To seek perfection of character is to seek the true self, which transcends the physical world. Through rigorous
training a karate-ka can develop his spirit as well as his body. He learns to subdue his mind from mis-creative
thoughts and forge a spirit deep inside himself that can face any adversity or any hardship. When the time
comes to do the right thing, he shall, without thought.

To be faithful is to be loyal to your art, your instructor, your seniors, your fellow students, and all those who came
before you. But it also means to be faithful to yourself, your family, your community, your
religion or faith, your country, and your planet. By being faithful you will always act with the proper
response to any given situation. Loyalty is a rare commodity in the US. You will find an abundance of it at any
SAKA or JKA dojo. Fostering a strong faith will lead you closer to perfecting your character.

To endeavor means to give it your all. To immerse yourself in your training with pure awareness and
strenuous effort. Just going through the motions won't do, you must have an ingrained understanding of what it
is that you are practicing when you practice it. This requires focused attention and complete dedication to
your effort. This type of one mindedness should also be applied to your caring for your family and the
execution of your profession. This too leads to the perfection of character.

To respect others should be self-evident. It simply means to have common courtesy and to practice
proper etiquette. If a man is your senior he should be treated accordingly. After all, he has been where you
are going and can help you reach your destination. He deserves your respect. Someday you will be in his shoes
helping a fledgling and will expect the same. To respect others means to treat your fellow man how you would
like to be treated. Do onto others, as you would have them do onto you.
This leads to the perfection of our character.

To refrain from violent behavior is extremely important, knowing that a highly trained karate-ka
could if he so wished inflect serious injury to an unsuspecting antagonist. It is better to run from a fight
and be called a coward then to harm, maim, or possibly kill another human being. Nonviolence is our ultimate
goal. Action should only be taken when no other course is available, when there is no alternative but to
defend. Then it must be swift and final. By training the karate-ka develops a deep seeded security about who
and what he is. He does not have to prove anything to himself or to the world. For inside he knows himself and
can walk away from confrontation or violence in confidence where others may not. In this way the warrior
becomes a conduit for peace. It seems a paradox that through martial arts or warrior arts we develop a peaceful
nature, but it is the ultimate truth. Karate creates the peaceful warrior. The kindest gentlest men I have know
were and are high ranking karate students and Sensei's.


By saying the dojo kun affirmations aloud, we hope to embed the moral concepts into the minds and
bodies of the students. This way the practitioner becomes the ideal in his every action and thought. The end
result is a warrior of peace and not of violence. In the wrong hands karate could be very destructive and
mis-creative. Our goal is to foster an ethic much akin to the code of the bushido. And to extrapolate these
ideals into everyday life. In that way the initiated become the living embodiment of the dojo kun. The prime
directive of the JKA is to refine and improve society. We then bow to the art then to our Sensei and class is finished. Afterward we clean up the dojo floor making it ready for the next class.