I know, I know; what do Japanese dragons have to do with anything? Well, for starters, I practice and am a student of traditional, Japanese Shotokan Karate and it is appropriate that I spend some time talking about my martial art discipline of choice. I practice Shotokan because I firmly believe in the principles set forth by it's founder, Sensei Gichin Funakoshi. In his excellent book 'Best Karate', Sensei Masatoshi Nakayama, first to achieve the rank of 10th Dan, states succinctly, "If Karate is practiced solely as a fighting technique, this is cause for regret. The fundamental techniques have been developed and perfected through long years of study and practice, but to make any effective use of these techniques, the spiritual aspect of this art of self-defense must be recognized and must play the predominant role." (Emphasis mine) He continues by stating, "This art is the nurturing of a sublime spirit of humility. Simultaneously, power sufficient to destroy a ferocious wild animal with a single blow should be developed. Becoming a true follower of karate-do is possible only when one attains perfection in these two aspects, the one spiritual, the other physical." (Again, emphasis mine)
Due to a severe shoulder injury while sparing, I had to make a decision. Do I try to continue training and hope that my shoulder injury will heal, or risk damaging it beyond repair and put my work and lifestyle in jeopardy? It was a tough call. I decided that I had to quit my formal training, but I still continue to practice and maintain my belt level and adhere to my Kata and training and the principles of Shotokan.
I decided that I had to do something to etch the high water mark of my training and wondered how to do that to have both meaning and relevance to myself and to be able to give a plausible answer to the people who would question my decision. So I decided to get a tattoo of a traditional Japanese dragon on my left arm and shoulder.
Japanese dragons, like all Asian dragons and unlike the dragons found in Occidental mythology, are not malevolent. These dragons are considered to be bringers of wealth and good fortune.
The Japanese dragon had originally come into existence as a guardian creature that was in charge of guarding all the 4 cosmic regions. Traditionally, the dragon is identified with the season of spring throughout Asia. The Japanese dragon bares close resemblance with its Chinese counterpart with the exception that the Japanese dragon has three claws, while the Chinese dragon has five. The Japanese dragon is referred to as Ryuku in Japanese mythology.
Typically, Japanese dragons are not seen as the cunning and evil creature they are represented as in Western culture. Instead, in most Asian cultures, dragons do not breathe fire and are seen as more benevolent creatures. They are seen as very powerful and are definitely a symbol of strength and power. However, they also represent a perfect balance of yin and yang forces and are therefore believed to represent a reconciliation of balancing of power. They more typically represent a combination of power with wisdom.
For me then the choice was simple. Since Japanese Dragons embody all of the qualities that are intrinsic to true, Shotokan karate, it was my only choice. In addition, the word Shotokan means 'empty hands'. When all you have are your hands, they have to be enough. And lastly, Shotokan karate traditionally teaches as part of it's doctrine that, "there is no first strike." Translated, this means that the astute student of karate is always ready to defend himself but never to perform the first strike, even though there are those within the discipline who are adherents of the doctrine of a preemptive first strike in extreme, life threatening cases.
I will close with the Shotokan Dojo Kun
Seek perfection of character
Be faithful
Endeavor
Respect others
Refrain from violent behaviour