BELT MATERIAL

The Twenty Precepts

by Gichin Funakoshi

The Twenty Guiding Principles of Karate. (1938)------ORIGINAL VERSION

1. Karate-do begins and ends with bowing.(REI)
一、空手道は礼に始まり礼に終る事を忘るな
Hitotsu, karate-do wa rei ni hajimari rei ni owaru koto o wasuruna

2. There is no first strike in karate.
一、空手に先手なし
Hitotsu, karate ni sente nashi

3. Karate stands on the side of justice.
一、空手は義の補け
Hitotsu, karate wa, gi no tasuke

4. First know yourself, then know others.
一、先づ自己を知れ而して他を知れ
Hitotsu, mazu onore o shire, shikashite ta o shire

5. Mentality over technique.
一、技術より心術
Hitotsu, gijutsu yori shinjitsu

6. The heart must be set free.
一、心は放たん事を要す
Hitotsu, kokoro wa hanatan koto o yosu

7. Calamity springs from carelessness.
一、禍は懈怠に生ず
Hitotsu, wazawai wa ketai ni seizu

8. Karate goes beyond the dojo.
一、道場のみの空手と思ふな
Hitotsu, dojo nomino karate to omou na

9. Karate is a lifelong pursuit.
一、空手の修業は一生である
Hitotsu, karate-do no shugyo wa issho de aru

10. Apply the way of karate to all things. Therein lies its beauty.
一、凡ゆるものを空手化せよ其処に妙味あり
Hitotsu, ara yuru mono o karateka seyo; soko ni myomi ari

11. Karate is like boiling water; without heat, it returns to its tepid state.
一、空手は湯の如し絶えず熱度を与えざれば元の水に還る
Hitotsu, karate wa yu no gotoshi taezu netsu o ataezareba moto no mizu ni kaeru

12. Do not think of winning. Think, rather, of not losing.
一、勝つ考は持つな負けぬ考は必要
Hitotsu, katsu kangae wa motsuna; makenu kangae wa hitsuyo

13. Make adjustments according to your opponent.
一、敵に因って轉化せよ
Hitotsu, tekki ni yotte tenka seyo

14. The outcome of a battle depends on how one handles emptiness and fullness (weakness and strength).
一、戦は虚実の操縦如何に在り
Hitotsu, tatakai wa kyojitsu no soju ikan ni ari

15. Think of hands and feet as swords.
一、人の手足を剣と思へ
Hitotsu, hito no teashi wa ken to omoe

16. When you step beyond your own gate, you face a million enemies.
一、男子門を出づれば百万の敵あり
Hitotsu, danshi mon o izureba hyakuman no teki ari

17. Formal stances are for beginners; later, one stands naturally.
一、構は初心者に後は自然体
Hitotsu, kamae wa shoshinsha ni ato wa shizentai

18. Perform prescribed sets of techniques exactly; actual combat is another matter.
一、形は正しく実戦は別物
Hitotsu, kata wa tadashiku, jisen wa betsumono

19. Do not forget the employment of withdrawal of power, the extension or contraction of the body, the swift or leisurely application of technique.
一、力の強弱体の伸縮技の緩急を忘るな
Hitotsu, chikara no kyojakutai no shinshuku waza no kankyu o wasuruna

20. Be constantly mindful, diligent, and resourceful, in your pursuit of the Way.
一、常に思念工夫せよ
Hitotsu, tsune ni shinen ku fu seyo

The precepts are not numbered or ordered; each begins with hitotsu meaning "one" or "first" to show that each rule has the same level of importance as the others

"The ultimate aim of karate lies not in victory nor defeat,

but in the perfection of the character of its participants"

Gichin Funakoshi Sensei

This is a photograph of the memorial to Master Gichin Funakoshi that is located on the grounds of Engakuji Temple, in Kamakura, Japan. Master Funakoshi studied Zen here under Chief Abbott Ekun and completed his training around 1929 and it was then that he changed the name of his Okinawan art from "Tode" (Chinese Hand ) to "Karate-Do" (Empty Handed Way).