Seiyo Kai International

‘No matter how you excel in the art of te (karate) and in your scholastic endeavors, nothing is more important than your behavior and your humanity as observed in daily life’.

In Japan, a dojo is a gym. But dojo also includes martial arts training facilities. In the West, dojo is restricted to martial arts. Most people in North America are familiar with sport varieties of martial arts. A sport's facility lacks the beauty & grandeur of traditional dojo: sport schools focus on picture windows to advertise, something that is considered 'taboo' in a traditional Okinawan dojo. Traditional dojos are generally small with a small group of dedicated martial artists.

Demonstration of rock breaking.

Another important characteristic of traditional dojo is that dues are often donated or set at a minimum level even though the type & quality of instruction is usually orders of magnitude greater than commercial schools. In Okinawa, it is traditional that members support a dojo by paying whatever they can for its operation as it is everyone’s dojo. Over the years, we've had many students tell us (after they had graduated from college and moved elsewhere) that they didn’t realize how good they had it in our dojo. This is something that is always taken for granted until it happens.

Most traditional (koryu) dojo follow a prescribed floor pattern of a shomen (front of the training center). If the facility was initially built as a traditional dojo, the structure will include special entrances based on student and instructor rank. Students enter the lower-left corner of the dojo (in reference to shomen) with instructors entering the upper right corner. Shomen typically have a kamidana—a Shinto shrine. Upon entering, respect is paid to the dojo. When the sensei (teacher) enters, all activities cease and the class is loudly called to attention by the senpai (class senior).

A hombu (or honbu) dojo is the administrative and headquarters for a particular martial arts style. Hombu are not necessarily large or ostentatious: most are small. Hombu is considered the head of a martial arts system and like any traditional dojo, members of a traditional ryu (style) support the hombu financially. Hombu are considered important as all training and certifications originate from a hombu and its Soke. Few Soke are businessmen and it is rare that any association produces excessive financial support. Rare exceptions included the late Mas Oyama and late Ed Parker, both of whom build international empires for their ryu.

Demonstration of hakutsuru karate - white crane - a beautiful but deadly martial art developed by a female practitioner of wushu (Chinese kung fu) centuries ago. Many martial arts were developed by mimicing movements of animals.

A study of kata provide subtleties that are missed by the uninitiated. It is not uncommon for some lower ranked students and instructors to scoff at kata as being useless. This is because they lack training and maturity to understand kata. Kata is zen and provides many meanings. The more one practices kata, the more one understands martial arts. As one progresses in karate, periodically a technique in kata will provide new meaning – this is by design as we all have different backgrounds and experiences. To be a good karate-ka, one must practice all kata many times a week and practice all bunkai (applications) associated with each chudan (middle level) and jodan (upper level) kata numerous times a week. Equally as important, one must practice all kihon (basic) stances, blocks, kicks, and strikes hundreds of times each week as this is the only way one can gain muscle memory. Calisthenics and stretching must be kept to a bare minimum and replaced by hundreds of kihon. I’ve yet to see anyone defend themselves by outstretching an attacker. Hundreds of full-focused kihon provide a time of mediation when the body reacts and the mind rests.

Do - or the path or way.