Article

The Road to Karate – A Budoka’s Way To Live
By Hiroshi Shoji. Shihan of the Japan Karate Association.

Part 7 - Do (or Way)

....unless we dig it deeply with a rather eccentric determination, we will lose the final purpose of the combative art

In martial arts, no peripheral matters are necessary for the deep pursuit of a specific aim. No answer will be found unless we focus on what we believe is critical and pursue it deeply. If we compromise on it for other matters and pretend that we have achieved it, we will lose what we already have in our possession and also the sight of what we are seeking. In martial arts or combative arts, unless we dig it deeply with a rather eccentric determination, we will lose the final purpose of the combative art - the more excellent technically the person is, the more uncompromising the person becomes.

As technical forms can only be acquired in such a manner, Do (pronounced "dough") or Way has become necessary. Budo has been accomplished by attaching moral aspects to humanity, so that everybody can learn martial arts. In the Teachings of Karate, Funakoshi Sensei says:

“The real Karate, that is Karate-do, must at all times internally cultivate a proud mind within ourselves with which we can stand unashamed in front of anything and also it must externally provide us with might with which we can bring any fierce animal to submission. It becomes the perfect Karate-do only when the internal spirit and external techniques co-exist.”

It was a moment of bold decision that I would seek out the ultimate of my Karate-do.

I first joined the Karate club, wanting to become strong. When I had acquired some techniques, I made a firm decision that I would live on Karate. At that time, due partly to my youth, I must have looked inflated and saucy. It was a moment of bold decision that I would seek out the ultimate of my Karate-do.

However, reaching a certain technical level does not necessarily mean the accomplishment of oneself as a human being. It needs time. I guessed that some humanity would be accomplished within ourselves as we grew older, but I also had a sense of impatience that I could not wait till then. After I resigned from a transport company in Sendai, taking this opportunity, I decided to train myself physically and mentally as hard as possible. I remembered the physical pain and mental pressure that I had experienced when I was a freshman at the Karate club as a method for my gruelling training. I decided to move into a different environment and to do manual work. For this, I wanted to work at a place like a live-in construction site. When I asked a friend of mine to arrange a job for me, explaining that I wanted to train myself both physically and mentally in a circle which was totally unknown to me, he jeered at me saying what was my university education for. But his words did not deter me at all, as I was absolutely determined.

Fortunately, my landlord had wide connections and found me a manual job at the Kurobe Dam No. 4 construction site. The main job was to build a construction road to the dam and to transport huge rocks. The road has become a tourist road today. When I travelled on this road in one of my junior’s car, it brought back the memories of my physical training that I had undergone through the construction of the road. They made me feel nostalgic about those days. When I unconsciously exclaimed “Wow”, the junior in the car turned his surprised eyes to me. I normally hardly show my emotion, but my voice must have shown my deep emotion. It must have surprised the junior, and I was surprised at myself as well. The memories of those days remained deeply in my heart.

The meals were simple, just miso soup and rice, the environment was totally unrelated to Karate.

The meals were simple, just miso soup and rice, the environment was totally unrelated to Karate. I was engaged in heavy manual labour during the day. At night when I crawled into our tent which was our home, there was only an acetylene lamp hanging down. Hot-tempered workmates had fights a lot among themselves. The lamp was swung every time they wrestled. The life of a group of hot-tempered men was breathing there. When I woke up in the morning, I was surprised at the snow covering our beds. I always thought that the snow would fall down from above. Therefore, the snow which blew up from the mountains below surprised me greatly.

Although I just had a peep into the world that I did not know previously only for two months, the life that I endured there in November and December makes me sentimental. This experience would not bring me closer to the accomplishment of myself as a human-being, but I believe that the experience of life in a very different world which was full of humanity was itself meaningful to me. It may sound silly to other people, but I am convinced that I received some nourishment.

Quote from "Teachings of Karate-do" by Funakoshi Gichin Sensei

Karate is a weapon indigenous to Okinawa. As Karate used to be written in Chinese characters meaning “China Hand”, it was often confused with Chinese boxing. As Karate has been fostered in Okinawa for one thousand years, during which it has been refined by many masters, it is no doubt a well-developed Okinawan indigenous martial art. Then why had the Chinese characters meaning “China Hand” been used for Karate for a long time?

At the modern time when worship for Chinese things was strong in Okinawa, many martial arts practitioners travelled between Okinawa and China and practiced Chinese boxing, which they added to the so-called “Okinawa Te” or Okinawa Hand. Through their studies, they threw away short-comings and adopted advantages and developed it into a master piece. The people around that time may have, in order to add more value to the art, started applying the Chinese characters “China Hand”.

