空手の道 (Karate no Michi): The Way of Karate-do is a Focus on Courtesy and Hygiene

I have not written in this blog for a very long time, too long. And to my readers, I apologize. There are many reasons why I discontinued writing. The bottom line is, I was overwhelmed with other responsibilities and had to focus my energies elsewhere.

Now, with the cancellations and closures of many important events in Japan and around the world, I feel like I should write a quick message. March 12th fell on a Thursday this year and March 12th was my 42nd Birthday. We decided to celebrate on the Weekend with a cake. Birthdays are far more low-key in Kumamoto than they are in Nova Scotia. During my 20 plus Birthdays here a cake and whatever I want to eat for supper has been the extent of the Birthday celebration. But, I am grateful that I have been able to spend those 20 plus Birthdays with my wife, and then my wife and daughter, and now my wife and daughter and son. Over the years, I have learned that gratitude is the most important quality to possess. Gratitude changes our perspective. There is a famous quote by Charles R. Swindoll:

Life is 10% what happens to you

and 90% how you react to it.

How we react to the events that occur around us creates our life experience. In Chito-Ryu Karate-do there are two lists of guidelines that every practitioner is supposed to know and abide by:

道場訓 (Dojo Kun) and 心得 (Kokoro E). In this post I will focus on the Dojo Kun. For the Chito-Ryu style, its founder, the First Generation Soke, Chitose Tsuyoshi Sensei wrote Five Dojo Kun. These are five moral disciplines or 訓育 (Kun Iku). Below is a photo of the Dojo Kun written by Chitose Sensei hung in the Honbu Dojo, Kumamoto, Japan:

I discussed these in a previous blog but I would like to list them again as they pertain to how we Karate-Ka should conduct ourselves in times like these. I believe that it is most important to show our humanity in times of crisis and panic, more so than any other time. The merits of our training can be shown in more than how fast we can punch or how hard we can kick. It can be displayed in how we uphold the responsibility of the Dojo Kun on a daily basis no matter the conditions around us.

The five Dojo Kun are as follows:

1. Always maintain respect for courtesy.

2. Always have a serious attitude.

3. Always use polite language.

4. Always maintain a high spirit.

5. Always maintain a high level of cleanliness.

During this time of world panic due to the spread of the coronavirus, it is important that we keep these five moral disciplines in mind and conduct ourselves accordingly. "Those who study Karate-do must take these five principles to heart" (Tsuyoshi, p. 90).

Today among the closures, my Sensei presented my good friend and long-time training partner, Hirose Masakazu Sensei and I with our 錬士号　認定証 (Renshi-go Nintei Sho) Certificates and Belts (see photos below).Like my Birthday celebrations here in Kumamoto, there was not a big party attended by many from near and far. There were only a few in attendance. But now I understand that it has never been abut the grandiosity of the celebration. It has always been about the depth of appreciation. I am grateful for the 30 plus years that I have been studying and experiencing this way of life. I will continue, in my capacity to humble myself to my training to keep advancing down this path of experience. And most importantly, I will continue to wash my hands and rinse my mouth regularly.