Below is a 31-syllable abstract Japanese poem (commonly called a "TANKA") composed by Mabuni Kenwa sensei, (the founder of the Shito-Ryu Karate-Do) to earnestly express his view of Life and Karate-Do.
"Nanigotomo UchiwasuretariIt can be expressed as:
"Forgetting mundane things
When striving for the martial isle
Paddling is joy"
(World Shito-Ryu Karate-Do Federation - 1993 Inaugural Program Booklet.)
It can also be expressed as:
"With a single heart
Devoting myself to nothing else
It gives me bliss to pull on the oars
For the Island of Karate-do"
(The 3rd Shito Ryu-Karatedo World Championships Program Booklet - August, 2000.)
It could also be interpreted to mean:
"When the spirit of Karate-Do (Bu) is deeply embraced
It becomes the vehicle (described as a boat) in which one is ferried
Across the great void to the 'world within' (described as 'bu'-island")
(Kyoshi Patrick McCarthy, translation. Quotes and Historical Tid-Bits, 0/11/98.)
"Clearing my mind of everything
with devotion and joyful anticipation
I row my boat toward the island of Bu"
("Shito-Ryu: The Island of Budo" Video, Kenzo Mabuni)
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