INTERNATIONAL SHURIWAY KARATE & KOBUDO SOCIETY

I hear a lot of discussion about how martial arts students from Japan differ from those in the west. It might even account in some part for why in Japan students are often promoted to shodan (first degree black belt) more quickly than students are in the west. But I think the reason is that the Japanese student beginner's mind may not be our beginner's mind.

What does a Japanese student bring to the dojo? In a sense, they are already versed in the dojo culture, which shares much with their everyday culture, and is arguably rooted in their own (Asian) culture. Any child anywhere must be socialized to his or her culture and for most of us in the West who train in a traditional dojo, the Japanese/Okinawan culture is a new and foreign one. But in order to train within the system, some of it must be internalized, understood and learned. It's kind of like pre-school preparing us for school. But we Westerners often go straight into the dojo with no preparation. It's a sink or swim, or a learn-as-you-go, type of situation. Easier for some than others, and assisted possibly by helpful hints and guidance from sempai, or by any written material on cultural expectations and norms that a dojo may provide. Some of us are open to these new ways, but some of us have a lot of resistance.

To see some differences, let's look at what Janie and Taro bring to the dojo.

I was once told by a first grade teacher in Japan that the whole entire year is devoted to socialization, and academics come a distant second. In Japan there is no kindergarten in the elementary school. There are private kindergartens or pre-schools, but first grade is the first step they take into the school they will attend for six years, and it is the beginning of academic life.

In Taro's school he will start out by studying who he is as a person, and then widen the circle to include family, school, and lastly community. He will learn at each level the different roles, rules, and expectations in place. Traditional learning in first grade will include raising a morning glory plant from seed to plant and charting its growth, learning how to do shopping errands for his mother, learning to wash his shoes, and learning to clean his classroom, the school yard, and the streets of the community around the school. Taro will attend hansokai (reflection meetings) after each event to discuss what could have been better. This teaches cooperation and good listening skills. The curriculum in Japan is almost the same in every school, something unimaginable to westerners.

For Janie, while some attention is given to behavior at school, she'll be primarily concerned with the three R's (reading, writing and arithmetic). Socialization might consist of learning the Golden Rule, but though she may be expected to keep her desk neat and clean, most likely she won't actually be taught how to do this. And in America, unlike Japan, there is a huge difference in what is taught at each and every school. So we don't really know what Janie will be learning in her first academic year of school.

What do Janie and Taro need to learn to be a member of their traditional dojo community? A few things might be: