The Twenty Precepts of Karate
O-Sensei Gichin Funakoshi wrote the 20 precepts of Karate-Do in 1890 as a guide to help Karateka in their quest along "the way". It is said that many of them were originally taken from the wise adages passed onto him by his teachers, such as Sokon "Bushi" Matsumura (1809-1892), in his youth on Okinawa. The precepts are a wealth of knowledge and are as relevant today as when first devised. The original Japanese text is thought provoking and philosophical, and so the wording of the precepts varies slightly in different translations. The essence, however, remains the same. Students are encouraged to regularly refer back to the precepts, as each reading tends to unveil a new layer of depth and practical wisdom that we can all apply in everyday life.
1. Never forget: Karate begins, and ends, with rei.
You must show respect to all other karateka whilst in the dojo. You should bow at the beginning and end of every session, and with every opponent. Karate is not just about fighting. Through practice, we aim to “perfect our characters” – being courteous, calm and helpful – even when under pressure. Rei, or bowing, symbolises this – respect, humility and etiquette should always be foremost on a karateka’s mind.
2. There is no first attack in karate.
A karateka must endure to the limits of their ability before taking direct physical action. Bushido (the martial way) teaches a samurai to draw their sword only at the last possible moment and in the worst possible scenario. A karateka will NEVER instigate violence or perpetuate its development. Only, as an absolute last resort, will a karateka use their skill to end a fight; doing so as quickly as possible by seizing the initiative without any delay.
3. Karate supports righteousness.
A practitioner of Karate must always seek the side of justice and, if necessary, defend it. To witness injustice and do nothing is to show a lack of courage: something no karateka should ever be guilty of.
4. First understand yourself, then understand others.
“When one knows the enemy and knows oneself, one will not be in danger in a hundred battles. When one is ignorant of the enemy yet knows oneself, chances of victory or defeat are even. When one knows neither the enemy nor himself, each and every battle will surely be perilous.” Ancient Chinese General, Sun Tzu in The Art of War. If we know our own strengths and weaknesses, as well as the traits of potential attackers – to pick on those who are “zoned out”, those who look like scared, weak, easy targets – we will be well prepared to thwart any enemy.
5. The art of developing the mind is more important than the art of applying technique.
This principle is important because Karate is not simply about performing techniques correctly (if it was, it would be a dance). Of greater importance to your ability is your attitude, your spirit and your awareness. You must have the attitude of perseverance, the spirit of strength and an awareness of remaining focused. Train with intensity and concentrate on what you are doing.
6. The mind must be set free.
You must aim to release your mind from restriction and restraint. A free mind has the ability to react instantly in battle, as it is free from fear or worry. One must train until self defence reactions come naturally, without conscious effort. This freedom of movement will provide greater understanding of both yourself and Karate. Beginners are often reluctant to release themselves, fearing what might happen if they do...
7. Trouble is born of negligence.
Carelessness or negligence can result in mistakes being made with disastrous consequences. Take the time to think about what you are doing and analyse yourself and your actions to eradicate these mistakes and risks to your safety. Be always alert and aware of your surroundings in order to avoid danger. This is crucial if you want to protect yourself.
8. Do not think Karate belongs only in the dojo.
The ultimate aim of Karate-do is not simply to become a proficient martial artist. Karate teaches us many things and cultivates our mind, as well as our body. We, as karateka, must be thinking constantly of the values and lessons we learn in the dojo and should always truly endeavour to put these into practice in our daily lives.
9. Karate training requires a lifetime.
Karate is a lifelong pursuit, an endless path of personal development and dedication to one’s training. Even the greatest masters have never reached the “end” of their training and none ever will. This is because there is no end. You must resolve to train in Karate for the rest of your life – doing so diligently will not only keep you physically and mentally healthy, it will also allow you to achieve a skill level you never imagined possible.
