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Dojo kun or con?

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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

Dan interviewed on the Demzley Show

I thought I'd break from tradition and have a "video only" blog entry today. This is in an interview conducted by my friend Duane Emsley who runs the Youtube-based "Demzley Show" - a great idea and heaps of fun. If you haven't caught Duane's show before, please do. He is a very able and talented martial artist and a highly creative individual who brings his own quirky style and colour to Youtube. It was an honour to be asked on his show. In the interview I cover my thoughts on a wide range of martial matters including kata, the origins and evolution of karate, conflict management and resolution and much, much more. I hope you enjoy it! Copyright © 2010 Dejan Djurdjevic