"Karate Ni Sente Nashi"

Master Gichin Funakoshi

Rest in peace Master Hidetaka Nishiyama.

Teruyoshi Okazaki hitting a makiwara.

Teruyoshi is the brother of Shotokan master Teruyuki Okazaki, the founder of the International Shotokan Karate Federation (ISKF).

Both brothers are direct students of Master Gichin Funakoshi.

Shotokan Master Keigo Abe at the memorial of Gichin Funakoshi, the founder of Shotokan Karate, pointing to the second of his twenty precepts (Niju Kun).

The precept reads: “Hitosu, Karate Ni Sente Nashi”.

This translates to: “There is no first strike in karate.”

(The word Hitotsu means “one” or “first” and precedes each rule, to place it at the same level of importance as the others.)

My sensei (Hanshi M.A. Sharifi) received his third dan from Sensei Abe.

My kata book

The Dojo Kun lays the rules for karate-ka to abide by. But are the principles of the Dojo Kun unique to karate? I wrote a post pondering this subject :

karatenisentenashi.tumblr.com/post/17225882283/

Master Gichin Funakoshi

Master Gichin Funakoshi - Tekki Shodan