Dojo Etiquette:
Uniform and Dojo Etiquette
The Dojo or training hall is a sacred place and must be treated as such. Below are videos about some of the basic aspects of this. Your Belt (Obi) and your Uniform (Gi) is part of your training and should be treated as such. There is a certain way to tie your belt and fold your Gi and these are detailed below. With the Jacket, Left side (side with the label) goes over the right side.
When you arrive at the Dojo you should bow, then when you enter you must forget and leave all of your day to day problems at the door and focus on only yourself. Respect your teachers and senior students that help you along with all the other members of your Dojo.
Entering & Leaving the Dojo
When you arrive, you should bow to the front of the Dojo and say 'Onegaishimasu' meaning "with all due respect I beg you to do this favour for me". In other words please let me enter and teach me all you have to offer. As you leave you bow again and say 'Domo Arigato' meaning "thank you". You can also say 'Sayonara' when finally leaving the Dojo for the day. Shoes must never make contact with the training surface as shown in the video. Place shoes neatly in the appropriate area.
Karate Terminology & Vital Points
Inside your Dojo, your Sensei will use various Japanese terminology referring to techniques, terms and vital points used in traditional Karate. Although they are explained in English also, this page helps as a guide for you to improve your knowledge and vocabulary.
Terminology Introduction
Class opening ceremony
- Performed at the beginning of every class.
- Shugo - Line up (phonetically ‘shho-go’)
- Ki o tsuke - Stand to attention (phonetically ‘kee-ut-skay’)
- Seiza - Kneel (phonetically ‘say-zah’)
- Mokuso - Meditate (phonetically ‘mok-so’)
- Mokusoyame - Finish meditating
- Shomenni - Face the front of the dojo (phonetically ‘sho-men nee’)
- Rei - Bow (phonetically ‘ray’)
- Sensei ni - Face your teacher
- Rei - Bow and say aloud Onegaishimasu meaning please teach me (phonetically ‘on-ee-guy-shim-ass’)
- Shomenni - Face the front of the dojo
- Kiritsu - Stand up (phonetically ‘kee-ree-tsoo’)
Class closing ceremony
- Performed at the conclusion of each class.
- Shugo - Line up
- Ki o tsuke - Stand to attention
- Seiza - Kneel
- Mokuso - Meditate
- Mokusoyame - Finish meditating
- Shomenni - Face the front of the dojo
- Rei - Bow
- Sensei ni - Face your teacher
- Rei - Bow and say aloud Arigato Gozaimashita meaning thank you (phonetically ‘ary-gatogoz-aye-mahsh-tah’)
- Otagaini - Face your partner
- Rei - Bow and say aloud Arigato Gozaimashita
- Shomenni - Face the front of the dojo
- Kiritsu - Stand up and bow.
When leaving the dojo at the end of a lesson, it is not necessary to wait and leave the dojo in order of rank. But if you do meet at the exit, it is just a matter of courtesy to allow the senior to go first.
Japanese Grammar: You will sometimes hear people say ‘arigato gozaimashita’ (with a ‘tah’ at the end) or ‘arigato gozaimasu’ (without the ‘tah’). It is just a case of thanking someone in the future or past tense. ‘Arigato gozaimashita’ is used at the end of the lesson to thank the Sensei for the lesson just given. ‘Arigato gozaimasu’ would be used at the start of the lesson to thank the Sensei for the lesson they are about to give.
Numbers
How we count in Japanese
- Ichi - One
- Ni - Two
- San - Three
- Shi - Four
- Go - Five
- Roku - Six
- Shichi - Seven
- Hachi - Eight
- Ku - Nine
- Ju - Ten