During the nonstop conflict in Europe that defined much of the nineteenth century, Okinawa remained under annexation. Napoloen Bonaparte himself, upon learning of the weaponless people inhabiting the small Asian island, remarked “no weapons, you mean they have no cannons?” When told that...
During the nonstop conflict in Europe that defined much of the nineteenth century, Okinawa remained under annexation. Napoloen Bonaparte himself, upon learning of the weaponless people inhabiting the small Asian island, remarked “no weapons, you mean they have no cannons?” When told that...
In the South China and Philippine Seas, of almost equidistance between China and Japan, are the Ryukyu Islands. The largest island is Okinawa-jima, which itself is only a little over 1200 square kilometres. It’s on this small sliver of land in the middle of the sea that the Way of the Empty Hand dev...
In the South China and Philippine Seas, of almost equidistance between China and Japan, are the Ryukyu Islands. The largest island is Okinawa-jima, which itself is only a little over 1200 square kilometres. It’s on this small sliver of land in the middle of the sea that the Way of the Empty Hand dev...
The masters on the front wall of the dojo who observe your practice are not simply randomly chosen figures of martial arts history. They are our direct lineage of knowledge and understanding of the arts we practice, in chronological order. The first individual is Bodhidharma, patriarch of Ch’an Budd...
“Mine honour is my life; both grow in one. Take honour from me, and my life is done.” – William Shakespeare, Richard II What virtue could be immediately attributed to the feudal knights of Japan? Likely, it was their personal trait to be professionally upheld. It was the valuation of their fam...
Consider the world around you. Everywhere, all around, there are products, services, initiatives, charities…simply put, people doing things in all facets of society that ultimately are interdependent. A sense of duty exists to keep our environment clean, to heat our homes, to keep the lights on, to...
The intent of our Seven Virtues of Bushido series is to examine these qualities with a martial perspective. Telling the truth is instilled since we had to start taking accountability for our actions (Who Stole the Cookie from the Cookie Jar, etc.), and doesn’t need to be touched upon. Honesty (makot...
一、空手道は礼に始まり礼に終る事を忘るな. Karate-do begins and ends with bowing. – The first precept from Gichin Funakoshi (founder of Shotokan), and his Twenty Guiding Principles of Karate The virtue of Respect can be considered the focal point of social intercourse. Consider an average daily routine, and how of...
“Compassion is that which makes the heart of the good move at the pain of others. It crushes and destroys the pain of others; thus, it is called compassion. It is called compassion because it shelters and embraces the distressed” – Siddharta Guatama Buddha If a GoJu (hard and soft) relationship exis...