Dojo Etiquette - Sitting Structure

Often American Martial Artists try to utilize what most perceive as the mystical etiquette of the dojo as they perceive it being that mysterious Asian way but without actually knowing why it is done which seems incomplete to me so I am going to convey a bit of information about the culture and custom that drives this etiquette of the dojo.

First, it is not exclusive to the dojo and is actually the Japanese culture and custom. It deals with historical aspects that drive "rank" in Japan. The Japanese culture and customs seem to be derived from the feudal era that created a hierarchical structure where rank, i.e. superior-inferior status, drives the society.

Japan's feudal era worked on this vertically structured hierarchical society and became extremely sensitive to a person status or ranking. This resulted in the kata-ization of many aspects to life in Japan to include where one sits.

In the dojo, as in the structured hierarchical system of Japan, every room has a "head or power place." The highest ranked person sits or stands in this place. The power place/seat is called the "kami za (kah-me zah)." Sound familiar? It is the upper seat in Japanese.

The kami-za is closest to the tokonoma (toe-koe-no-mah). The tokonoma is the "beauty alcove" in the space that has the display of flowers, scrolls or other works of art. Sound familiar?

It comes to my mind that it is "important" to understand "why we do things" in martial arts if we are serious in our studies. I can say, for me, that I never truly understood why it is some dojo performed such "shikata or kata" in the dojo or when I observed it I "assumed" it was specific to the dojo and to martial arts. Not true .....

Where students, kohai, sit in relation to both sempai and Sensei is structured this way due to the reasons above - not exclusive but rather a key to more study. I can say that this is not the complete explanation so hope it inspires one to "learn the customs and culture" of the system they study. You will be pleasantly surprised at what it tells you and what it can teach you.

I like the depth and breadth it is giving my understanding and study of my karate. Remember, "The Japanese society was divided into distinct classes that were arranged in descending order of power and privilege. As in most feudalistic societies, classes in Japan became hereditary and were eventually fixed by law. Strict hierarchies are still a fundamental part of virtually every Japanese organization today." - DeMente, Boye Lafayette

Bibliography:
DeMente, Boye Lafayette. "Japan's Cultural Code Words: 233 Key Terms That Explain the Attitudes and Behavior of the Japanese." Tuttle. Vermont, Tokyo and Singapore. 2004. 


DeMente, Boye Lafayette. "Kata: The Key to Understanding & Dealing with the Japanese." Tuttle Publishing. Tokyo, Vermont and Singapore. 2003

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