The first part of the Niju Kun is pretty much the same as the Dojo Kun. It teaches you how to be a better person and focuses on attitude and not so much on execution or practice. This part of the Niju Kun is very focused on the execution of Karate and not so much on what kind of person you are.
The Second half is really what people should be using to guide them thru the physical training and how to use Karate properly, as a martial art. It clearly states that this is not a sport, while it the sport aspect can be used to hone your skills but as Funakoshi so well points out, its not about winning…but its about not losing!
Karate Wa Yu No Gotoku Taezu Netsu O Atae Zareba Motono Mizuni Kaeru : Karate is like boiling water; without heat, it returns to its tepid state. This is so true! If you don’t train regularly your “Sword will become dull” , that’s what my instructor used to say to me and it is so true. The more time a student takes off from training the harder it is to advance, and while our brain may retain the information, the more we lose the things like timing or flow in sparring.
Karate should be done a little each day to ensure we have good timing and reactions, then hard two to three times a week to ensure we progress! Keep this in mind the next time you figure you will take spring break off or summer off! When you come back you need to scramble to get your edge back!
Katsu kangae wa motsuna; makenu kangae wa hitsuyo :Do not think of winning. Think, rather, of not losing. This speaks directly to the sporting events that some Karate has become! Those practicing Karate will know that you should not worry about points, scoring a technique unless it is followed up by others and used only to save your life or learn how to save your life. You will never Lose at Karate, unless you give up training. Even black belts can lose if they stop training at the clubs and working on their Karate. And tournament champions are in the same boat.
Tekki ni yotte tenka seyo : Make adjustments according to your opponent. I have seen far too often when a student is sparring and tries to force the opponent to play their game, to adjust to their distance and to work with their timing. Long fighters are running into shorter fighters and not able to work the distance properly. You train with a specific kind of person then fall apart when a new one comes along. You should always be adjusting your techniques and your distances and timing to the other fighter you are facing.
If you work with children or lower ranks, adjust your skill set so you don’t hurt them, but challenge them, and when you work with your equal, try and push yourself and them to the limits. If you are lucky enough to work with a senior…push to come up to their level! It will make you a better person.
Tattakai wa kyo-jitsu no soju ikan ni ari :The outcome of a battle depends on how one handles emptiness and fullness. This could be read that “DISTANCE” wins fights. The fact that you need to know your distance and the distance of your opponent is the most important lesson you can learn in Karate for self defense or for sparring in general. If you don’t understand distance, you don’t understand kumite or self protection!
Those that know and can manipulate distance have 90% of the battle won!
Hi to no te-ashi wa ken to omoe :Think of hands and feet as swords. Be it sparring or fighting, one should regard the attackers hands and legs as very dangerous weapons. One should never take for granted an attack will not do great damage to them and put them in a terrible position. If we show proper respect for the ability of an attackers hands and feet to damage us and cause us not to be able to defend ourselves we will more than likely end the fight winning.
I have seen people try to “take a punch” to show they are tough or because they feel they can and end up losing a fight because that one punch hurt them very badly. I have also see a friend take a kick and end up with broken ribs, even after “winning” a fight. The other guy left with his ego hurt and a bloody nose that healed fast, my friend was out for weeks!
Danshi mon o izureba hyakuman no teki ari :When you step beyond your own gate, you face a million enemies. This is a great idea for modern times. To often we see people walking around in a haze, they are not alert and they have headsets on or they are texting on their phones. It would be very easy for an aggressor to quickly take advantage of this situation and harm them.
One should walk around alert and pay attention to dangerous areas they may be in and situations that could get out of hand very fast. Not being in a bad spot is the first place is the best way to avoid these bad situations, but being aware of your surroundings is the next best way to make sure you do not end up in a bad situation. This does not mean you need to be paranoid, but this does mean being alert!
Kamae wa shoshinsha ni atowa shizentai : Formal stances are for beginners; later, one stands naturally. When we start in Karate we are taught very specific techniques and ways to stand and very specific Karate techniques. Up to Black belt one should strive to follow the basic patterns and perform the movements in specific ways. This allows you to have a solid foundation and allows you to learn the style.
After you are a black belt its time to put “you” in your Karate and see what kind of personality you can bring to your training. Self expression is important in advanced training and even the way you stand and move should show your personality and styles. However, don’t forget your basics.
Kata wa tadashiku, jisen wa betsumono : Perform prescribed sets of techniques exactly; actual combat is another matter. This is kind of like the previous note. The point to Kata and drills and Waza Keiko is to learn movement skills and to ingrain them in your mind and body. Then you will become very good at these movements and make them natural.
IF you ever need to engage in combat/self defense you will notice right away that your techniques are not going to be as crisp and the outcome of each movement is not going to work out the same way as it does in the club. You should not be focusing on pin point accurate and perfect techniques, you won’t have time to warm up and make your body limber, you will only have time to execute a fundamental and basic movement and hop that is all you need to do.
Actual combat is not about perfect form or technique! Its about executing a technique that is effective and efficient and will end the battle with your attacker.
Chikara no kyojaku, karada no shinshuku, waza no kankyu wo wasaruna.: Do not forget; the employment of withdrawal of power, the extension or contraction of the body, the swift or leisurely application of technique. Strength and weakness, the bodies Expansion and Contractions, Slowness and quickness are all parts of Karate training. This line does not say exactly what the “translations” are saying. Basically it is Funakoshi Sensei saying that there is more to Karate training than flailing about. Think of the timing, difference in speed, distance and pace of techniques. Power applications may be different as well. Keep all these in mind and train with the mind that you have to look deeper than just punching and kicking.
Tsune ni shinen ku fu seyo : Be constantly mindful, diligent, and resourceful, in your pursuit of the Way. When you train in Karate you should be looking at it from different points of view, looking into the depth of techniques and try to view training from different angles, cross train with other instructors, get different ideas and go from one club to the next seeking to find out more about yourself and your style.
I learned a great deal from Judo and from Kendo about my Karate! I also learned a lot from moving between Sensei Dingman and other instructors, and learned a lot from my seniors as well. I pushed myself to train with other instructors, to read, to integrate my school studies into Karate and I actively sought out new ideas and new ways to do things. I bring all of that to my sparring, self defense and also my training.
The Niju Kun is a great historical lessen, or set of lessons, that the founder of Shotokan has left for us. All training in this style should revolve around the lessons that the founder left, but I find more and more that sport style Karate is taking over, and we are starting to focus to much on rank! Some instructors prance around like peacocks and look for titles and recognition that has nothing to do with their personal training. They force us to use titles when we talk to them (see blog on honorifics) and they forget why they train…or never understood it to begin with. I have seen instructor teach by pacing up and down the side of a class barking orders and not once throwing a punch or kick on their own.
The more we want to maintain the traditions of Karate the more important the Dojo and Niju kun become. We need to look at Karate as a way of defending ourselves and as a way to grow personally. We have to counter the modern trends of making Karate a sport and a power struggle for others to pump out their chests and throw old trophies at us to say how great they are. We need to look to instructors like Dingman Sensei and Brian Sensei who still DO Karate and don’t just talk about what they did!
Learn the Niju Kun and explore it, find out what else it says to you, these two blogs were just a over view with a few ideas. Talk about it with fellow Karate students and instructors and explore the vast meaning of the Niju kun for yourself and grow with the words of the founder!
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