Koyama Sensei always emphasizes the importance of karate-do as a philosophy. Unlike a sport, the purpose of karate-do is the development of character. How exactly we do this is dependent on many things. Some of these things are dependent upon the individual, and others are not so much.   For example, I make choices about how I practice karate-do, the meaning I make of it, etc. But, I don’t control the kind of instruction I get from my Sensei, nor his understanding of karate-do or his students. Although Master Funakoshi wrote much about his life and his philosophy, it is still up to each of us trying to following his teachings to interpret and apply his life lessons and philosophy to our own lives within the context of our time and our culture. This means that we can’t say that any one of us today knows the “true” or “authentic” philosophy developed by Mr. Funakoshi. But, what we can do is take account of our own understanding and interpretation, and this means that we must be able to reflect on our own experience taking his words and stories and applying them to our own life. I cannot, in this effort, prescribe what is right or wrong either about Funakoshi’s messages itself or another’s interpretation of it. Neither can I judge the value or goodness of others’ efforts in this regard. We can hope to cultivate a community in which we seek to reach the ideals of Funakoshi’s philosophy even though we will never be able to actually know for certain how we have progressed toward these ideals.

What does the practice of karate-do offer? It offers an opportunity to reflect on oneself, one’s life, and perhaps most importantly, one’s relationship to oneself. I’m interested in how karate has created space for self-reflection for others. What’s your story about karate-do and its influence on your thinking about and understanding of yourself, your relationships, and life?