Our CORE VALUES The Samurai Virtues
These are the Core Values that govern and hold the art of Karate together, these are the values that the Samurai dedicated their lives to - to serve and protect. In Kempo Genbu Ryu these are central to our training, etiquette and life.
RESPECT
Begins at home and reinforced in the Karate School (the Karate Dojo). In Kempo Genbu Ryu Karate you get taught to live your life with Respect - in every aspect . We all have a place in the world and we all need to respect this and not interfere in people’s spaces. When time permits you learn to change the world rather than impose onto the world. Karate is possibly the best training any person let alone children could get from this Way of training and thinking.
SPIRIT
The core of Karate philosophy is Spirit. The Spirit to perform, to excel to perfect oneself. Spirit in Life is the ultimate role of any person practicing the Karate-Way. Kempo Genbu Ryu focuses on the development of Spirit - the Karate Spirit which is Unshakeable, determined, clear, pure and full of humanity.
HONOUR
Honour is possibly a Key fundamental missing in today’s society that Karate teaches and reinforces. To honour oneself begins with caring and honouring one’s parents elders and people around them. In the complete practice of Karate we Honour our teachers, our seniors, the ‘one’s who went before us’ as known in Japanese ‘Shomen’. For not honouring is to be void of respect and self-worth. We honour people around us for the great teachings we have in Karate, for the great opportunities around us from our families, parents, siblings and relatives. We honour our friends and seniors, our neighbours and people we look to for inspiration. To not honour people and to have honour for yourself is to be selfish and self destructive.
COURTESY
Everything begins and ends with courtesy. This is a great saying from one of the greatest Karate teachers & Kempo student of all time (Mas Oyama). This is driven constantly in the Karate Dojo, in the approach to our life, in our training and in general terms. If Karate is a void if this elements then it is no existent. To have this Budo art (Warrior Art) from the linage of the Samurai culture taught without the Core Values is to have this art for the sake of destruction. Karate if far from this; Karate’s purposes is to serve and protect the people and communities we live in. This was the purpose of the Samurai ‘to serve and protect’.
DISCIPLINE
Possibly the hardest element in one’s life. Everyone requires this for any success in life; discipline is the a minimum behaviour/trait any person must have in their life. Karate teaches and reinforces this.
The discipline of coming to a class regardless if you feel tired, sick or even bored is a must. The actual behaviour of attending a class, to reprioritise your day to attend a class actually develops a better person. For this action sharpens one’s discipline. The sheer fact of ‘keep on doing’ is discipline; this continues to further develop the Karate person during an actual training session.
This is a VERY important ingredient for success in life. Children need discipline—to push themselves, to keep on doing things time and time over will make them experts and refined people. Adults without discipline will become failures, hence adults need this in their life too. Whilst ‘failures’ may sound a harsh way of expressing this—it is true, because thinking about it; if an undisciplined person controls your life—work, school, neighbourhood etc then it will turn into a mess. Therefore success comes with the important ingredient called discipline. This is evident at school, work, business sports and in general life. It is very evident in the practice of Karate.
Discipline is a core value of Karate training; as this was the core to the Samurai Way of Living.