The philosophical core of karate — original Japanese text, careful translation, and the context that unlocks what each saying actually means for a living practitioner.
12 sayings · 4 masters · 3 deep commentaries
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空手に先手なし
Karate ni sente nashi
“There is no first attack in karate.”
— A founding master of modern karate · Modern
Quotes & Proverbs
12 sayings with context, application, and honest commentary on what they actually mean. Save any to your favourites — they persist on this device.
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空手に先手なし
Karate ni sente nashi
“There is no first attack in karate.”
— A founding master of modern karate · Modern
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一撃必殺
Ikken hissatsu
“One strike, certain death.”
— Traditional — attributed across multiple styles · Ancient
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武道は礼に始まり礼に終わる
Budō wa rei ni hajimari rei ni owaru
“Budo begins and ends with rei (courtesy/respect).”
— Traditional — widely cited in Japanese budo · Ancient
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千日の稽古を鍛とし、万日の稽古を錬とする
Sennichi no keiko o tan to shi, mannichi no keiko o ren to su
“One thousand days of training for the foundation; ten thousand days for mastery.”
— A classical Japanese swordsman-strategist · Edo Period
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心技体
Shin-gi-tai
“Mind, technique, body — the unity of the three.”
— Traditional principle across Japanese martial arts · Ancient
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型正しくして試合をすべし
Kata tadashiku shite shiai o subeshi
“Perform kata correctly, then engage in competition.”
— The Shuri-Te reformer who brought karate to schools · Meiji Era
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敵を知り己を知れば百戦危うからず
Teki o shiri ono o shireba hyakusen ayaukarazu
“Know the enemy and know yourself — in a hundred battles you will never be in danger.”
— A classical treatise on strategy · Ancient
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人の心は鏡の如し、汚れなければ万象を映すことができる
Hito no kokoro wa kagami no gotoshi, kegareneba banshō o utsusu koto ga dekiru
“The human heart is like a mirror — if unsoiled, it can reflect all things.”
— Traditional Zen saying, used in budo contexts · Ancient
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守破離
Shu-ha-ri
“First follow the rules; then break them; then transcend them.”
— Traditional concept in Japanese arts — developed in tea ceremony and budo · Ancient
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武士道とは死ぬことと見つけたり
Bushidō to wa shinu koto to mitsuketari
“Bushido is found in death.”
— A classical samurai-era text on the warrior code · Edo Period
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稽古とは一より習い十を知り、十よりかえる元のその一
Keiko to wa ichi yori narabi jū o shiri, jū yori kaeru moto no sono ichi
“Training is: from one, learn ten; from ten, return to the original one.”
— Traditional — various attributions in Japanese budo · Ancient
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“The goal of karate is not victory or defeat but the perfection of the character of its participants.”