Author: Northern Karate Schools

Famous Zen sage and 17th-century poet Matsuo Basho famously said; “do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the wise; seek what they sought.” Easy to say, difficult to put into actual practice. On traditional and classical methods. Something that is ‘traditional’ is normally associated with a long-established custom or belief that has...

Hero’s Journey. Musha shugyō 武者修行 or “training in warriorship” was inspired by Zen monks, who would engage in similar ascetic wanderings (which they called angya, “travelling on foot”) before attaining Satori, enlightenment. During musha shugyō the samurai would take on various roles within society. This included helping peasants, providing justice and upholding high moral...

The Ryukyu Islands, located between Japan and Taiwan, have a rich cultural history. Though ruled as an independent kingdom for centuries, they were influenced by various cultural practices. The kingdom’s royal court drew inspiration from Ming, Qing, and Japanese elite culture, but each island also maintained a distinct sense of identity. The Ryukyu Islands...

The Honjō Masamune (a famous sword and a national treasure) represented the Tokugawa shogunate itself. It was passed down from one shōgun to another. It is one of the best known of the swords created by Gorō Nyūdō Masamune and is believed to be among the finest Japanese swords ever made. Yet his student,...

Yojijukugo refers to Japanese compound words consisting of four kanji characters. The four-kanji compounds have a particular (idiomatic) meaning that cannot be inferred from the meanings of the components that make them up. There exists a very large number, perhaps tens of thousands, of four-character compounds. A great majority of them are those whose...

Giri (義理) is a Japanese word that is most encountered in the study of martial arts. Giri means roughly duty, or obligation, in English, but as is often the case I believe there are important nuances that are difficult to convey. If the senpai–kōhai relation is a snapshot of vertical hierarchy (senior-junior, teacher-student) ) that...

Gendai budō (Japanese: 現代武道, modern budō) or Shinbudō (新武道, new budō) are both terms referring to modern Japanese martial arts, which were established after the Meiji Restoration (1866–1869). Kobudō or koryū are the opposite of these terms referring to ancient martial arts established before the Meiji Restoration. While koryū are often considered to be traditional...

Okay, no one technically stops learning because life teaches you at every step of the way. However, most stop actively learning. This means they stop going out of their way to gain new knowledge. But I feel like that’s just a life wasted. In my opinion, learning new things is the single best way...

Kyusho-jutsu is a contentious discipline, and many interpretations exist for its effectiveness. Through my practice and teaching I’ve come to understand what works best through personal successes or failures – but everyone’s experience may be unique, and different. So let’s briefly uncover the age-old martial art of Kyusho-jutsu, also known as Dim Mak –...

For centuries, in Japan and the Ryukyu Kingdom (modern-day Okinawa), an inspiring encouragement to do your best has been echoed: “Ganbatte Kudasai” or “Chibariyo”. But what does it mean to strive for excellence? To rise above mediocrity – striving towards our utmost potential by pushing ourselves further than we ever thought possible; this is...