The (

Japanese language is spoken natively by about 128 million people, primarily by Japanese people and primarily in Japan, the only country where it is the national language. Japanese belongs to the Japonic or Japanese- Ryukyuan language family. There have been ma ...

: ) are the "twenty instructions" of the

Okinawan martial arts Okinawan martial arts refers to the martial arts, such as karate, tegumi and Okinawan kobudō, which originated among the indigenous people of Okinawa Island. Due to its central location, Okinawa was influenced by various cultures with a long hist ...

master

Gichin Funakoshi was a japanese martial artist who is regarded as the founder of Shotakan karate, perhaps the most widely known style of karate, and is known as a "father of modern karate". Following the teachings of Anko Itosu and Anko Asato,Funakoshi, Gichi ...

, whose

pen name A pen name, also called a ''nom de plume'' or a literary double, is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name. A pen na ...

was Shōtō. All students of

Shōtōkan is a style of karate, developed from various martial arts by Gichin Funakoshi (1868–1957) and his son Gigo (Yoshitaka) Funakoshi (1906–1945). Gichin Funakoshi was born in Okinawa and is widely credited with popularizing "karate do" throug ...

karate (; ; Okinawan language, Okinawan pronunciation: ) is a martial arts, martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the Okinawan martial arts, indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tii'' in Okinawan) under the ...

are encouraged to live, practice, and teach the principles to others.

History

Funakoshi trained in

Shuri-te Okinawan martial arts refers to the martial arts, such as karate, tegumi and Okinawan kobudō, which originated among the indigenous people of Okinawa Island. Due to its central location, Okinawa was influenced by various cultures with a long hist ...

and

Naha-te Okinawan martial arts refers to the martial arts, such as karate, tegumi and Okinawan kobudō, which originated among the indigenous people of Okinawa Island. Due to its central location, Okinawa was influenced by various cultures with a long hist ...

from an early age. He ultimately developed his style of karate, which he believed leveraged the benefits of these two. Gaining the attention of a larger audience, Funakoshi later ventured to disseminate his art throughout

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

, and created the to assist his

ka in their training.

Precepts

While it has been suggested that the were documented by around 1890, they were published in Genwa Nakasone's 1938 "Karate-do Taikan" as:
* Do not forget that Karate-do begins and ends with

Rei Rei or REI may refer to: Arts and entertainment *Rei, a story arc of the anime ''Higurashi When They Cry'' *Rei, a shapeshifting godlike dragon in the Australian webcomic series ''Vainglorious'' *Rei I, II and III, episodes of ''Neon Genesis Eva ...

.
''
'' * There is no first strike in karate.
''
'' * Karate stands on the side of justice.
''
'' * First know yourself, then know others.
''
'' * Mentality over technique.
''
'' * The heart must be set free.
''
'' * Calamity springs from carelessness.
''
'' * Karate goes beyond the ''

dojo A is a hall or place for immersive learning or meditation. This is traditionally in the field of martial arts, but has been seen increasingly in other fields, such as meditation and software development. The term literally means "place of the ...

''.
''
'' * Karate is a lifelong pursuit.
''
'' * Apply the way of karate to all things. Therein lies its beauty.
''
'' * Karate is like boiling water; without heat, it returns to its tepid state.
''
'' * Do not think of winning. Think, rather, of not losing.
''
'' * Make adjustments according to your opponent.
''
'' * The outcome of a battle depends on how one handles emptiness and fullness (weakness and strength).
''
'' * Think of hands and feet as

swords A sword is a cutting and/or thrusting weapon. Sword, Swords, or The Sword may also refer to: Places * Swords, Dublin, a large suburban town in the Irish capital * Swords, Georgia, a community in the United States * Sword Beach, code name for ...

.
''
'' * When you step beyond your own gate, you face a million enemies.
''
'' * Formal stances are for beginners; later, one stands naturally.
''
'' * Perform prescribed sets of techniques exactly; actual

combat Combat ( French for ''fight'') is a purposeful violent conflict meant to physically harm or kill the opposition. Combat may be armed (using weapons) or unarmed ( not using weapons). Combat is sometimes resorted to as a method of self-defense, or ...

is another matter.
''
'' * Do not forget the employment or withdrawal of power, the extension or contraction of the body, the swift or leisurely application of technique.
''
'' * Be constantly mindful, diligent, and resourceful, in your pursuit of the Way.
''
''

The precepts are not numbered or ordered; each begins with meaning "one" or "first" to show that each rule has the same level of importance as the others.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Niju Kun Japanese martial arts terminology Shotokan Wisdom literature