An Introduction to Ichimoku

Quick Description

Ichimoku Kinko Hyo is a purpose-built trend trading charting system that has been successfully used in nearly every tradeable market. It is unique in many ways, but its primary strength is its use of multiple data points to give the trader a deeper, more comprehensive view into price action. This deeper view, and the fact that Ichimoku is a very visual system, enables the trader to quickly discern and filter "at a glance" the low-probability trading setups from those of higher probability.

The word Ichimoku can be translated to mean "a glance" or "one look". Kinko translates into "equilibrium" or "balance", with respect to price and time, and Hyo is the Japanese word for "chart". Thus, Ichimoku Kinko Hyo simply means "a glance at an equilibrium chart", providing a panoramic view of where prices are likely to go and the position one should undertake.

Ichimoku Kinko Hyo Japanese charting technique was developed before World War II with the aim of portraying - in a snapshot - where the price was heading and when was the right time to enter or exit the market. This was all performed without the aid of any other technical analysis technique (or study).

Ichimoku charts have become a popular trading tool in Japan, not only with the equity market, but in the currency, bond, futures, commodity and options markets as well. The technique was published over 30 years ago but has only gained international attention within the last few years.

History

The names of mathematicians and statisticians dominate the list of technical analysis innovators; it's not often we see newspaper writers on this list, but Tokyo newspaper writer Goichi Hosoda is an exception to the rule. In the years before World War II, Hosoda with the help of several assistants developed the Ichimoku Kinko Hyo, or "equilibrium-chart-at-a-glance technique." Released in 1968, the technique was designed to illustrate where prices were likely to go and when to trade.

He began developing this system before World War II with the help of numerous students that he hired to run through the optimum formulas and scenarios - analogous to how we would use computer simulated backtesting today to test a trading system. The system itself was finally released to the public in 1968, after more than twenty years of testing, when Mr. Hosoda published his book which included the final version of the system. The technique was designed to illustrate where prices were likely to go and when to trade.

Ichimoku Kinko Hyo has been used extensively in Asian trading rooms since Hosoda published his book and has been used successfully to trade currencies, commodities, futures, and stocks. Even with such wild popularity in Asia, Ichimoku did not make its appearance in the West until the 1990s and then, due to the utter lack of information in English on how to use it, it was mostly relegated to the category of another "exotic" indicator by the general trading public. Only now, in the early 21st century, are western traders really beginning to understand the power of this charting system.

Equilibrium "at a Glance" 

The name Ichimoku Kinko Hyo, which translates to "Equilibrium chart at a glance" aptly describes the system and how it is to be used, as described below:

• While Ichimoku utilizes five separate lines or components, they are not to be used individually, in isolation, when making trading decisions, but rather used together to form an integrated "whole" picture of price action that can be gleaned "at a glance". Thus, a simple look at an Ichimoku chart should provide the Ichimoku practitioner with a nearly immediate understanding of sentiment, momentum and strength of trend.

• Price action is constantly measured or gauged from the perspective of whether it is in relative equilibrium or disequilibrium. Hosoda strongly believed that the market was a direct reflection of human group dynamics or behavior. He felt that human behavior could be described in terms of a constant cyclical movement both away from and back towards equilibrium in their lives and interactions. Each of the five components that make up Ichimoku provide its own reflection of this equilibrium or balance.