The concept of Giri is the moral path that human beings should follow in their interpersonal relations with others.

The concept of Giri is the moral path that human beings should follow in their interpersonal relations with others.

This is my second article that I am writing for the FMK newsletter. First and foremost, I would like to thank you personally for taking the time to read this. I would also like to thank Sensei and other senior members of the dojo. They spend a great deal of time preparing these articles that help all of us improve our minds as well as our bodies.

During the last month both Blaise Ryan and I were honored with an award, for serving ones superiors with self sacrificing devotion or Giri. It was a humbling experience. As this concept is so important to our school, I would like to share some of the important conclusions I have drawn based on my own experience and research. Giri is a concept that is truly unique to Japan and still exists in modern society today. The best way to understand this concept and where it comes from is to know its history.

The central ideal of the warrior code (Bushido) was the concept of Giri, which can also be translated as "duty", "obligation", "justice", or "social courtesy". It summed up the whole complex of obligations which the individual samurai was honor-bound to fulfill. The term first came into general usage in the early Tokugawa period in the Neo-Confucian sense of the moral path that human beings should follow in their relations with others.

In its narrowest sense, Giri referred to a retainer's loyalty toward his lord, but the meaning of the term broadened in the course of time. By the late seventeenth century, each of the four social classes in Japanese society had its own proper code of conduct, and was obliged by Giri to perform its respective duties scrupulously. But by far the most important application of the term was found within the Samurai class.

Giri, does not have a clear English translation. The birth of the concept of Giri occurred during the feudal period in Japan, and holds the highest regard in human relationships. The samurai or warrior classes were bound to the concept of Giri.

A Samurai was bound by honor once he had accepted a favor or pledged his word; he was required to fulfill the claims of friendship, to put himself above financial and material reward, and to strive constantly to improve his skill in the martial arts and to cultivate a resolute and fearless spirit so that he could better serve his lord. Giri demanded that each and every samurai approached as close to moral and physical perfection as possible in order to serve as an ethical model for the rest of society.

(Taken from the Introduction to Tales of Samurai Honor (Buke Giri Monogatarai) by Ihara Saikaku, translated by Caryl Ann Callahan.)

The concept of Giri still exists in Japanese society today. An example of the modern application of Giri is the goal of the modern Japanese business or team model. It is not the pursuit of individual gain, but one of support and respect for human relationships. Instead of inter office competition and mistrust of one's contemporaries; harmony and productivity reign. Everyone employed is part of a team in which all players play a significant role. This is one of the reasons that Japanese businesses are so successful.

This same practice of mutual support and respect for others is important in any learning environment, but is essential to being a good karate student. Ethical Karate students work to achieve a common goal by bettering themselves, and by taking pride in all aspects of their school.

Although our society is not as demanding in the particularities of social graces, as in Japanese society, karate students we should serve as ethical models for society like the Samurai did. FMK provides the tools to work toward the ultimate goal of mental and physical perfection. Although at times this self sacrifice is difficult, and may even seem impossible.

When Sensei asks that do your best, he is referring to this principle of Giri. We are self-sacrificing our time and abilities in the pursuit of happiness. Remember that you are part of a team and everyone needs to do their part. When someone needs a hand, help them. When something needs to be done, do it. When some thing needs to be cleaned, clean it! Push yourself even if you’re tired! Don’t give up, even if you fail!

Be the best person you can be in all areas of life, especially when you are called upon to perform a particular task. Make positive moral choices. Be a good person. Give of yourself when you can. When you have that extra bit of anything extra, offer it up knowing that you are bettering yourself in the process. It may be during time spent practicing at the dojo or in any situation or other aspect of our daily lives. We must have faith in ourselves and strive to be the best people that we can be. This is the concept of Giri.

"The ultimate aim of Karate lies not in victory or defeat, but in the perfection of character of its participants."(Master Gichin Funakoshi)