Three Conflicts: Three treasures
Probably most, if not all, of us have heard that Sanchin Kata translates as Three Conflicts. And we have certainly heard that “all is in Sanchin”, as though the key to unlocking the mysteries of Uechi-ryu is simply in practicing that very basic but all inclusive kata. Usually, at some point, we may wonder if that’s really true, if it’s possible to become a master through performing those rather simple repetitions of three steps and arm strikes forward, turn and repeat, turn back forward and repeat, and so forth. It’s a fairly generic and limited set of movements, and, while they form the basis for many of the movements that follow in the other Kata, they hardly seem sufficient on their own. So to what does “all is in Sanchin” refer ? I suggest that we remember the Three Conflicts.
What are the Three Conflicts? One of the original symbols of Uechi-ryu, the three interlocking tear drops, offers an elegant answer. Whatever the conflicts are, it is clear from the symbol that they form a whole. Taking that knowledge a step further, what appears to be conflicting can offer resolution in wholeness and through integration. One of the basic series of three conflicts is Form/Speed/Power. This is the domain of the physical, an important domain. However, an overemphasis on one of those aspects usually occurs to the detriment of the others.
Tried my best to post a large photo of my M.A. SummerFest Newsletter here, but kept messing up the home page. I’m tryuing to disprove the old saying “You can’t teach an old dog. . .”, but after a dozen tries, finally gave up.
I don’t know about you, but my e-mail in-box is overflowing with junk messages every morning. No matter what programming trick I create or anti-spam program I buy, the “spammers” always prevail and somehow end up in my “in” box.
Shambhala Publications just sent me Kenji Tokitsu’s latest book to review. Tokitsu, you may remember, also wrote a wonderful book on the life of Musashi (reviewed in this section) and therefore I was most interested to see what he had to say about Karate.
