Les idées derrière les arts martiaux : codes, concepts et citations de maîtres, chacune avec sa source.
Citation du jour“Your everyday stance should be your fighting stance, and your fighting stance your everyday stance.”— Miyamoto Musashi, The Book of Five Rings, Water scroll (1645) · original text, our translation
Funakoshi's twenty principles (Niju kun)
Gichin Funakoshi, 1938
- Karate begins and ends with respect.
- There is no first attack in karate.
- Karate is an aid to justice.
- First know yourself, then know others.
- Spirit first, technique second.
- Be ready to set your mind free.
- Misfortune comes from laziness.
- Karate is not only in the dojo.
- Karate training lasts a lifetime.
- Put karate into everything you do; there lies its beauty.
- Karate is like hot water: without constant heat it grows cold.
- Do not think of winning; think of not losing.
- Change according to your opponent.
- The fight depends on handling the weak and the strong points.
- Think of hands and feet as swords.
- When you step outside, many opponents are waiting.
- Fixed stances are for beginners; later you stand naturally.
- Practise kata correctly; real fighting is another matter.
- Remember strength and lightness, stretching and contracting, slow and fast.
- Always think, and look for ways to live these principles every day.
Our translation. The twenty principles appear in Funakoshi's writings on karate-do.
The dojo kun
Karate tradition (Shotokan / JKA)
- Seek perfection of character.
- Be sincere.
- Make an effort.
- Respect others.
- Restrain violent behaviour.
Recited at the end of class in many karate schools.
Musashi's nine rules
Miyamoto Musashi, The Book of Five Rings, 1645
- Do not think dishonestly.
- The way is in training.
- Get to know every art.
- Know the ways of all professions.
- Tell gain from loss in worldly matters.
- Develop judgement and understanding of everything.
- Perceive what cannot be seen.
- Pay attention even to small things.
- Do nothing that is of no use.
Our translation from the Earth scroll.
Dokkodo: the way of walking alone (selection)
Miyamoto Musashi, 1645
- Accept everything just as it is.
- Do not seek pleasure for its own sake.
- Do not regret what you have done.
- Never be jealous.
- Respect the gods and Buddhas without counting on their help.
- Never stray from the way.
Written by Musashi a week before his death. Our translation of six of its 21 precepts.
The virtues of bushido
Inazo Nitobe, Bushido: The Soul of Japan, 1900
- Gi — rectitude
- Yu — courage
- Jin — benevolence
- Rei — politeness
- Makoto — sincerity
- Meiyo — honour
- Chugi — loyalty
Nitobe wrote in English for Western readers; historians see his book as an idealised modern picture of the samurai, not a code they all followed.
The five rules of the Hwarang
Monk Won'gwang, c. 600 (Samguk sagi)
- Serve the king with loyalty.
- Serve your parents with devotion.
- Be faithful to your friends.
- Never retreat in battle.
- Take life only with discernment.
Given to two young warriors of the Silla kingdom by the Buddhist monk Won'gwang.
The tenets of taekwondo
General Choi Hong-hi (ITF)
- Courtesy
- Integrity
- Perseverance
- Self-control
- Indomitable spirit
Recited in many taekwondo schools at the start or end of class.
Kano's two principles
Jigoro Kano, Kodokan
- Seiryoku zen'yo — maximum efficiency with the least wasted effort.
- Jita kyoei — mutual welfare and benefit.
Kano taught that judo should improve both the individual and society.
Budo武道"The martial way": the Japanese idea that fighting arts are a path to build character, not just to win fights.
Do道"The way" (Chinese dao). Adding -do to an art (judo, kendo, karate-do) marks it as a lifelong path of self-improvement.
Dojo道場"The place of the way". The word first named halls for Buddhist practice; you bow when entering and leaving.
Rei礼Respect and etiquette, shown by the bow. Funakoshi's first principle: karate begins and ends with rei.
Shu-ha-ri守破離Three stages of learning: shu, obey the form; ha, break away and adapt it; ri, leave the form and create freely.
Zanshin残心"Remaining mind": staying alert and focused after the technique is done. In kendo a strike without zanshin does not score.
Mushin無心"No mind": acting without hesitation or distracting thoughts, so the body responds freely.
Fudoshin不動心"Immovable mind": calm that fear, anger or surprise cannot shake. Takuan wrote about it to a sword master.
Kime決め"Decision": the instant of total focus and tension at the end of a karate technique.
Ki / Qi気Breath or life energy in Chinese and Japanese thought. Internal arts train breathing, posture and relaxation to develop it.
Kiai気合The shout that unites breath, body and spirit at the moment of a technique.
Ma-ai間合いCombat distance and timing: the space where you can strike and the opponent cannot.
Sen先Initiative: sen no sen (attacking as the opponent decides to attack) and go no sen (countering after the attack).
Seiryoku zen'yo精力善用"Maximum efficiency": Jigoro Kano's principle of using physical and mental energy in the best possible way.
Jita kyoei自他共栄"Mutual welfare and benefit": Kano's principle that you progress by helping your partners progress.
Masakatsu agatsu正勝吾勝"True victory is victory over oneself": a motto of Morihei Ueshiba, founder of aikido.
Katsujinken活人剣"The life-giving sword": Yagyu Munenori's idea that the sword which kills can also be the sword that protects life.
Kata / taolu型 · 套路Set forms that store a style's techniques and principles, passed from teacher to student like a living book.
Kung fu功夫Literally "skill achieved through hard work and time". In Chinese it can describe a master cook or calligrapher too.
Wu de武德"Martial virtue": the Chinese code of humility, respect, righteousness, trust and loyalty, with will, patience and courage.
Yin e yang陰陽Opposites that complete each other: soft and hard, empty and full. Tai chi takes its name from this idea.
Dantian / tanden丹田The body's centre below the navel. Many arts teach that movement and power begin there.
Wai khruไหว้ครูThe ritual dance before a Thai fight, to honour the teacher, the parents and the gym.
MalíciamalíciaIn capoeira, cunning: the art of deceiving, feinting and reading the other player, inside and outside the roda.
GingagingaThe constant swaying base movement of capoeira, which keeps the player moving and hides the next attack.
Vor, Nach, IndesVor · Nach · Indes"Before, after, meanwhile": the timing at the heart of Liechtenauer's German longsword. Indes is acting in the same instant as the opponent.
Os quatro animais de FioreFlos Duellatorum, 1409Fiore dei Liberi drew four animals as virtues of the fencer: the lynx (prudence), tiger (speed), lion (courage) and elephant (strength).
Osu押忍A greeting of Kyokushin and other karate schools, read as "push and endure": patience under pressure.
How we check: ancient texts (Musashi, Sun Tzu, Lao Tzu, Takuan, Hagakure, Funakoshi) are in our own translation from the original; modern quotes appear only with the occasion where they were said; sayings without a firm source are marked "attributed". Many famous quotes found online are invented — we leave those out.
