Is there a significance to the number three in karate?

I%26#039;ve noticed that while thinking of all my katas, there tends to be a repetition of movements three times. Either there will be three strikes, three different directions with the same series of strikes, or three steps before a new direction, does anyone know if there is any significance to this or is it just a coincidence?|||3 represents SANCHIN mind body spirit any number containing a 3 like 3 /13/23 is considered fortunate any number that can be divided equally by 3 is also fortunate .


3/6/9/12/15/18 etc





Any number containing a 4 or can be divided equally by 4 is considered an ill omen as the word for 4 or shi can be translated as death.|||Suddenly, I am reminded of that Blind Melon song, %26quot;Three is the Magic Number...%26quot; Never mind.





Anyway, the significance of three comes from Buddhism. The biggest instance of three has to do with the three jewels- Buddha (the teacher), dharma (the teachings), and sangha (the students). For one to exist, the other two must be intact (kinda like in martial arts, no?). In one particular sect of Buddhism called Mikkyo (which prayer and meditation movements influence a lot of katas, btw) the three comes from the three sacred objects; a mirror, a sword, and a jewel. Multiples of 3 as mentioned before in other posts are also abundant- 108 is the number of beads Tibetan monks wear on their necklaces, 39 days is how many day you are in limbo before you are reborn again, and so on.





You can read a lot more about how this relates to martial arts by reading anything by Dave Lowry. He can get more in-depth than I. As for me, I think that the multiples of threes are primarily there because it%26#039;s an easy number of moves to remember. Lots of people (especially kids) I know have a hard time with 5-step wazas. I would say, although Buddhist influences are found, most likely the multiples of 3 is a convenience.|||You are right that there is a common occurance of 3s in karate.


In Goju you have the original names which hint at or include units of 3 (sanchin, seisan, seipai, sanseiru, etc). So, they are there. But I havent heard a definitive answer myself about the real meaning of the 3s. I have heard that it comes from China, but why or how... I havent heard a real answer.





I have heard a lot of half correct answers like Shooters about the 4 and %26quot;sanchin meaning 3%26quot; - answers that are based on truth but not actually true. You will have to dig very deep to find actual factual answers. Good luck!





(I guess we can all hope someone might really know and can point to good sources...)|||Yes, there is. Japanese and Chinese cultures have a stigma about the number three, with three time three being the best number, kinda like a lucky number seven. For instance, Japanese dragons only have three talons. That%26#039;s why there are only nine possible Dan rankings in many Japanese arts.