Sanseiru

Quick Facts

About the kata

Sanseiru, more often written Sanseru in Goju-ryu, is among the higher-level kata of Okinawan Naha-te. English Wikipedia's overview of Goju-ryu kata states that it teaches movement around the opponent in close-range fighting. According to GKR Karate, unlike the previous kata, it avoids face-to-face combat, requires fewer explosive movements and demands more skill and mental resilience. The kata's opening takes over the initial sequence of Sanchin: a double block repeated three times in sanchin dachi stance. GKR Karate notes that this part is not practiced with the same tension as in Sanchin. The ending consists of the technique morote koken uke, by which the kata is usually recognized. In the GKR Karate curriculum, Sanseru is practiced together with Sepai for the grading from 1st kyu as preparation for the provisional black belt, shodan-ho. The official WUKF kata list from April 2024 lists it for Goju-ryu and Shito-ryu as an optional kata, tokui, and for Ryuei-ryu among the compulsory kata, shitei. We have not been able to confirm the number of movements from a reliable source; katastepbystep.com divides its breakdown into 24 steps.

The kata in different styles

Meaning of the name

English Wikipedia translates the characters 三十六手 as "36 hands". GKR Karate links the number 36 to Buddhist numerology, and interprets the number three, which recurs repeatedly in Naha-te kata, as the fight of mind, body and spirit. According to katastepbystep.com, thirty-six is half of the number 72, to which Chinese martial arts attach a symbolic meaning.

Creator and history

GKR Karate states that Sanseru was taught, and probably also created, by Kanryo Higaonna (1853–1915), who developed Naha-te; English Wikipedia, in its article on Toon-ryu, lists it as a kata of Kanryo Higaonna. We have not been able to confirm unambiguously who composed it. After Higaonna, according to GKR Karate, it was preserved by his two leading students: Chojun Miyagi, founder of Goju-ryu, and Juhatsu Kyoda, founder of Toon-ryu, who became known for teaching it after Higaonna's death. In Japan, Goju-ryu was spread by Gogen Yamaguchi, and the version practiced by GKR Karate derives from his Japanese branch.

Differences between styles

Uechi-ryu practices a kata with the same number in its name, Sanseiryu (三十六). English Wikipedia writes about Uechi-ryu that, together with Sanchin and Seisan, it comes from the Pangai-noon system that Kanbun Uechi studied in China; we therefore believe it is a historically distinct kata, not another version of Sanseru. Ryuei-ryu has Sanseiru in its set of kata, as listed in the book by Tsuguo Sakumoto. The blog History and Stories of Goju Ryu notes that the Seiko Higa organization's version differs from the usual Goju-ryu Sanseiru in several respects and is almost identical to the Ryuei-ryu version. According to katastepbystep.com, the individual lines of Goju-ryu differ in the division of movements, the names of techniques, and whether the kata includes final kicks. The WUKF list gives the name for Goju-ryu and Ryuei-ryu as Sanseru, and for Shito-ryu as Sanseiru.

Bunkai – applications

English Wikipedia sums up the kata's meaning as destroying the opponent's mobility with joint kicks, kansetsu geri. GKR Karate more precisely names the final technique morote koken uke as morote koken waza, since it can serve as a block, strike, throw or grip.

Competition status

• Sport karate (WKF) — Official kata list · valid from 1/1/2026 ↗
• WUKF (World Union of Karate-Do Federations) – Goju-ryu — Tokui (free choice) · valid from 4/26/2024 ↗
• WUKF (World Union of Karate-Do Federations) – Ryuei-ryu — Shitei (compulsory) · valid from 4/26/2024 ↗
• WUKF (World Union of Karate-Do Federations) – Shito-ryu — Tokui (free choice) · valid from 4/26/2024 ↗