When I (Funakoshi Sensei) was young, the local establishments would have lost their status if there was anything from furniture to equipment that they used was not from China. Therefore, it is not so hard to guess why the martial arts practitioners at that time preferred to use the Chinese character meaning “China”. Customarily I also kept using the Chinese characters meaning “China Hand”. However, as it is likely to cause Karate to be confused with Chinese boxing and as it has already developed as the Japanese martial art Karate, rather than Okinawa’s martial art Karate, and as I believe that it is illogical today to use the Chinese characters meaning “China Hand” for Karate, I have decided to abolish the use of the Chinese character meaning China for Karate and change it to the Chinese character meaning “Empty”.

.....if it is ill used, there is no other more dangerous and harmful martial art than Karate.

Karate, equipped with no weapon, is a martial art with which we will conquer the opponent with one strike or one kick. The destructive power of Karate’s attack is already well known to the public. If it is used for good purposes, there is no other useful weapon like Karate. But if it is ill used, there is no other more dangerous and harmful martial art than Karate.

Karate is a martial art with which we can defend ourselves and stop enemies with empty hands and body. One of the Chinese characters for Karate meaning “empty” derives from this; The one who studies Karate must depart from ego and evil thought, achieve nothingness in the mind and become receptive like a bright mirror reflecting an object and an empty valley echoing the voice. One of the Chinese characters for Karate meaning “empty” derives from this.

One who studies Karate must at all times nurture a humble mind and must not forget a gentle attitude. However, once faced with injustice, one must be courageous to fight no matter how many enemies there might be. One of the Chinese characters for Karate meaning “empty” derives from this.

Every phenomenon in the universe will be reduced to nothingness. Therefore nothingness is in fact every phenomenon. Yawara, sword, spear, stick - there are many different kinds of martial arts. But they share the same core with Karate. In other words, Karate is the root for every martial art. Being is nothingness and nothingness is being. One of the Chinese characters for Karate meaning “empty” derives from this.

It is regrettable that people avoid the refined martial art that the world can be proud of. This is due to the mean characters and shallow intelligence of some teachers of Karate, who fail to attach an emphasis on the most important spirit of Karate guiding the hand and leg techniques. At the same time, one who learns Karate does not have the correct attitude or mind-set and learns it just as a mere technique for street fight.

The correct understanding of Karate and correct use of it, this is Karate-do

We must teach one who wants to learn Karate firstly what Karate really is and then the correct use of it. The correct understanding of Karate and correct use of it, this is Karate-do.’

Let me quote a story from a senpai who alleged to have heard from it Funakoshi Sensei;

When the first athletic exposition was held under the auspices of the Ministry of Education in May 1922, Funakoshi Sensei, the chairman of Shobu Kai in Okinawa, was selected to represent Okinawa and come to Tokyo. He exhibited materials about Karate-do. The Karate-jutsu (this was how it was called at that time) influenced many budo-ka or martial arts practitioners and Sensei was invited to the Kodokan as well.

Kancho*25 Kano Jigoro Sensei asked “how would you block if I attack you like this?” and thrust a punch towards Funakoshi Sensei’s face. Simultaneously Funakoshi Sensei blocked the punch with his left hand (rising block) and his right hand had been already pulled back. By the time when Kano Sensei realised, Funakoshi Sensei’s right hand had already punched him and been pulled back. Kano Sensei’s eye could catch it only when it became stationary after the attack was completed.

Funakoshi Sensei said to a puzzled Kano Sensei “I have already knocked you down with my right fist.” It was said that it was one of Funakoshi Sensei’s talking points of pride in later years that even the great master, Kano Sensei could not see his fast technique. It is said that an impressed Kano Sensei asked Funakoshi Sensei to teach him a few movements of Karate.

His action in bowing from the bottom of his heart to the soul of Kano Sensei exhibits Funakoshi Sensei’s principle as a budo-ka to give the utmost importance to courtesy.

Kano Sensei was a budo-ka with great reputation and authority that no one could excel at that time. Funakoshi Sensei must have been deeply moved by the fact that such a great Sensei asked Funakoshi Sensei, a country bumpkin who had just arrived in Tokyo from Okinawa, to teach him. Even in our student days, every time he passed in front of the Kodokan*26 Funakoshi Sensei took his hat off and bowed deeply towards the Kodokan. His action in bowing from the bottom of his heart to the soul of Kano Sensei exhibits Funakoshi Sensei’s