What is a Dojo!

What is a Dojo!

                The word Dojo means different things to different people and to be honest most of us don’t really realize that it means more than one thing, and it is used by more than one group of people. We think of “Dojo” as the place that martial arts are done, and that’s pretty much the extent of our understanding of a Dojo, we never really think of the less practical and more specific meaning of the term or what it represents.

                Most people see the Dojo as a “training hall” or gym. They come in, throw on whatever kind of gear they need to put on, and sweat up a storm…then they go home and think nothing more of the people they were with or the relationship that should be forming. This is a modern trend and most instructors don’t mind this. They get a minimum amount of investment into the student, they get paid and that is that.

                “Dojo” or “Place of the way” started out as places adjunct to temples. They were places of training in specific disciplines and adopted by martial arts out of necessity. Karate and the old Jujitsu styles were all trained outside or in specific areas of homes that were akin to the home gym one would have today. They had no real significance other than that was the area you worked out in.  Karate itself was trained in gardens and training areas that the military and security forces of the time used to work on weapons training and the like.

                When the world changed Okinawan and Japanese society the art went into training in peoples yards and finally in schools. At about the same time the Japanese mainland styles of fighting started moving into Dojo to train.  Originally used as a term for the practice halls used in Zen Buddhism, the Dojo or Zendo was a place that practitioners of Zen Buddhism, specifically Soto Zen, would go to practice meditation.

                Most western practitioners associate the term Dojo only with the practice of Japanese martial arts, they don’t really know how the term started, and when you think about it the term Dojo is a very Zen sounding thing. However its not just martial arts and Zen Buddhism that is practiced in a Dojo. Professional Wrestling and other physical activities that work out in a building often use this term as well. Similar to the title “Sensei” most people in the west fail to realize that its not just meant for Karate or martial arts training. A culinary school may have a training area that they set aside that they call the Dojo as well. However this is not the focus of this Blog, its martial arts practice, so let’s get back to that.

                A Dojo is a very special place and seen by some as being almost consecrated ground. It represents the blood and sweat that was spilled on its floors and the hard work and dedication that the students have in that club. The Dojo is cared for by the students and instructors very differently than any other gym type setting would be with specific rituals and exercises done to keep the club clean and in top shape.  Most clubs have some very special cleaning rituals (Soji) like washing floors after class or weekly dusting and cleaning that will keep the floors and the training area clean for everyone to train .

                The Dojo has a specific set of rules as well that all members and visitors must follow, including behavior, dress and safety practices that you don’t often see in gyms. They are also enforced very different. If you wore outside shoes in a gym you may get spoken to and escorted out of a gym, in a dojo you are more likely to get swatted with a shinai and kicked out of the building. Also the type of language that is acceptable and behavior that is seen as acceptable is different in the gym than from the Dojo. I recall going to a gym to work out and one of the weight lifters was using expletive language that caused many to look and wonder what was going on. I have never seen or heard a person swear while doing Karate! Not in a class or training, the accepted use of language would preclude this.

                A Dojo has some very specific and important components that make it recognizable to the general Martial arts community. First it has a Shomen or Front. The Shomen is the area of the club that the Kamiza or “place of honor” sits. The Kamiza used to be the front of a Shinto shrine were a sculpture would sit and special artifacts would be held. In a Dojo it is often a picture of the founder of the club and the style along with flags and other ornamental items that bring the idea of the Dojos heritage to the students. Sometimes the artifacts include scrolls, armor, weapons, pictures, a drum and perhaps the Dojo Kun or other rules.

                The club will also have a name board often to identify those in the club, weapons and gear racks that will hold the equipment so that it is not cluttering the training area and various teaching implements and training gear will be set about in appropriate places. A galley for those waiting and watching is often set up; however some schools do not allow visitors to watch or prefer that they wait in a separate area.

                 The Dojo is overseen by a “Sensei” or instructor in the way, but he is not always the owner or even head guy in the club. Often the clubs are run by foundations or groups of like-minded people who support the instructor and own the land and building. The Dojo also has one or more upper level students called Uchi Deshi or “Aside students” who do the day to day business of cleaning and running the club. All other students or Deshi are there to learn and train only, but often support the Dojo  with more than just monthly fees. Large donations are often made to support the Dojo, more modern Dojo’s do not have this practice and charge a great deal more than the Koryu Dojos or traditional Dojos.

                In university Dojo’s there may be more than one “club” or group using the Dojo, in more modern Dojo it is normally only one group using the training area for martial arts training, but diversity in use of the space helps keep the clubs open. A Dojo will often have a “Flag” or “banner” that they present at tournaments to announce their involvement and show pride in its athletes. And Dojos will have unique names that represent who they are and what they represent….like Fudoshin Dojo or Hitosugan Dojo. The point being to not only show they are different and give them a name, but one that shows the true spirit of the club and what they want to represent.

 

                But none of this lets you know what a Dojo is to me! A Dojo to me is made up of the sacred place I go to train and express myself as well as the people that are present that I consider an extended family. They help me grow as a person and train, express myself and build myself up and I return the favor by trying to help them do the same thing. It’s a special relationship that can build strength of character if you work with the right people. That’s what a Dojo is to me, a special place…and special people.