Karate-do wa rei ni hajimari rei ni owaru koto a wasaru na
Karate-do begins and ends with rei
Karate ni sente nashi
There is no first strike in karate
Karate wa, gi no taske
Karate stands on the side of justice
Mazu onore o shire, shikashite ta o shire
First know yourself, then know others
Gijitsu yori shinjitsu
Mentality over technique
Kokoro wa hanatan koto o yosu
The mind must be set free
Waza wai wa ketai ni seizu
Calamity springs from carelessness
Dojo nomino karate to omou na
Karate goes beyond the dojo
Karate-do no shugyo wa isssho de aru
Karate is a lifelong pursuit
Ara yuru mono o karateka seyo; sokoni myomi ari
Apply the way of karate to all things. Therein lies its beauty
Karate Wa Yu No Gotoku Taezu Netsu O Atae Zareba Motono Mizuni Kaeru
Karate is like boiling water; without heat, it returns to its tepid state
Katsu kangae wa motsuna; makenu kangae wa hitsuyo
Do not think of winning. Think, rather, of not losing
Tekki ni yotte tenka seyo
Make adjustments according to your opponent
Tattakai wa kyo-jitsu no soju ikan ni ari
The outcome of a battle depends on how one handles emptiness and fullness (weakness and strength)
Hi to no te-ashi wa ken to omoe
Think of the opponent’s hands and feet as swords
Danshi mon o izureba hyakuman no teki ari
When you step beyond your own gate, you face a million enemies
Kamae wa shoshinsha ni atowa shizentai
Kamae is for beginners; later, one stands in shizentai
Kata wa tadashiku, jisen wa betsumono
Perform kata exactly; actual combat is another matter
Chikara no kyojaku tai no shinshuku waza no kankyu
Do not forget the employment of withdrawal of power, the extension or contraction of the body, the swift or leisurely application of technique
Tsune ni shinen ku fu seyo
Be constantly mindful, diligent, and resourceful, in your pursuit of the Way
The niju kun is the list of twenty (‘ni’ being two, and ‘ju’ being ten) precepts laid out by Gichin Funakoshi that are intended to help the student and instructor alike understand the nature of karate and the ultimate goal of karate: the improvement of the self. The simple principles of the dojo kun derive directly from these precepts, and the same ideas can be seen within both. The translations given above are approximate, and are taken from The Twenty Guiding Principles of Karate by Funakoshi (1938). The precepts laid out in the niju kun are more involved and subtle than those of the dojo kun, and require more study to discover their meaning in relation to both karate training and the conduct of the self outside of the dojo.
kenmei shotokan 