Dojo kun or con?
Many karate schools have a "dojo kun" or a set of rules or mottoes by which the schools are said to function. These are usually traditional, inherited from the original dojos in Japan or Okinawa. More recently, Western-based karate schools have started to develop their own. What is the function of the dojo kun? Rob Redmond of 24 Fighting Chickens argues that it is nothing more than a "con": it purports to preach a set of "moral" guidelines, and to elevate the status of karate instructors beyond that to which they are entitled. He makes a good point. Arguably the most well-known dojo kun is that of Gichin Funakoshi, founder of shotokan karate. It is this dojo kun that Mr Redmond has particularly in mind in his blog article. The shotokan dojo kun is commonly translated as follows: Seek perfection of character Protect the way of the truth Foster the spirit of effort Respect the principles of etiquette and respect others Guard against impetuous courage an...