(Approx 2 minute 20 second read)

As I’ve mentioned before, the comments section of my articles often inspires me to write again, and my recent article on kata’s true purpose was no different.
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This time, a reader asked a very thoughtful question. They explained how, despite training kata in both Shotokan and Kyokushin, they found it offered them little in terms of self-defense. Their concern was not kata itself, but the way it is taught today, too many forms, too little bunkai, and an approach that looks more like gymnastics than practical application. The question they asked was simple but important: “how many kata are enough for self-defense?”
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It’s a question that many have wrestled with over the years, and one that goes back far beyond the modern karate scene. Kenwa Mabuni, a true master of understanding kata, wrote in 1934: “If practiced properly, two or three kata will suffice as ‘your’ kata; all the others can just be studied as sources of additional knowledge. Breadth, no matter how great, means little without depth.”
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He also emphasized that many masters of his era held to the maxim “Hito Kata San Nen”, one kata, three years, before moving on to another.
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As I wrote in my recent article on the Pinan kata, Gichin Funakoshi himself stated that the Pinan’s alone were sufficient for self-protection.
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When we look back at karate’s history, it becomes clear that the vast number of kata we see today is a relatively modern development. In the past, students were taught only a few kata, sometimes just one, which they would study deeply for years.
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With the emergence of different styles, more kata were added to curriculum, often to meet grading requirements or to give each style its own character.
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Chōki Motobu once remarked that kata were, in many ways, the “styles” of their time. Over the years, some kata were passed down and collected not only for training, but to ensure their survival. Kenwa Mabuni himself embodied this, preserving many kata so they would not be lost to history.
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The point is that karate was never meant to be about quantity. It was always about depth.
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A handful of kata, practiced and understood, can provide a complete system of self-defense. The problem lies not in kata itself, but in how it is taught and studied today.
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So, how many kata are enough for self-defense? In my view, very few. Three to five kata studied with depth, with an honest exploration of their bunkai, can give a student all the tools they need. Any more than that risks spreading attention too thin, unless the additional kata are studied later as supplements to what is already understood.
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This is also why I don’t agree with the practice of doing kata ‘ura’ (reversed). To me, this only happens because the kata itself has not been explored in any depth. Most kata already provide applications for both sides of the body, left and right, so reversing the sequence adds nothing new. The real value comes from studying the kata as it is, understanding its intent, and working through the bunkai until it becomes practical.
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The issue has never been the number of kata, but the way kata are studied and applied. Karate’s past masters remind us that depth is what matters, and if kata are understood in this way, even a handful is more than enough for self-protection.
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Written by Adam Carter – Shuri Dojo