Bassai Dai is common, in some form, in many Karate styles. It is called Passai or Patsai in some Okinawan styles. The kata has a feeling of speed and precision with various degrees of expressed power. It has fast direction changes and should be performed with a balance of power and speed. It is a typical Shuri-te kata.
Many historians say the kata has it’s roots in both Lion and Leopard Boxing from ancient China that utilized stomps and open hand techniques. In some Chinese dialects, Pa Sai and Ba Sai translate to Leopard-Lion. The modern meaning of Bassai is “to penetrate an enemy’s fortress.” This is the Dai (large) version of the kata as opposed to the Sho (small) version. Both were developed by Itosu Anko (1831-1915). This kata is a direct version of Passai while the Sho version has quite a bit of variation.