Spirit

It would appear that the spirit of karate practitioners would be best served initially by understanding it as the intestinal fortitude of one’s mind-state and mind-set that transcends all of life’s obstacles with emphasis on those that stress and strain one’s will to surpass and move forward and evolve - regardless.

To the American it is similar to the Marines mind-set that makes them the most formidable adversary of one’s enemies. It is that spirit that gave us the name, “Devil Dog!”

Knowing that the body follows the mind we developed attitudes and willingness to achieve objectives and goals above and beyond that of normal humans. It is a character, personality and mind-state of “just do-it!”

It could be said as example by a great warrior of the eighteen-seventies, Takamori Saigo, “There are two kinds of opportunities, one which you chance upon, the other which you create. In time of great adversity, one must not fail to create his opportunity.”