Gichin Funakoshi (the founder of Shotokan Karate) wrote ‘Twenty Guiding Principles to guide students on the way of both mentality of Karate and physical Karate training.
Gichin Funakoshi is popularly known as the 'Father of Modern Karate'. With good reason, his life's work seems to be to be taking an martial art what was virtually unknown outside of Okinawa and spreading it to the entire world. For all intents and purposes he succeeded brilliantly.
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| Gichin Funakoshi |
In his time he saw Karate grow from little Okinawa to all over Japan, at the time, a conservative country with it's own existing martial arts. Today there are millions of people practicing Karate, in no small part due to his efforts.
Other masters did also move to mainland Japan to promote Ryukyu Budo, Chojun Miyagi, Choki Motobu and Kenwa Mabuni among others, but Gichin Funakoshi's contributions to 'Modern Karate' are arguably the greater than all others.
The below is the first 10 of Funakoshi Sensei's 20 precepts.
In Japanese, Romaji and the English translation from the book The Twenty Guiding Principles of Karate: The Spiritual Legacy of the Master translated by John Teramoto.
With each precept I have included my interpretation and thoughts.
There seems to be a surface meaning and a deeper meaning to most of the precepts.
一
空手道は礼に始まり礼に終る事を忘るな
Karate-do wa rei ni hajimari rei ni owaru koto a wasaru na
1. Do not forget that Karate begins and ends with rei.
'Rei' encompasses a couple of things, the first being 'courtesy' (some people call refer to this as 'respect', but I believe courtesy and manners just are an outward sign of respect and actual respect is something deeper).Courtesy (and/or manners) is a given for any serious Budoka, it should go without saying. Anyone skilled in the fighting arts should balance it with being humble and having consideration for others at all times.
Rei can also refer to what is possibly the most important part of all of Budo, 'Self-Respect'. Self-Respect isn't to be confused with arrogance or audaciousness. Your own Self-Respect is a combination of your self-esteem, confidence, integrity, self-honesty, self-image and the sense of worth. It is the knowledge of who you are yourself and the regard for you own value to yourself. Nothing is more important than this, because a person with no Self-Respect doesn't stand for anything. They will allow anything to happen to themselves and/or others. This is the opposite of being a warrior.
As Funakoshi Sensei says: "Karate begins and ends with rei" this is very true as the many facets of 'rei' are constant and never ending for a true Budoka,
二
空手に先手なし
Karate ni sente nashi
2. There is no first strike in karate.
The obvious meaning of this precept is that a person with fighting skill should never use it to escalate an altercation by 'striking first', Karate is a defensive art.Sun Tsu's Art of War talks about doing what is necessary to end the battle. Deliberately escalating things by being the first to make the situation a 'violent situation' is not the martial way. Funakoshi Sensei isn't the only master to talk about this. Some other masters that said similar things were Kyan Chotoku, Kenwa Mabuni and Chojun Miyagi (I'll leave it to you to go and find what they said regarding this). One notable exception to this was Choki Motobu who disagreed with this statement saying "'Sente' is about taking the initiative". I both agree and disagree with this. 'Taking the initiative' is important and Budoka should adopt this attitude, but not at the expense of their values. I believe we can have an attitude of talking the initiative and not escalate the violence needlessly.
Another (deeper) interpretation of this precept is more about attitude and mindset rather than actual physical conflict. The old saying by Alexander Pope: "Fools rush in where Angels fear to tread". A smart Martial Artist knows to wait and be patient. To consider the situation and to not be blindly acting. Using caution, understanding the situation is the first thing that should be done, not action. So there can't be a 'first strike' because the first thing to do is always to consider and understand... Then take the necessary action without regret.
This consideration of the situation before acting may only be a split-second, but could be the difference between the taking right action and creating a truly regrettable outcome.
三
空手は義の補け
Karate wa, gi no tasuke
3. Karate stands on the side of justice.
To fight for justice and what is right is what all Budo skills should be used for. As an instructor, it would be irresponsible to teach fighting skill to people without consideration for what that skill will be used for.If an instructor taught a student the ability to seriously hurt a person, then the student goes out and hospitalises someone, the instructor is just as responsible for this as the student. Morality and virtue should always accompany martial arts training. If a student isn't learning the importance of Justice and Rectitude, then the instructor should be responsible enough to consider not training that student.
As a Budoka we should only use the skill that we have trained with, in times of injustice, or in the Dojo (of course). Any other reason or situation we should want to find a better way to resolve the situation.
四
先づ自己を知れ而して他を知れ
Mazu onore o shire, shikashite ta o shire
4. First know yourself, then know others.
This is an extension of the 'Self-Respect' mentioned in the 1st precept. It basically means that there is no way of accurately finding an understanding of others (either actions or intentions) if you don't even understand yourself. If you understand your own motives, wants and desires then you have a frame of reference to work with, so you can put yourself in their shoes.
Both feelings of sympathy and empathy are only possible if you truly understand yourself. If you are honest with yourself, then you are capable of being honest with others. Through this, you are more able to recognise when others are dishonest with you. When you understand others you can read a situation effectively and reduce the chance of being taken by surprise or deceived.
Many people find self-knowledge difficult, as they know subconsciously that while seeking to know themselves they might have to face aspects about themselves they don't like. This relates to self-respect. People automatically want to take the path of least resistance. It is easier to deny a certain thing about yourself that you may not like, rather than face it and put the effort into fixing it. This is what true Budo training does, it forces people to face themselves. (Goju Instructor Michael Clarke goes into more detail about this in his Book Shin Gi Tai, it's worth the read).