10. Transform everything into Karate – therein lies its beauty.
If you approach all challenges in life with a good Karate spirit, you will find that there is little you cannot overcome. By cultivating the self discipline to beat our “inner opponent” and train, study, etc. even when it is difficult, we become stronger as karateka and people and find it ever easier to beat the many “outer opponents” we meet in life. Karate can be practiced daily, without any major timetable adjustments – if we do just 30 push ups or 20 kicks, a kata etc. as we wait for a kettle to boil, a commercial break to finish on television etc, we can improve far quicker than we once believed – and we will never get bored or idle and we will always feel better about ourselves once we finish! 11. Genuine Karate is like hot water; it cools down if you do not keep on
heating it.
You must continually and regularly train because if you do not, then just like hot water, your fighting ability will very quickly “go cold”. Cultivating self discipline and pushing beyond our perceived physical and mental boundaries is vital to our success in both martial arts and life.
12. Do not think of winning. Think, rather, of not losing.
To seek only to win is to ignore the true nature of karate. Those who wish only to win will become obsessed with this goal at the expense of all around them. Such a person will lose their humility and will seek any advantage at any cost. Instead, you should simply ensure that you will not lose, as to be defeated in actual combat could cost you your life.
13. + 14. Transform yourself according to your opponent; The
outcome of a battle depends on the manoeuvre.
In his famous treatise on the martial arts, “The Book of Five Rings” (or Go rin no sho in Japanese), the legendary 17th century samurai, Miyamoto Musashi, states that a good warrior must “adapt like water.” Water has no form and can mould itself to any terrain. Like water, you must adjust and change to your opponent, be fluid and unpredictable. You must endeavour to avoid your opponent’s strengths and attack their weaknesses.
15. Imagine the opponent's hands and feet as swords.
A skilled and practised fighter can fatally wound an opponent with only a single blow from their hands or feet. Therefore, they are as deadly as a sword. Even a completely untrained person, when fighting for their life, can deliver a powerful and deadly blow. Therefore, fighting must never be taken lightly.
16. Once you leave the shelter of home, there are a million enemies.
Think of this as being the karate equivalent to the motto 'be prepared'. It is not that everyone you meet is your enemy; rather, everyone you meet could be a potential enemy. Similar to principle 7, carelessness can lead to serious consequences.
17. Postures are for beginners; later, one uses natural positions
Kamae positions have been developed over many years to train students in how to use certain muscles and generate power. However, after many years of practice, one can develop this power without using formal kamae postures. Therefore, you must fully learn and understand the kamae positions before moving to more natural postures.
18. Do the Kata correctly, the real fight is a different matter.
One must appreciate the reason for Kata and understand how it can improve your Karate – it is an excellent method for self practice, which takes very little time to complete. However, real combat is extremely unpredictable and does not exist within a set frame work of certain moves. You must be ready, therefore, to adjust yourself to combat when necessary, using the principles of movement, timing, power generation, trapping etc. which one learns in Kata.
19. Do not forget control of the dynamics of power, the elasticity of
the body and the speed of the technique.
Proper Karate is dynamic and powerful. We train our bodies to maximally generate power, efficiency and effectiveness. If you perform your Karate at a constant tempo and a constant strength, you will be ineffective. You must learn over time how to use your entire body to drive your techniques as well as how to relax when tension is unnecessary and unhelpful.
20. Always be good at the application of everything you have learned.
It is imperative we practice the application of Karate techniques in the instructed way and with proper spirit and intention if our Karate is to be an effective method of self-protection. Practicing a technique 10,000 times is of little use if we do not understand how to apply it in the real world. To excel at this, spirit, aggression and determination are vital to apply in our training.
We must also endeavour to put into practice the “non-physical” lessons we learn while training – persistence in the face of adversity, proper manners, fighting spirit, etc. As Funakoshi Sensei stressed, we must always seek to improve both our Karate and our behaviour. Be aware of those around you, the impact you have on them and they on you. Never accept or believe that you have “finished” and that you understand everything. We must all keep learning and growing. Push yourself to a level higher than you think you can ever achieve. This is the principle that encapsulates the meaning of all the twenty precepts most succinctly.
Information on the 20 precepts was taken from the books 'The Twenty
Guiding Principles of Karate' by Gichin Funakoshi, published by Kodansha International (2003) and ‘The Shotokan Karate Dictionary’, by Schaltt, published by Sake (2001) – as well as years of hard training! OSU!
