# Sanchin kata art piece



## _Simon_ (Sep 30, 2021)

Heya guys, a few months ago I did my contribution to a particular martial arts organisation zine. I'm really so happy with what came out here, and something I hope to embody in this rough time, and thought I would share it here.

It's a drawing of how I see Sanchin kata; very much a kata that teaches principles of grounding, rootedness, alignment throughout the body, moving always from your centre (and returning to it), and projection of energy from a stable base and foundation.

This is how I feel when I do the form haha, and it was only really after a particular session with someone on this that this kata changed completely for me, and took on a whole new life. Every time I do it now, it has elements of this feeling.

It very much reminds me of a tree, and of the earth-man-heaven idea. The art is very much Celtic-inspired in theme (been obsessed with it haha), but lots of different symbology in the pic haha. I've had such a reverence and fondness of trees, and love that they are firmly grounded in their foundation, have a central point, but also reach out into the infinite, towards the sky. Something so incredibly beautiful about that... this sort of vertical alignment and being like an antenna moving through life rather than a horizontal time-based being is really fascinating...

Sanchin translates to "three battles" or "three conflicts", and speaks to what seems initially like a battle between these three aspects, but really to me it's about recognising the interplay, and bringing into and seeing the unification of "mind, body and spirit". Many other themes of "3" too haha.

I enjoyed so very much every time I would delve into drawing this... I felt like any sense of creativity was stripped away over the last few years, but this has really gotten me back in touch with it and it's so very joyful to draw and create again and to reclaim this. I did an extra placard as I felt a bunch of words on the piece would utterly and irreverently butcher it haha.

But anyway, wanted to share this piece which came from my heart.


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## seasoned (Sep 30, 2021)

Very nice post, Simon. At the heart of Okinawan GoJu (hard/soft), Sanchin is the first kata taught in many Dojo. Chojun Miyagi, this style's founder considered Sanchin so important for development that he required students to train exclusively in it for many years. Thank you for the great depiction illustrated above.


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## _Simon_ (Sep 30, 2021)

seasoned said:


> Very nice post, Simon. At the heart of Okinawan GoJu (hard/soft), Sanchin is the first kata taught in many Dojo. Chojun Miyagi, this style's founder considered Sanchin so important for development that he required students to train exclusively in it for many years. Thank you for the great depiction illustrated above.


Oh thank you very much, yeah I love this kata alot, and can understand why Chojun Miyagi Sensei saw its importance!

Love how it's purposefully minimalistic, but there's so much to keep in mind within every movement, and nonmovement, and internally... I've also learned a few different versions of it and found the differences and the emphasis interesting


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## Steve (Sep 30, 2021)

Really well done.


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## ThatOneCanadian (Oct 12, 2021)

As an artist myself, I must say that this is quite a good composition! I have never done Sanchin or any of its parent arts. Is this basically what it's supposed to represent/train?


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## dancingalone (Oct 12, 2021)

Who knew that Groot was a Goju-ryu karate-ka?  LOL


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## _Simon_ (Oct 12, 2021)

ThatOneSyrian said:


> As an artist myself, I must say that this is quite a good composition! I have never done Sanchin or any of its parent arts. Is this basically what it's supposed to represent/train?


Oh thanks so much, I never considered myself very good at drawing at all but I'm really happy with how this came out.

Yeah it's definitely how I feel when I do the kata! It's very much a kata which to me teaches very foundational things, connection to the ground and rootedness, posture, alignment, coordination and projection of energy from a stable base. It reminds me of a tree and what it symbolises. It's not saying that it's "stuck", but that it has a firm connection below, whilst also being intimately connected with the air, universe, projecting that rooted energy "outwards" and reaching up and out towards the infinite hehe.

But it's amazing how much depth there is to it... it's why it's said that the masters of old would get their students to train nothing but Sanchin for like 3 or 5 years haha


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## _Simon_ (Oct 12, 2021)

dancingalone said:


> Who knew that Groot was a Goju-ryu karate-ka?  LOL


I had no idea who Groot was until I looked him up haha, wow the similarities are uncanny!

Now that you say that... 🤣


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