五
技術より心術
Gijitsu yori shinjitsu
5. Mentality over technique.
Developing mind, body and technique are all important, but the development of your mind is far more important than the others.More often than not Budoka tend to neglect the development of mentality, probably making the assumption that Budo is a physical activity so the focus should be on the physical. This is an easy mistake to make and it couldn't be further from the truth!
Most Budoka would agree that a stong mind, correct attitude, determination and dedication are all character traits that a Budoka should have, but they put little focus on improving these.
In order to do develop the mind in training, you need to train hard and give it everything you've got. When you want to give up or want to slacken off, push even harder. You develop a strong mind by using it and putting effort into making it strong (just like a muscle).
In order to do develop the mind when in not training is easy. Act like you do when you do when you are in the dojo... at all times. (This is what numbers 8, 9 and 10 on this list are all about!)
六
心は放たん事を要す
Kokoro wa hanatan koto o yosu
6. The mind must be set free.
Having an open mind and being creative is crucial!It's true that beginners need to follow the system in order to ensure that they are learning the correct techniques and picking up the right attitude. All that beginners have to do is put the effort in and do as they are asked, but this isn't what true Budo is. In a culture of "only do what Sensei says" it's difficult to have an open mind. Also, in a culture of "only this is the correct way" it's difficult to be creative. In truth, this is still all beginners stuff. Beginners should do what Sensei said and should have a rigid structure of correct and incorrect, but later on, this should change.
In Okinawa there is a well known term 'SHUHARI' (守 破 離) which (within the context of martial arts) means 'Follow the rules - Break the rules - Make the rules'. This is the natural progression from leaning to mastering.
A popular translation of Shuhari is "Obey-Digress-Transcend"
My interpretation of what Funakoshi Sensei saying here is that the way is to follow the rules only to a certain point, the ultimate goal is not to follow the rules for ever, but to eventually set the mind free, to detach from the set system that you learnt and transcend the norm... be creative and have an open mind to all that will help you on your journey to being the best you can be.
七
禍は懈怠に生ず
Wazawai wa ketai ni seizu
7. Calamity springs from carelessness.
If you're careless when training with a partner, particularly when doing Bunkai, people can be injured. There is a certain amount of trust between you and your partner, it's disrespectful to not be switched on and paying attention. Realistically, carelessness is the seed of negligence.Carelessness is dangerous even when not working with a partner, for example if people are in the same dojo but practicing different Kata, being careless will result in someone crashing into someone else. Even when you're training on your own, if you're careless, you might do yourself an injury by pulling some muscle, twisting your ankle or over extending joints.
The awareness of yourself and everything around you (that you utilise in order to not be careless) doesn't stop at the dojo door. This is something that a Budoka uses every second of every day.
Calamity also springs from carelessness with your thoughts. Have control over your mind and don't let you mind just think whatever it wants. Willpower is important. Everything starts with the thoughts in your head, have control and be less careless with your thoughts and you can control your world.
“The one thing over which you have absolute control is your own thoughts. It is this that puts you in a position to control your own destiny.”
―Paul G. Thomas
八
道場のみの空手と思ふな
Dojo nomino karate to omou na
8. Karate goes beyond the dojo.
There is more to Karate than simply training the techniques. There is a certain mindset that distinguishes true Karateka from others. This attitude and mindset are fostered in most Dojo: be respectful, have confidence, show integrity, think and speak honestly, act with honour... the list goes on. In general the idea is to be a good person, not selfish or ill mannered.What Funakoshi Sensei is saying here is that we aren't just that sort of person in the dojo. We should be Karateka all the time, not just when we are standing in front of the instructor.
If we consider ourselves as 'Karateka' and want our training to have any sort of positive effect on our lives, we have to be true to ourselves and be a Karateka all the time.
九
空手の修業は一生である
Karate-do no shugyo wa isssho de aru
9. Karate is a lifelong pursuit.
A common mistake among beginners is to think that the goal it to obtain a black belt and that's it.Some people even maintain this belief, once they grade to the first Dan rank they think they're done, so quit. Ironically it's probably for the best that these people quit, because after years of training they have failed to grasp the point of that training
(The unfortunate thing is that they will now never understand the point).
I have seen many students get very frustrated when they are unable to get something right or if don't understand something, as if there's a time limit. While we should be constantly striving to get techniques right and understand it all, we have plenty of time to get to do it in. Actually we have all the time to do it in, true Karate is for the rest of our lives.
There is no failure in Karate... unless you quit.
Another thing to keep in mind it the way we train. Some training methods have short term results, but they are damaging in the long term. Especially the back, knees and elbows can show wear and tear over time. If you wish to keep using things like your knees when in your 80s or 90s, you need to be aware of certain training methods with long term effects.
十
凡ゆるものを空手化せよ其処に妙味あり
Ara yuru mono o karateka seyo; sokoni myomi ari
10. Apply the way of karate to all things. Therein lies its beauty.
True Karate is a way of life. A real Karateka is constantly training, everything they do is done with focus on becoming better as a Budoka.Something as simple as opening a door can be done with focus, keeping the elbows in, utilising core strength, the correct muscles and from a stable stance. At the same time, being aware of their surroundings keeping their wits about them, knowing that quite often a self-defence situation can be unexpected. This person 'lives' their Karate. That's what 'applying the way to all things' is all about.
There is a difference between this person and someone who 'goes to training' a couple of times a week and doesn't give it a second through outside of training.
If we 'apply the way to all things' we will not just find ways to improve our technique more often, but we will have a deeper insight into the way in general.
This is only half of Funakoshi's precepts, keep an eye out for the last 10 soon!
Comment below to share any thoughts or opinions you might have.
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