The Dōjō-kun: Code of the Dojo

This article was originally published by Robert J. Hartung III on November 25, 2019.

Translation preserved from the original article

Dojo Code
To know that patience comes first.
To know that the path of humanity comes from justice.
To renounce avarice, indolence, and obstinacy.
To recognize sorrow and resentment as natural, and seek the immovable heart.
To not stray from the path of loyalty,
and with a balance between the pen and the sword, always delve deeper into the heart of Budō.
Observing these five rules to the right is the law of the dojo.

The original article followed the translation with these historical lines:

Meiji 23 (1890), Spring — Toda Shinryūken Masamitsu
Shōwa 33 (1958), March, on an auspicious day — Takamatsu Toshitsugu Uō
Transmitted by Hatsumi Masaaki Byakuryū

The article described this dōjō-kun (道場訓) as a code passed within the Bujinkan and as a statement of moral outlook and conduct. Whatever its wider historical interpretation, its practical themes remain clear: patience, justice, discipline, emotional steadiness, loyalty, and the balanced cultivation of thought and martial practice.

In the dojo, those values are expressed through conduct: respect the training space, listen carefully, practice honestly, control technique, and take responsibility for the safety and development of one’s partners.

Original source: The Dōjō-kun: Code of the Dojo.