By: Talila Golan
The Dojo Kun, credited to Gichin Funakoshi, is a set of rules or guiding principles, recited by the trainees at the closing of the training session. Recitation of the Dojo Kun isn’t practiced in every Shotokan karate dojo. It was not practiced in my original dojo nor is it practiced in many other Shotokan dojos I’ve had the pleasure of training at. The first time I learned about it was when I joined the Fremont Shotokan Karate dojo in 2012, and I was instantly taken by it.
Over the years I’ve thought a lot about the Dojo Kun and of what it meant to me as a karateka, and as a teacher of karate.
I copied to the bottom of this post the Japanese version as it shows in Wikipedia. The English translation we recite in our dojo is:
- Seek Perfection of Character
- Be Faithful
- Endeavor
- Respect Others
- Refrain from Violent Behavior
In the spirit of Japanese poetry, this version of the rules are written in a very minimal fashion, which leaves a lot to personal interpretation. I am sharing here my personal thoughts about the Dojo Kun. (I’ll put a disclaimer here, that I’m not versed in Japanese language and culture and don’t know the nuances of the Dojo Kun in the cultural context.)
- Seek Perfection of Character
The way I see it, the first statement wraps the entire idea of the Dojo Kun, whereas the four statements that follow are, in a way, a breakdown of the first. When we seek perfection of character we acknowledge that we’re here in this life to learn, and to develop as human beings. Learning and developing can be done in many, many ways, and what is considered perfection can vary a great deal between different people and different walks of life. The idea however, is the same – when we cease to learn and develop, we stagnate.
Learning is an integral part of living – we all learn from our life experiences. Learning however, is always more effective when it is directed toward certain goals. Training karate is one such path of directed learning. It is the path chosen by anyone who steps onto the dojo floor wearing a white belt and a humble mind ready to absorb new knowledge.
The Karate-Do, the path of karate learning, is lengthy, and often frustrating. The knowledge learned by those who remain on the path of karate is much more than knowing how to punch and kick. It is also developing patience and perseverance. It is learning how to grow from setbacks. It is understanding that no matter how much we already know, there is always more to be learned. It is also the realization that even the most accomplished masters are but students themselves, albeit more experienced. Finally, it is the maturity that comes when we take full responsibility for our own directed learning, as karateka, and as human beings.
- Be Faithful
Being faithful can be interpreted in many ways. To put it in the context of the Dojo Kun, I see it as being faithful to one’s path in Karate-Do, through setbacks as much as when it is exhilarating. Being faithful means maintaining focus even if all you do is drilling step-punch for an entire 2-hours session, or if your instructor keeps correcting you and you cannot (yet) figure out what it is that you do wrong, or if your peers pass their rank exam but you weren’t ready yet. Sometimes it also means switching to a different sensei at a different dojo, when it supports better learning, because being faithful is to one’s own path in karate, not to someone else’s, regardless of their esteem.
- Endeavor
The general idea behind this statement is that one should always strive to do their 100% percent. Through my recent learnings I shifted my thought in this regard. I now believe that we all do our 100% all the time, but what that 100% is, depends on our physical and mental resources at the time, and also much on our awareness and the clarity we have of our path and our goals. The way I see it now is that our endeavoring isn’t merely putting in the time to train and practice as hard as we can, but it is also (perhaps mainly so) optimizing our life to support our learning. In a practical sense, it would mean being a karateka outside of the dojo as well as when in formal training. For me, it means eating clean, healthy food and being physically active on a daily basis, getting my body as healthy as I can so that my karate could be at its best. It means practicing my karate outside of the dojo as well – like a musician who practices scales so when she plays, the piece would be fluid and effortless. It also means asking questions: why I do the moves I do: what were they designed for, are they effective when applied, and if they can be improved in any way. Perhaps most of all, to endeavor means to me the overcoming of personal doubts, inhibitions, and beliefs that do not serve me on my path of self improvement.
- Respect Others
This statement is pretty simple, yet it can be one of the hardest to apply. Basically it means seeing and acknowledging the human being in the people that we interact with. It is easy enough to respect people we look up to, or with people with whom our interaction is superficial. This rule is harder to apply when the interaction triggers us emotionally. This can happen with anyone, but it often happens with people whom we see on a regular basis: associates, colleagues, family members.
When we are triggered, we act from deep within our own emotions, as well as the entire set of values and expectations cultivated in us by our family and society. In short – when we are triggered it is our own hurts that drive us, and at that moment we cease to see the other person and focus only our own grievance. When that happens we forget that they too are human beings that are triggered and act from their own woes. It is very challenging to respect someone who triggers in us feelings of anger, shame, fear, or contempt. Here’s the thing though, when we act upon these emotions, saying or doing things when triggered in this way, it very rarely improves things. On the contrary – it usually takes us to the realm of poor choices and of regrets and self-pity. It is when we remember that the person in front of us is also a human being with their own bag of emotions and needs that we are more able to ‘keep our cool’ and act in a way that serves us better in the situation (and possibly the other person as well). In this way, when we respect others we first and foremost respect ourselves.
Karate training is nearly always with the same group of people for a prolonged period of time. We train alongside or partner with people of different ages, levels, and walks of life. Respecting your training partners means always giving them your full attention and doing your 100% in technique and in energy. It is when training partners respect each other that they both improve and enhance, physically as well as mentally.
- Refrain from Violent Behavior
In my youth I read Isaac Asimov’s book ‘Foundation’. Although I remember very little of it today, one quote from this book has stuck with me all those years since: “Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent”. I think it says it all – people who resort to violence nearly always do so because they want to feel empowered, or that they want to gain control in a situation where they feel helpless.
It is obvious why karateka should refrain from violent behavior. Karate is a martial art – it was developed to inflict bodily damage as effectively and efficiently as humanly possible. We study karate within the safety margins of the dojo, but the techniques we practice can be very damaging and even lethal, and are meant to be applied in self defense only. When these techniques are applied in violence, the potential damage can be colossal for everyone involved, no least for the one who used them.
When it comes down to it, violent behavior holds us back from becoming good karateka, and certainly from becoming better human beings, derailing us from the path to perfecting our character.
Adhering to the Dojo Kun all the time is impossible, just as much as achieving the perfect character. In my opinion however, it is a very good routine reminder of the personal work that we are doing on the path of Karate-Do to become better karateka and better human beings.
From Wikipedia:
一、人格 完成に 努める こと
hitotsu, jinkaku kansei ni tsutomeru koto
jinkaku = personality, kansei = complete (perfect), ni = to, tsutomeru = endeavour
一、誠の道を守ること
hitotsu, makoto no michi wo mamoru koto
makoto = truth, no = ‘s, michi = path, wo = with respect to that, mamoru = defend
一、努力の精神を養うこと
hitotsu, doryoku no seishin wo yashinau koto
doryoku = effort, no = ’s, seishin = spirit, wo = with respect to that, yashinau = cultivate
一、礼儀を重んずること
hitotsu, reigi wo omonzuru koto
reigi = courtesy, wo = with respect to that, omonzuru = honour
一、血気の勇を戒むること
hitotsu, kekki no yū wo imashimuru koto
kekki = vigor (impetuousness), no = of, yu = courage, wo = with respect to that, imashimuru = refrain