An orderly bullish schematic can show price above Tenkan, above Kijun, above the cloud. A bearish schematic reverses the structure.

That ordering is an idealised example, not an invariant rule. Spans were calculated earlier, and their relative positions can change independently of current price. A real market can skip, reverse or repeat stages.

Measure the retracement

A retreat from above Tenkan toward Kijun is different from a move through the entire cloud. Compare today’s position with the strongest position achieved during the move. This distinguishes progress, a pullback and a larger loss of trend structure.

Further reading: Kojiro’s Japanese Ichimoku lesson 08. This English lesson and its diagram were independently written and created by Ichimoku Master.