Notes from the Workshop
A Collection of Essays, Insights, and Personal Reflections on Okinawan Karate and Kobujutsu
007 — A Warrior in the Garden: True Pacifism, the Power of Choice, and the Monster Within
True pacifism is not weakness—it’s strength under control. In this essay, we explore what it really means to choose peace, drawing on martial wisdom, a powerful Japanese proverb, and Jordan Peterson’s provocative insight: "Be a monster—and learn to control it."
006 — Kakie: The Hidden Heart of Okinawan Karate
Before sparring and spectacle took center stage, there was Kakie—a quiet, rooted exchange of pressure and presence. This ancient drill reveals the true foundation of Okinawan karate: structure, sensitivity, and spirit.
005 — The Circus Act of Kata: How Modern Karate Has Lost Its Soul
Kata was never meant for applause. Once a combative training method rich with strategy and intent, it’s now too often reduced to theatrical display. In this article, I explore how modern karate has lost touch with its soul—and what must be done to reclaim its purpose.
004 — Karate: What’s in a Name?
What’s in a name? In 1936, Okinawan masters gathered to rename their art “Karate”—a deliberate shift from “China Hand” to “Empty Hand.” This article explores the meaning, mispronunciation, and cultural weight behind the word many say, but few understand.
003 — Dōjōkun: The Ethos of Karate Practice
The Dōjōkun is more than a list of dōjō rules—it’s a living guide to how we train, how we act, and who we become. At The Karate Workshop, these eight timeless precepts shape not only our practice of Okinawan Gōjū-Ryū Karate but our everyday lives. Rooted in tradition and passed down through generations, the Dōjōkun teaches humility, patience, strength, and sincerity—values we carry from the dōjō into the world.
“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)