San no Ya Wado Ryu Karate

Wa Ten Chi Jin no Ri Do

This poem by Hironori Ohtsuka can perhaps guide us in our study of the principles on which the Wado style of karate is based.

There are three essential elements in the Japanese view of existence and the harmonious unification of these three elements is fundamental to Japanese art.

These three elements are:

Ten (Heaven) - The leading principle.
Chi (Earth) - The subordinate principle.
Jin (Man) - The reconciling principle

Part of the essence of Japanese art, not only the martial arts, is the intriguing concept of 'Mu', an all inclusive emptiness that embraces the whole of existence.

Something but nothing, nothing but something.

It is both the hardest and the simplest thing to achieve.

It is zen like in essence. If one knows that one has achieved zen then one has not achieved it, if one does not know that he has achieved zen then he has achieved it. If you think you know Wado then you do not know, if you think you do not know Wado then you know. Because here 'know' means to be in the process of knowing. It is the path toward knowledge that is Wado not the knowledge itself.

Reg Kear