Karate

A Peaceful and Free World: An Okinawan Ideal

This Guiding Principle contains some of the most powerful words in Nakamura Sensei’s instructional document. Especially considering the tumultuous struggles of Ryukyu history. Even after all of the turbulence, Nakamura O Sensei still held high the ideal of a peaceful and free world. In fact, he instructed his students (and by extension, traditional martial artists in current times) to build such a world.

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Martial Artists Together in Brotherhood

As one of very few female karateka in our dojo, and (at that time) the only adult female, I wondered what exactly it meant “to bring sincere martial artists together in brotherhood.” It was that word brotherhood that made me curious. Did it mean that I was excluded? Was this a man’s thing? 

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Positive Affirmations out of the Dojo Kun

These character-building picture books for children are fun and a little weird. They contain martial arts, karate kids, Japanese words and monsters. The monsters represent the negative character traits which we must all battle, at times, in order to lead better lives. The third and latest book, “The Follow Through Karate Kids,” also contains the Dojo Kun in positive affirmations.

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