At the jundokan dojo in Okinawa there is a calligraphy which hangs on the shomen wall which reads Kyu Do Mugen. This phrase doesn’t translate very well into English, but my favourite explanation is ‘there is no end to seeking the way’.
What does this mean to us as martial artists, and why was this phrase deemed important enough to appear on the wall of the shomen?
Karatedo is a lifelong study, but what is its value? At a very basic level, karatedo offers us a way in which we can learn to defend ourselves. We spend a lot of time pushing our bodies through endless repetitions, we condition our bodies, push ourselves to our limits so that if that moment comes when we are forced to fight to save our lives, we are as fully prepared as we can be.
What is the worth of all this if that life or death confrontation never occurs? Has it all been for nothing?
We do not live in a day and age where we are required to fight. Samurai would be faced with the prospect of death in battle on a regular basis, and it is this threat which motivated them to train so that they would be as best prepared as they could possibly be to meet their enemy. For us things are not so simple, as most of us do not come into contact with violence on a regular basis. Subsequently it is more difficult to push yourself when there is no clear defined goal. The daily routine of training would possibly be viewed by an outsider as a waste of time if success in a battle which never occurs is all you are training for.
If we allow it to, karatedo can offer us much more than the ability to defend ourselves. The cultivation of good character traits has always been major part of budo.
In Okinawa the term bushi differs from that in Japan. In Japan bushi is a term referring to the samurai class. In Okinawa the title bushi was awarded to karate practitioners who were of particularly good character. They took care to display the qualities of courage, humility, politeness, courtesy, loyalty, justice etc. It was these qualities as displayed in the daily behaviour of the bushi which earned them the respect and admiration of the Okinawan people. These character traits are forged during our time in the dojo.
Though we may not realise it at the time, everything we do in the dojo is trying to teach us something. This may be blindingly obvious with activities such as hitting the makiwara or performing repetitions of kata, but is not so apparent when we are asked to perform menial chores.
Miyagi Chojun Sensei would regularly task his students with little odd jobs around his home. This was seen as a way to test the character of a student and see how they reacted when asked to do the seemingly pointless task of moving a big heavy rock in the garden only to be told two minutes later to put it back in the same position it had been previously.
The regular practise of soji (cleaning) in a dojo not only ensures that the dojo is a clean, but also serves to teach the virtues of humility and obligation.
On a personal level, the very act of motivating yourself to train daily builds on our character and develops an attitude of responsibility.
The daily battles which we face in the dojo are what shape us, and it is in training for the sake of training that we are confronted with our own weaknesses. By recognising our flaws and tackling them in a self critical manner we are able to improve.
It is not easy to admit to our flaws, particularly those which relate to our character. It takes a certain amount of courage to recognise in yourself bad character traits or weakness, and it takes even greater courage to make a conscious effort to address these problems.
Through constant training we learn how to overcome obstacles with patience and perseverance, as well as forging that iron will to not give up no matter what we are faced with. When we are confronted with hardship or problems in everyday life, the qualities that we learn in the dojo allow us to meet these problems head on and find a solution without becoming despondent. The true measure of a person who walks the path of the martial arts is revealed in how he conducts himself under difficult circumstances.
The constant searching for that unattainable goal of perfection is where the true value of karatedo can be found, and an introspective approach to this training is the real meaning of kyu do mugen..
The michi is a path that has no ends or boundaries, and there are many obstacles which may lead us in the wrong direction. It is up to us as budoka to recognise when we stray from the correct path, and take steps to get ourselves heading back in the right direction. It is how we walk this path that determines how successful our training has been, and what degree of value it has had to us and society.
Garry Lever
“No matter how you may excel in the art of te, nothing is more important than your behaviour as observed in everyday life.” – Nago Oyakata (b.1663)
