What a dojo-kun is
A dojo-kun (道場訓) is the set of precepts of a dojo: it states what is expected of those who train there. It is recited at the start or end of training and sums up the school's educational and spiritual orientation. Many karate dojos use the dojo-kun attributed to Gichin Funakoshi, but each school may have its own. Seigokan has its own text, written by its founder.1
A dojo-kun only works when it is understood. Beautiful words nobody understands educate nobody. That is why we present the Japanese original, a translation and a reading of each article.
Seigo Tada's text
The text was left by Seigo Tada, the first kancho of Seigokan, and is reproduced exactly as in the original manuscript: 初代 正剛館館長 多田正剛 遺稿原文のまま.1 The Portuguese translation on which this version is based is by Sensei Joetsu Narita (2010).1
First article: karate as a path
The first article defines everything else. Karate-dō is a spiritual path (精神道) whose aim is the perfection of one's own character (人格完成). Training is the means, and it must be done sincerely, "with one's whole heart", to bear fruit. It is the same idea the Seigokan headquarters uses to describe the school since its founding in 1945.2
Second article: etiquette has meaning
Dojo etiquette (礼儀作法) is not decoration. The second article asks practitioners to understand why each gesture exists, not just its form, and warns against karate being reduced to physical conditioning or a hobby.
Third article: conduct beyond technique
Words, gestures, bearing and attire are part of training too. The third article asks for constant attention to all of them and names three pitfalls to avoid: arrogance, disrespect and lack of self-control.
Fourth article: training together
The last article describes training itself. Everyone waits for the teacher together; during class the atmosphere is one of mutual encouragement from start to finish; and training ends with gratitude to the teacher and to one's training partners. Nobody trains alone in Seigokan.
誠実・謙虚・不屈
The Dojo-kun ends with three words that Seigokan has kept as its principles to this day:2
- 誠実 (seijitsu): sincerity, honesty.
- 謙虚 (kenkyo): humility.
- 不屈 (fukutsu): perseverance, refusing to bend.
They are also the values that guide Seigokan Brasil. Read the biography of Seigo Tada and learn about the Goju-ryu he taught.
