Training Poem

The following is a 31-syllable abstract Japanese poem (commonly called a "TANKA") composed by Mabuni Kenwa sensei, (the founder of the Shito-Ryu Karate-Do) to earnestly express his view of Life and Karate-Do. Replica Audemars Piguet

It can be expressed as:

"Forgetting mundane things
When striving for the martial isle
Paddling is joy"

(World Shito-Ryu Karate-Do Federation - 1993 Inaugural Program Booklet.)

It can also be expressed as:

"With a single heart
Devoting myself to nothing else
It gives me bliss to pull on the oars
For the Island of Karate-do"

(The 3rd Shitoryu-Karatedo World Championships Program Booklet - August, 2000.)

It could also be interpreted to mean:

"When the spirit of Karate-Do (Bu) is deeply embraced
It becomes the vehicle (described as a boat) in which one is ferried
Across the great void to the 'world within' (described as 'bu'-island")

(Kyoshi Patrick McCarthy, translation. Quotes and Historical Tid-Bits, 0/11/98.)

"Clearing my mind of everything
with devotion and joyful anticipation
I row my boat toward the island of Bu"

("Shito-Ryu: The Island of Budo" Video, Kenzo Mabuni)

"The Joy of Dedicated Training"

The Discipline of Kenwa Mabuni