# What is the "Do" in your art?  What did the Founder of it intend it to be?



## Makalakumu (Sep 20, 2014)

I've been thinking about this question for a long time, what does the "do" in your art supposed to mean?  What did the founder intend it to be?  I know a lot of you train in arts with out the "do" in it's name, but if you train in a *do-*jo perhaps you still have a concept that is similar to the concept of Do in other arts.  If so, what is it?  And finally, for those of you who do not use the concept, perhaps you have an overarching philosophy that your art is meant to transmit.  Perhaps you could share that.

I've been doing a lot of thinking about this lately and I wonder what the similarities and differences among people's perceptions of the Do and what the Founder intended.  I also wonder what the similarities and differences are between the various martial arts that use that concept.


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## Makalakumu (Sep 21, 2014)

Personally, I've trained in the following arts that have used Do as part it's name or have practiced in a Do-jo.

Shotokan Karate
Tang Soo Do Moo Do Kwan
Dan Zan Ryu Jujutsu
Judo

Some martial arts that I've trained in that have had an overarching philosophy, but no Do have been the following.

Tai Chi Chuan
Arnis De Mano Baston Batangas
Jeet Kune Do

An example of a martial art that I've trained in that does not include a concept of Do would be the following.

Wrestling
Boxing


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## Makalakumu (Sep 21, 2014)

Funakoshi Gichin  was the founder of Shotokan.  Funakoshi laid out the Niju Kun in order to describe the philosophy of Shotokan.

Nij? kun - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia



> Karate-do begins and ends with bowing.
> &#19968;&#12289;&#31354;&#25163;&#36947;&#12399;&#31036;&#12395;&#22987;&#12414;&#12426;&#31036;&#12395;&#32066;&#12427;&#20107;&#12434;&#24536;&#12427;&#12394; _
> Hitotsu, karate-do wa rei ni hajimari rei ni owaru koto o wasuru na_
> 
> ...


_
_


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## Makalakumu (Sep 21, 2014)

Jigoro Kano was the founder of Judo.  Here is what he said of the Do in 1915.

"Judo is the way of the highest or most efficient use of both physical and mental energy. Through training in the attack and defence techniques of judo, the practitioner nurtures their physical and mental strength, and gradually embodies the essence of the Way of Judo. Thus, the ultimate objective of Judo discipline is to be utilized as a means to self-perfection, and thenceforth to make a positive contribution to society."


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## Makalakumu (Sep 21, 2014)

Tang Soo Do philosophy is kind of all over the place, but it loosely follows Shotokan.  Hwang Kee incorporated a lot of Daoism into the philosophy of Tang Soo Do.


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## Makalakumu (Sep 21, 2014)

Seishiro Okazaki founded Dan Zan Ryu Jujutsu in Hawaii and he incorporated the philosophy of Kokua into his martial art.  Kokua is a Hawaiian term that means to help each other.  In Dan Zan Ryu, the overarching philosophy is for it's practitioners to help each other learn the art, to become better people, and to make a better community.


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## Buka (Sep 21, 2014)

I always liked the Boy scouts motto, Trustworthy,  loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty,  brave, clean and reverent. I know it's old fashion to some, but I don't  care. Not a bad way to be. I also love the tenets of Bushido, (whether  they actually came from the Samurai or not), Rectitude, courage,  benevolence, respect, honesty, honor and loyalty. Again, probably old  fashioned to most, but important and meaningful to me and mine.

I  think that's what you mean by "do". I think social etiquettes are more  important in some dojos than others. Especially dojos in a city with a  high volume of young people. Lot of lost, tough kids in these kind of  dojos, and many don't have a stable home life. If you only teach how to  fight, you sometimes end up with kids that have more problems than when  they started. And, in my experience, they take to the discipline and  philosophy like a duck to water. But it don't mean a rats *** if they  aren't being led by example.

I've been in a few BJJ  schools. The ones I've been in didn't have any of this. And little or no  bowing. Yet, the ones I've been in (just my experience) were some of  the nicest, honest and gentlemanly dojos I've ever been in. I think the  example the instructors and higher ranks set made this so, I'm not  really sure. It just seemed to always be the same way in the ones I was  in. Always. Maybe because new students, no matter how tough outside, are suddenly goldfish in a shark farm, I dunno'.

I insist my students be ladies and gentleman.  Do I care what they do outside the dojo? Damn right I do. I'll help them  all I can, but they have to display the proper attitude and etiquette.  Of course there's the flip side of the coin. I know some dojos that have  wonderful etiquette and students that seem to love what they have. But  if somebody actually got a bloody nose they'd probably panic and call an  ambulance. 

Then there's DT in Law Enforcement. It's  easy with cadets, because they're scared to death of screwing up. They  are all spit shine and polish. Different with In Service training. No 20 year street cop really cares what you want to teach,  and I can't say I blame them. But guys a few years in are easy to get  to buy into "the do". I always start the same way, "What's the number  one duty of a police officer?" You get the standard answers, uphold the public trust, help the innocent, blah, blah.  I tell them "The number one duty of a police officer is to finish his  shift and make it home to his family, alive and in one piece." Because  of the limited time with these guys, that's "the do" and it always seems  to work.

Then there's the other do. The "dough". Bring plenty if in one of these schools.


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## K-man (Sep 21, 2014)

A number of karate schools have a dojo kun. This is the one passed down from Chojun Miyagi, founder of Goju Ryu, via Eiichi Miyazato.




> *Dojo Kun *
> 
> Dojo Kun is a set of guidelines written and passed down from Miyazato Sensei.
> 
> ...


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