Help! What are we bowing to before class in Kyokushin?

[Karate_Girl_07]

I've been doing Kyokushin Karate for 2 1/2 years now and my 4th kyu grading is coming up at the end of the summer. I have a written test to write, a biography to write on a prominent figure in IKO and a physical grading that will have an uchi-deshi night as part of it. I know my terminology and most of the history but I still don't know exactly what the "shinden", "shinzen" and the "Shomen" are nor the history behind why we bow to them in the opening and the closing of the class. Please help me.

[Koji-Kabuto]

We bow to satan...

Seriously, you bow to the sensei and sosai.

[Chirath]

Sensei Google comes up with:

Shinden

Shinzen ni (rei) = (Bow) to the alter

Shomen ni (rei) = (Bow) to the front

[y2_sub]

We bow to satan...

That made me laugh for an hour

I presented my first written test at my shodan grading

[belar86]

Shomen ni rei = bow to the front

Sosai ni rei = bow to the founder of the style

Senpai ni rei = bow to the senior grade

Sensei ni rei = bow to the teacher

Shihan ni rei= bow to the master

Otogaini ni rei = bow to each other

You bow at the start and end of class as a sign of respect for the different people addressed.

[Karate_Girl_07]

Thanks for the help guys.

[JimmyNewton]

good luck

[Karate_Girl_07]

Thanks, I'm probably going to need it, lol.

[SaiFightsMS]

The bowing is a sign of respect - don't leave that out.

[Karate_Girl_07]

Lol, no, I won't. I knew that we bowed to show respect before now but I just didn't know why we bowed to the Shindin or the shinzen in particular. My Sensei said something once about paying respect to the Buddhist origins of the art I think, but I can't remember it all too clearly.