The Anvil and the Dojo Forge

Instructors of Okinawan karate often use stories, anecdotes, analogies and metaphors in order to pass on concepts, ideas and theories. These are rich in visual imagery and I would like to share the following one which I found posted on the bulletin board of Kanei Uechi Sensei's Dojo in Futenma, Okinawa (around 1980).

The Dojo Forge: The Okinawan karate instructor is much like a master craftsman or blacksmith. The craftsman's mallet was forged through his many years of strict guidance and rigorous training with the old masters and the wisdom, knowledge and understanding he gained during that apprenticeship. The karate dojo then becomes his anvil. The hard and constant training and instruction are the fire with which he tempers the flesh, blood and spirit of his students the metal, which he hammers into the next generation.

Author Unknown