Three TearsTHE SHORIN-RYU KARATE PATCH


The Three Tears

We know this symbol as the three tears. The Three tears are a symbol of “death before dishonor.” The three tears represent three men- a 16th Century Okinawan and two Japanese samurai. The Okinawan was being restrained by the samurai, who were ordered by the Okinawan King to throw him into a vat of boiling oil while he watched.

To show his indifference to death and his disdain for the king, the Okinawan grabbed the two samurai and dove headfirst with them into the vat. The story is so well-known in Okinawa, and the action is so highly regarded, that the three tears symbol is incorporated into the Okinawan flag.

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