Notes from The Workshop
Essays, Insights & Reflections on the Art & Practice of Authentic Okinawan Karate & Kobujutsu
023 — The Eight Precepts of the Fist: A Commentary
Among the many relics of early Karate, none is more revered or mysterious than the Bubishi—a hand-copied manual brought from southern China to Okinawa over a century ago. More than a martial text, it was a guide to living, joining combat technique with philosophy, medicine, and ethics. Hidden within its pages is a brief poem of eight lines: the Kenpō Hakkō—The Eight Precepts of the Fist.
These verses express the essence of Karate as harmony rather than conflict: aligning the human spirit with nature, balancing hardness and softness, acting in accordance with circumstance, and seeing and listening with clarity. This commentary explores the Kenpō Hakkō as Okinawan masters may have understood it—not as esoteric poetry, but as a practical philosophy for living with balance and harmony both in training and in life.
022 — Stop Shouting "Kiai": It Isn't Something You Say, It's Something You Do
Scroll YouTube and you’ll see it: karateka yelling “KIAI!” as if naming the act makes it real. This article explains what kiai actually is—the unification of breath, body, and will—how codified performance eclipsed Okinawan practice, and why a true kiai should arise naturally, not be recited.
017 — Karate is a Living Folk Art, Not a Martial Art
Karate is not a martial art, but a living folk art—an Okinawan cultural practice shaped in village courtyards and backyards, rooted in personal preservation and community. It did not descend from the battlefields of imperial Japan, nor was it forged for military conquest. Before it was transformed by Japanese nationalism into a regimented budō, Karate was passed down through intimate teacher-student relationships, preserving not just techniques but a cultural understanding. To reclaim Karate today is to return to those roots—training not for trophies or rank, but for character, culture, and real-world self-protection.
016 — It’s Not A Martial Art, Probably
Most of what we call "martial arts" today are either philosophical paths, cultural performances, or rule-bound combat sports. Their original combative purpose—the ability to deal with violence in the real world—has been diluted, distorted, or forgotten. Even karate, which began as a practical system of self-preservation in Okinawan communities, was rebranded by Japan in the 20th century and transformed into something rigid, performative, and often ineffective.
Understanding what a martial art isn’t is the first step toward reclaiming what karate once was—and could be again.
015 — The Okinawan Spirit of Not Losing, Part 5: In Conclusion
The Okinawan spirit of “not losing” is not about avoiding a fight at all costs — nor is it about winning at any cost. It is the disciplined choice to act at the right moment, with just enough force to end a conflict without needless harm. Rooted in culture of Okinawa, this principle blends timing, judgment, and moral responsibility into the heart of Karate’s true purpose: protecting life while preserving peace.
“No matter how you may excel in the art of Te, and in your scholastic endeavors, nothing is more important than your behavior and your humanity as observed in daily life.”
— Tei Junsoku (1663-1734)