Dojo Kun

[Seizan]

Hello everyone,

My name is Seizan Breyette, a student of Toyama Seiko Sensei of the Okinawa KarateDo UechiRyu Zankai. I live and teach UechiRyu in Nagahama, Yomitan Okinawa, in a beautiful dojo location on the west coast of Okinawa overlooking the East China Sea. I've lived on Okinawa for the most part of 28 years. My wife is also a karate student of Toyama Sensei, and is a licensed yoga instructor, and licensed to practice and teach Therapuetic Thai Massage (just finished her training in Chiangmai Thailand). By day I teach English at a local Japanese middle school. By night I teach UechiRyu.

I have a question - I posted this on another MA forum too, but I think the members here may be members there too...

Anyway, I'm doing a bit of research for a paper on Dojo Kun.

If your system or style uses a Dojo Kun, is it the same set of kun that was used since the founding of the system? Has it changed, say, during post-WWII days?

If so, can you provide the old original set and the new set, and explain why they were changed?

Can anyone give examples of modern and/or old Dojo Kun for Iaido, Judo, Kendo, Aikido, or any of the other MA's?

Were there older sets, and can these be shown too?

Dojo Kun teach maxims for development of Budo, practice in the dojo, and guidelines for interaction with the society of the day. I'm researching whether the development of the Kun parallels the historical and social atmosphere of its time.

Hope to hear from others on this!

Regards,

Seizan

 

[rmclain]

Hello Seizan,

Well, I was near your dojo in Yomitan last November 3-28, but I never got to visit. I stayed in Kin-cho during my visit, but traveled around the island. I drove through Yomitan many times.

I'm sure you're looking for a Okinawan karate dojo angle on the dojo kun, but I'd like to lend a Korean angle on this topic.

My instructor grew up in Korea during the Japanese occupation of Korea (1909-1945). He learned in one of the early school opened following WWII, which was karate (influenced from Toyama Kanken) and Chuan-fa dojo.

This school also had a version of the dojo kun. Dojo Kun in Korean is pronounced, "Dojang Hun." He kept the oath and we still recite it before and after class. The oath is as follows:

Dojang Hun
Seek Perfection Of Character
Live The Way Of Truth
Endeavor
Be Faithful
Respect Others
Refrain From Violent Behavior


R. McLain

 

[Seizan]

Robert-san,

Hello - next time you're in Yomitan, feel free to drop by if you have time!

Thanks for the set of Kun/Hun, it helps.

I recall seeing, years ago, a few sets of Kun from different karate systems. One was an American Eclectic style, with a kun so long and complex it read like a social training manual. A few others, like the one you provided, were older, had few words, and were quite direct and simple.

When were Dojo Kun first known to be used - were they used in the 1800's and earlier? Were they mostly a development of post-war Asia?

What social circumstances do you think neccesitated the development of Dojo Kun in a society where such personal and social customs were the norm in the first place?

Regards,

Seizan

 

[exile]

What social circumstances do you think neccesitated the development of Dojo Kun in a society where such personal and social customs were the norm in the first place?

Now that is an excellent question! It's something of a cliché that you only need a rule to enforce behavior if people would behave differently without it. So yes... why indeed??

 

[yumeiko]

I am in a shotokan karate class and our dojo kun is this:

seek perfection of character
be sincere
put maximum effort into everything that you do
respect others
develop self-control

very similar to the one above, I wouldn't be surprised if most are that way

 

[rmclain]

Robert-san,

Hello - next time you're in Yomitan, feel free to drop by if you have time!

Thanks for the set of Kun/Hun, it helps.

I recall seeing, years ago, a few sets of Kun from different karate systems. One was an American Eclectic style, with a kun so long and complex it read like a social training manual. A few others, like the one you provided, were older, had few words, and were quite direct and simple.

When were Dojo Kun first known to be used - were they used in the 1800's and earlier? Were they mostly a development of post-war Asia?

What social circumstances do you think neccesitated the development of Dojo Kun in a society where such personal and social customs were the norm in the first place?

Regards,

Seizan

I read in George Anderson's book, "Okinawa: Island Of Karate" that Tode "Karate" Sakugawa (~1760- ~1840) had a version of the Dojo Kun very close to our version. I think I read in that book that Tode Sakugawa is credited with starting the Dojo Kun. So, perhaps that could help get you started in your research as to the origin of the Dojo Kun.

Probably you are in the best place to research the social customs that influenced the push to implement a code of training ethics. I personally believe people in modern times (outside of martial arts) could greatly benefit from adhering to such a social code.

R. McLain

 

[Chizikunbo]

The Dojo Kun I learned is of the Okinawan Kempo lineage, I believe it was drafted in 1968 or so (that may be wrong) by Shigeru Nakamura, and was adopted by Oyata Sensei for his Ryukyu Kempo and Ryu Te (TM)
It goes:

Okinawan Kempo Dojo Kun:
-Strive For Good Moral Character
-Keep An Honest And Sincere Way
-Cultivate A Spirit Of Perserverence Or A Will For Striving
-Develop A Respectful Attitude
-Restrain Your Physical Ability Through Spiritual Attainment


Hope this helps,
--Josh

 

[chinto01]

Seizan the dojo kun that I use is supposedly handed down from Sakugawa Sensei. It is almost identical to a few others that have posted.

Seek perfection of character
Always be faithful
Endeavor to excel
Always respect others
Refrain from violent behavior

I will also be traveling to the lovely island of Okinawa again this September to train with my Sensei.

In the spirit of bushido!

Rob

 

[Boomer]

We have a version from Funakoshi sensei. It was given to us by Tristan Sutrisno, whose father was a direct pupil of Gichin Funakoshi:

One: Seek perfection of character.
One: Have fidelity in seeking a true way.
One: Endeavor and persevere.
One: Karate do begins and ends with etiquette and respect.
One: Refrain from violent and uncontrolled behavior.



The reason each starts with "one" is that Funakoshi didn't want to number them and make it seem as if the first was more important than the rest. So each is the most important, so to speak.

We also utilize the niju kun written by Funakoshi sensei. Here's a generic version:
http://www.nashotokan.com/niju_kun.htm