I fully believe that martial artists, and Karate-Ka in particular, need to perform the Sacred Trinity of Kata each and every day. For more on my belief, please use this convenient link: https://senseijohn.me/2023/10/18/you-must-do-these-3-kata-everyday-right-now/. .
I realize that not every Karate-Ka would know all three Kata of the Sacred Trinity. To that end, I created the Sanchin-Dai Kata (“Great Three Battles” kata).
I compiled Sanchin-Dai Kata from my Sacred Trinity of Kata. As such, Sanchin-Dai embodies the principle characteristics and components of each of the three individual kata that make up the Sacred Trinity. The Sanchin-Dai Kata utilizes the Sacred Trinity in the following order: Seienchin Kata (the “Path” section), Suparunpei Kata (mandala section) and Sanchin Kata (last three steps). It is therefore a condensed version of the three kata. For those of you that prefer video over the written word, here is a brief video I made to introduce you to my Sanchin-Dai Kata:
To create Sanchin-Dai Kata, I had to identify the key feature of each component Kata within the Sacred Trinity. By key feature, I mean not only the key physical attributes that form the basic martial tenet of the Kata, I also mean key psychological (mental states), emotional (subjective to the performer and esoteric features (both objective and subjective).
The other key foundational matter is to arrange each of the attributes incorporated into Sanchin-dai, into a logical and esoteric order. For example, one learns the Sacred Trinity Kata in the following order: Sanchin, Seienchin then Suparunpei. For decades this was the order that I practiced the Sacred Trinity. When I delved into the heart of esoteric kata practice I shifted the order of performance to Seienchin, Suparunpei then Sanchin Kata. It is this order that I used to create the Sanchin-Dai Kata.
Initially I called this kata the Sacred Trinity Kata. I changed the name because much of my prior articles and videos referred to the Sacred Trinity OF Kata. I therefore decided to pay homage to one of the three strongest Esoteric Kata, Sanchin Kata. Additionally, the name implies that there are three battles (of human existence) represented by the Sanchin Kata and that there are three greater battles. Those three greater battles are found within the Esoteric Kata now known as Sanchin-Dai Kata.
In the event that your kata syllabus does not contain all three of the Sacred Trinity Kata, then you can easily learn my Sanchin-Dai Kata. Again, “Why?” It is because the Sacred Trinity Kata are imbued with spiritual energy. Additionally, the Sacred Trinity of Kata and the Sanchin-Dai Kata provide a means to explore two very important Esoteric Kata concepts. Namely,
- •The effect of prayer and sacrifice within Kata, see this convenient link, https://senseijohn.me/2022/10/17/katannabis-effect-of-sacrifice-prayer/ and,
- •The Sanctification of Kata, see this convenient link, https://senseijohn.me/2023/08/11/katannabis-sanctify-your-kata/
For those of you that do not know all of the Kata within the Sacred Trinity of Kata, do not worry. The next three articles in this series will teach you my Sanchin-Dai Kata for free. Until then, I remain,
Cum superiorum privilegio veniaque *
Sensei John Szmitkowski
* (with the privilege and permission of the superiors)
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Esoteric Kata 
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