is a

kata ''Kata'' is a Japanese word ( 型 or 形) meaning "form". It refers to a detailed choreographed pattern of martial arts movements made to be practised alone. It can also be reviewed within groups and in unison when training. It is practised ...

of apparent Southern

Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...

(

Fujian Fujian (; alternately romanized as Fukien or Hokkien) is a province on the southeastern coast of China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its capi ...

ese) origin that is considered to be the core of several styles, the most well-known being the Okinawan

Karate (; ; Okinawan language, Okinawan pronunciation: ) is a martial arts, martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the Okinawan martial arts, indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tii'' in Okinawan) under the ...

styles of Uechi-Ryū and

Gōjū-Ryū , Japanese for "hard-soft style", is one of the main traditional Okinawan styles of karate, featuring a combination of hard and soft techniques. Both principles, hard and soft, come from the famous martial arts book used by Okinawan masters dur ...

, as well as the

Chinese martial arts Chinese martial arts, often called by the umbrella terms Kung fu (term), kung fu (; ), kuoshu () or wushu (sport), wushu (), are Styles of Chinese martial arts, multiple fighting styles that have developed over the centuries in Greater China. Th ...

Fujian White Crane Fujian White Crane, also known as White Crane Style () is a Southern Chinese martial art that originated in Yongchun County, Fujian () province. According to oral tradition, the style was developed by Fang Qiniang (方七娘; Amoy Min Nan: H ...

Five Ancestors Five Ancestor Boxing (''Wuzuquan'' or ''Ngo-cho Kun'') is a Southern Chinese martial arts, Chinese martial art that consists of principles and techniques from five styles: * the breathing methods and Iron Shirt, iron body of Bodhidharma (� ...

, Pangai-noon and the Tiger-Crane Combination style associated with Ang Lian-Huat. Tam Hon taught a style that was called simply "Saam Jin" (

Cantonese Cantonese ( zh, t=廣東話, s=广东话, first=t, cy=Gwóngdūng wá) is a language within the Chinese (Sinitic) branch of the Sino-Tibetan languages originating from the city of Guangzhou (historically known as Canton) and its surrounding are ...

for "Sanchin"). The name ''Sanchin'', meaning "three battles/conflicts/wars" is usually interpreted as the battle to unify the mind, body, and spirit; however, there are other interpretations. Uechi-Ryū practices a form of ''Sanchin'' with "open spear hand" strikes, while the version used by many other styles such as Gōjū-Ryū and

Chitō-ryū is a style of karate founded by , (1898-1984). The name of the style translates as: ''chi'' (千) - 1,000; ''tō'' (唐) - China; ''ryū'' (流) - style, school, "1,000 year old Chinese style." The character ''tō'' (唐) refers to the Tang Dyna ...

use a closed fist.

General information

''Sanchin'' uses the "''sanchin'' stance" named for the ''kata''. Practice of ''Sanchin'' seeks to develop the muscles and bones of the body to help the practitioner withstand blows from an opponent, while drilling the basic mechanics of a strike that depends on a stable base. ''Sanchin'' is the first ''kata'' learned in Uechi-Ryū, while other styles may introduce it later. In Gōjū-Ryu, there are two ''Sanchin kata.'' The first, "Miyagi's ''Sanchin''" or ''sanchin dai ichi'', was created by

Chōjun Miyagi was an Okinawan martial artist who founded the Gōjū-ryū school of karate by blending Okinawan and Chinese influences. Life Early life and training Sensei Miyagi was born in Higashimachi, Naha, Okinawa on April 25, 1888. One of his parent ...

. The second, "Higashionna's ''sanchin''" or ''sanchin dai ni'' was taught with open hands, as in Uechi-Ryū, but later it was also revised to closed fists by Miyagi's co-student Juhatsu Kyoda, founder of

Tōon-Ryū is a style of Okinawan Karate founded by Juhatsu Kyoda. entered the dojo of Higaonna Kanryō in 1902 and continued studying with him until Kanryō's death in 1915. One month after Kyoda started, Miyagi Chōjun (co-founder of Gōjū-ryū) en ...

, and adopted by Chōjun Miyagi as well. This ''kata'' was adopted by other styles such as the later Okinawan style

Isshin-Ryū is a style of Okinawan karate founded by Tatsuo Shimabuku (島袋龍夫) in 1956. Isshin-Ryū karate is largely a synthesis of Shorin-ryū karate, Gojū-ryū karate, and kobudō. The name means, literally, "one heart method" (as in "wholeh ...

and

Kyokushin is a style of karate originating in Japan. It is a style of stand-up fighting and is rooted in a philosophy of self-improvement, discipline, and hard training. Kyokushin Kaikan is the martial arts organization founded in 1964 by Korean-Ja ...

Some styles use a method of checking strength, posture, hand concentration during the performance of the ''kata'' called . This involves a range of techniques from hard strikes to check the tone of the student's muscles and overall strength to very soft and slow pushes and pulls to test the student's ability to react in order to maintain their position.

References

{{Karate Karate kata

General information

See also

References