Mas Oyama

Karate is not a game. It is not a sport. It is not even a system of self-defense. Karate is half physical exercise and half spiritual. The karateist who has given the necessary years of exercise and meditation is a tranquil person. He is unafraid. He can even be calm in a burning building.

Karate is Budo and if Budo is removed from Karate it is nothing more than sport karate, show karate, or even fashion karate-the idea of training merely to be fashionable.

Sice Karate exists for cultivating the spirit and training the body, it must be a moral way surpassing mere techniques.

Although it is important to study and train for skill in techniques, for the man who wishes to truly accomplish the way of budo, it is important to makehis whole life in training and therefore not aiming for skill and strength alone, but also for spiritual attainment.

One becomes a beginner after 1000 days of training. One becomes a master after 10,000 days of practice.

The path of Martial Arts begins and ends with courtesy. So be genuinely polite on every occasion.