hitotsu, jinkaku kansei ni tsutomeru koto
hitotsu, makoto no michi wo mamoru koto
hitotsu, doryoku no seishin wo yashinau koto
hitotsu, reigi wo omonzuru koto
hitotsu, kekki no yū wo imashimuru koto
You hear this “Chant” at the end of each class in my Dojo, flowed by the English version, but many people don’t know the history or that the translation they are saying may or may not be as accurate as we would think.
We take it for granted that Our instructors are teaching us the right translations, I mean after all we don’t speak Japanese (most of us anyway) so we take it for granted that we are saying the right things after we repeat the Japanese. Hell we take it for granted that our Japanese is not “Take my money and kick me in the fanny”. But here is the horrible truth for those of us that train in my club…we are not saying the right translation…we are saying the one we like the best however!!!
Lets start off with “what is the Dojo Kun” and move forwards from that point. The Dojo Kun is the set of moral and ethical principles and context in which we need to be practicing the Martial arts we are training in, and some of us fail this greatly on a daily basis…but I digress. The concepts are very basic and general in nature and force you to interpret what they mean whenever you really think about them. I mean “Be faithful”….to what, to whom, how? They make you think about your actions and how you present yourself and can be as dangerous and manipulated as they are positive and reaffirming of human goodness can be.
Okay, so it’s a set of principles set out to really define the ethical confines acceptable for training in Karate…who put them forwards? Well, history is a bit shaky on this one and I think most of us are guessing when we say “this is the answer” so I am going to say straight out…this is my guess and my reason for guessing this!
Most history books suggest that Funakoshi Gichin or Itosu Anko wrote out the Dojo Kun for his students to really drive home the idea of ethics in Karate. But the truth is that he probably just repeated an activity that his instructor had for him and his peers and that his instructor’s instructor did for his students to follow. And it’s not unique to Shotokan…by any stretch…but I am getting ahead of myself.
If history teaches us anything, it teaches us that its often written by those that make half of it up and warp it to their own needs for the other half. The only way to get a clear view of what actually happened would be to take multiple sources that have no bias and work forwards…and in a subject as limited in interest as Karate…we often only have a few very biased sources to work from…and some of my newest research has really opened my eyes to this.
The truth is that the Dojo Kun was probably created by the great Sensei Sakukawa and not Funakoshi at all, Sensei Funakoshi simply was repeating a trend or action that his instructors instructor did to help his student remember that Karate should only be practiced in a specific way, with specific intent. Sakugawa Kanga (spelt different, but same dude), was a Karate instructor in Okinawa in the late 1700’s and early 1800’s who taught Matsumura Sokon and worked for the Okinawan government. He was also a student of Kang shi Wa and Takahara Pechin and very well educated in Chinese philosophy and the Chinese classics, unusual for a person in Okinawa at that time.
Sakugawa set out a list of ethical confines that his students MUST follow for him to be a true warrior and man of “Bushido” (I use the “” because I am not sure that Okinawan people would have used this very Japanese term, but the intent is what I am getting at). Sakugawa apparently wrote out a set of ideals that we should strive for as Martial arts practitioners, which are now lost to history…anyone saying different is drinking some strange cool aide or selling it. However it is suggested that the Bushido code is a form of Dojo kun and that Sakugawa had interactions with Samurai at the time that taught him this.
Some say that the Bushido tenants (Gi, Yu, Jin, Rei, Makoto, Meiyo and Chugi) were originally or later translated into a form of Dojo Kun. The tenants translate as Rectitude, Courage, Benevolence, respect, honesty, honor and loyalty. The Bushido code is simply put written so those that don’t know how to read can memorize the important parts. But it could serve as a basis for Sakugawa to build a dojo kun off of.
Okay, So Sakugawa wrote a Dojo Kun and then he passed it onto Matsumura who in turn taught it to his students…now one suggestion that I followed for the longest time is that Itosu passed the Dojo kun down to Funakoshi…hell I taught it to my students as such, but I am now rethinking this point and want to clarify a bit. ITOSU was not a student of Matsumura for a long period of time. Apparently Matsumura did not like Itosu and felt he was all about power and not speed…so he was not nice to Itosu and Itosu eventually left to train under Nagahama Chikudun of Naha (according to Choki Motobu) and when Nagahama passed away he left and trained with Gusukuma of Tomori (according to Funakoshi Gichin). Neither of the masters that Itosu trained under were known to use the dojo kun however.
It is more likely that Funakoshi Sensei was passing on the traditional use of Kun from his first instructor Azato Anko and a student of Matsumura and good friend to Itosu Sensei, I am putting together a bit of a history of Itosu for my next blog to cover the weird things I learned while reviewing non-shotokan history tid bits to explain my change in views.
Regardless of history the translation we use for the dojo kun is as follows;
• Strive for completion of character (or Seek perfection of character)
• Be Faithful
• Endeavor (to excel)*
• Respect others
• Refrain from violent behavior
This is the common translation used by the ISKF, JKA and many of the JKA derivative clubs around the world, the * Denotes an add on that Dingman Sensei put into the Dojo kun to make it more relevant and understandable for us. This translation is not much like the bushido code, but its close. It still encompasses the same feelings that should be sought when training and the “true of heart and action” that Funakoshi’s predecessors had in mind when creating the martial ways code of ethics.
Our translation is not the only one out their however, a much more long winded and more “English friendly version does exist, I have never seen it used however but its goes like this;
• Each person must strive for the completion and perfection of one's character
• Each person must be faithful and protect the way of truth
• Each person must endeavor (fostering the spirit of effort)
• Each person must respect others and the rules of etiquette
• Each person must refrain from violent behavior (guard against impetuous courage)
As you can see its much more “wordy” and while it strives to create a more direct and understandable link what the intent is, it loses the magic of the JKA version of the Kun. The magic of the Dojo kun is that its not a “paint by numbers” version of the Dojo kun, it makes you think and interpret, rethink and reevaluate the whole thing when you say it. If you don’t want to think to much about it you don’t, but introspective students will use this as a way of searching for answers in their training and really benefit from asking questions and looking for answers. The more “THIS IS WHAT WE MEAN…DON’T THINK ABOUT IT” Kind of Kun that we use…the less quality it presents in my opinion.
Now I did say that other styles us a version of a Dojo Kun right. Well, styles like Goju and Ryu-Te both use similar Kun to drive home ethical standards that a true martial artist follows and they are similar to both the Bushido code and the Dojo Kun.
Goju Ryu
• One thing: Be humble and polite.
• One thing: Train considering your physical strength.
• One thing: Practice earnestly with creativity.
• One thing: Be calm and swift.
• One thing: Take care of your health.
• One thing: Live a plain life.
• One thing: Do not be too proud or modest.
• One thing: Continue your training with patience.
Ryu-te
• Strive for good moral character.
• Keep an honest and sincere way.
• Cultivate perseverance through a will for striving.
• Develop a respectful attitude.
• Restrain physical ability through spiritual attainment.
Both would of course look and sound different in Japanese, but the translations show that the typical Kun outline is being followed in creating these Ethical guidelines for martial practice. But here is were the train goes off the tracks…how many people realize that Funakoshi and his masters all LIVED these rules and would not train those that did not follow the rules or ethical standards…well they would if pushed but they would often toss students out that were not following the right ethical path.
Choki Motobu was known as a bit of a bruit. He would go to the red light districts in Okinawa and test his skills against Gangsters, thugs and drunks and often beat them up very badly. He was the son of Lord Motobu Choshin and a decedent of royalty. Choki was the last of three sons and as such not entitled to an education in the family martial arts style. However he had a vast interest in training in Karate (then known mostly as Tode or Te) and began training on his own. He went to Matsumura sokon and even Anko Itosu and pushed his weight around (being a powerful family has its benefits) and also bribed instructors or black mailed them. Itosu is known to have taught Motobu but did not like him and Matsumura disliked him even more but was forced to teach him as a member of the royal family.
The point is that we need to, as instructors and students, relearn the Dojo kun and start figuring out the intent and how we can all learn from it. Should we be taking in ALL students and teaching them all the same or should we be focusing on teaching only select students. Is it our jobs to evaluate students ethically or should we be turning out students and building a business?
For me, I am going back to restudy the Kun and try to make sure I am adhering to the ethical limitations that the Kun puts on instructors and students and from now on I am going to use a more trained eye when teaching students and watch whom I associate with and whom I train or train with. I think what is lost when you don’t study the dojo Kun is greater than most understand!
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