SHISEI-DO DOJO: Defining Who We Are.

SHISEI-DO DŌJŌ : Defining Who We Are

SHISEI-DO DŌJŌ : The Meaning of Dōjō?

Dōjō (道場 ) is a Japanese term which simply means “place of the way,” and can refer to a formal place of training for any Dō or Japanese art.  Classically, the dōjō has been regarded as the formal place for students of Budō or Japanese martial arts to train in, but certainly, the education and training offered within a dōjō need not be limited to martial arts but can instead be (and often is) more spiritual, introspective or meditative in nature.

SHISEI-DO DŌJŌ : The Meaning of Shisei-Dō

至 誠

The name Shisei-Dō Dōjō is based upon the words and teachings of one of Japan’s greatest intellectuals and educators, Yoshida Shōin (吉田 松陰) who lived and died a premature death during the last days of the Tokugawa Shōgunate, a time of great political and social upheaval.

He once wrote: 

Shisei ni shite ugokkazaru mono wa, immadakore arazarunari

The first word in the quotation, shisei, is key to what we believe at the Shisei-Dō Dōjō and it is why we exist. Shi (至) means the height of or the ultimate in something; sei (誠) refers to what is called "heart's blood", unaffected or unrestrained sincerity, wholeheartedness, eagerness, or enthusiasm. Do (道) means the path or the way.

For us then, Shisei-Dō  (至誠道) is the way of the height of enthusiasm in each project we undertake and the way we live. Everything we do, everything we study and teach here, whether it is Amatai no Shugo-ryū Aikijutsū, Iaido, Wa-Dō, or how to find peace, harmony and prosperity in our lives, is a work of love, done with the greatest enthusiasm.

Shisei ni shite ugokkazaru mono wa, imadakore arazarunari.

"If one has shise to do something, if one does something with shisei, if one does not forget shisei when one does something, one can accomplish anything."

-Yoshida Shōin