“Anyone can learn karate.”
Ansei Ueshiro
“Karate is an art, a study, and a practical application of an integrated philosophy. It embodies physical, emotional, and spiritual values which may be applied to all phases of one’s everyday life.
“To accomplish this there exists one simple vehicle. That vehicle is kata, the essence of karate. Kata embodies all the secrets, the mystery, the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual concepts of the masters. Kata is the key, the answer, the solution to everything that we search for in karate. Kata is zen. Kata is simple yet difficult. Like the wind, it is motion as in the physical performance, yet motionless. It is attainable yet unattainable. Once grasped it may slip away only to be grasped once again. It is a perfect imperfection. Kata is real yet a dream, a very possible dream. It shows our strength while making us aware of our weakness. It is a passive way to destroy and kill. It is brutal and vicious in a most humane way. Kata transforms destructive power into a flurry of beauty. ‘To teach kata is to learn kata,’ and from that maxim applied to life, an unbroken cultural chain is created and sustained. This is karate-do.”
Hanshi Robert Scaglione, from the Introduction to the “Red Book”
“Karate ni sente nashi.” (There is no first strike in karate.)
Gichin Funakoshi
“He who conquers himself is the greatest warrior.”
Karate precept
“Karate is a lifetime marathon.”
Shoshin Nagamine
“At this point it might be well to mention the differences between karate and karate-do. Karate refers to a martial art developed for the purpose of defending one’s self from imminent and illegal violence with the use of the strictly-trained body as a weapon. Karate-do, however, means a way of life based on karate or karate-life, in which one conquers one’s self and comes off a winner without any use of the art in a strict sense. In other words, it significance lies in fighting down the inner enemies, which are greater than the external enemies, by building up a sound body and mind through painstaking discipline of body and mind by means of karate practice. In short, it can be said that karate-do aims at building up the whole person by karate training lasting the remainder of one’s life. These considerations are summarized in the words: there is no first attack in karate.”
Shoshin Nagamine
“Karate is not a theory… we have to live it. This week’s technique is for the mind, the mental practice more than the physical movement. I am borrowing this age old technique of a philosophy of living. The most simple way to experience this principal is in the dojo. All we need to do is show up. The system, regimen, instructor and electricity of the group kicks in and carries us through it. The most difficult aspect is outside the dojo in our interactions with others, at home, at work, fulfilling our obligations to ourselves and others, our conduct, chores, responsibilities, diet and habits. The karate person strives to live a spiritual, mental and physical life and set a positive example in every aspect of living. The reward of karate is in direct relation to how successful we are in our quest to live karate.”
Hanshi Robert Scaglione from the Technique of the Week, 5/25/98
