Sunday, April 26, 2015

The Karate Song


Discovered by Joe Swift

translation

http://www.stamfordisshinryu.com/id187.htm

Aa sanjento hi no hikari

Myo gunjorno umi no iro

Saekeki shima no tokonga

Saegigaumishi mute no ken.

 

Kokoro o Kitau, mi o kitau

Aa, Okinawa no, Karate-do !

 

Aa ware osou tekki araba

Shurei no kuni ni shingiari

Tetsu no kobushi wa kanzento

 

Niku o kirasete, hone o utsu

Kokoro o mamaru, Mi o mamaru.

Aa, Okinawa no Karate-do !

 

Aa tensenshi kodai yori

Hewa no kane wa naritsutau

Semeru ni arazu fusegu waza

 

Gotai ga bukizo kono karate

Kokoro o tadasu, mi o tadasu

Aa Okinawa, no Karate-do !!

 

ENGLISH

 

Ah, beautiful islands of sunlight

and the color of the sea

the proud fighting spirit of the

islanders and the empty handed

sword of Justice.

Training spirit and training body

This is Okinawan Karate-do !

O, but if an enemy should happen to

attack us, and the method of

courtesy prove to no avail, if he

should cut our flesh with

his iron weapon, even then

we will punch through to his bone.

Courtesy and defense together

this is Okinawan Karate-do !

 

O ! Ever since the mythical

ancestry of Japan, the bell of

peace has been ringing continually

in Okinawa. The way of courtesy

and the five bodily weapons of

Karate together, to make a straight

character and good etiquette,

This is Okinawan Karate-do !!!

 

http://www.stamfordisshinryu.com/1x1.gif

http://www.stamfordisshinryu.com/1x1.gif

 

http://www.stamfordisshinryu.com/1x1.gif

This song, "Karate-Do Sanka", attempts to epitomize some

of the most important aspects of Karate. The most important

lines of the three verses are:

 

"Kokoro o kitau, mi o kitau"; "Kokoro o mamaru, mi o Mamaru";

and "Kokoro o tadasu, mi o tadasu".

 

"Kokoro" means spirit, heart, mind, or feeling. "Mi" is the body.

Since the word "Kitau" means training or practice, the first line

may be translated as, "Training spirit and body", i.e. making not

only the body strong through the many repetitions of years of

continuous practice, but also strengthening the spirit to be able

to tackle the most difficult tasks, both physical, mental and spiritual.

 

The second line combines with the word for defense, "Mamaru".

Hence the total meaning is defense with body or the blocking and

attacking method of the Karate-jutsu, and more importantly the

ability to avoid fighting even when it means walking away from the

insult or some other difficult situation, in other words, defense with

the spirit, or in a rough approximation, courtesy.

 

The third line builds us up to the most important and difficult of the

three concepts, character and etiquette. "Tadasu" means to make

straight and so the literal translation of this is, "Make a straight spirit

and a straight body." In other words, to correct and perfect the very

way in which each individual thinks and acts on a moral basis, as determined by his society and religion.

 

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