Is there such a thing as a karate culture?

 

How would you define karate culture?

 

Is your karate culture exclusive to that of your dojo?

 

Would your karate culture say affect how you chose what to wear when going out in terms of clothing? Say to wear clothes you can kick in comfortably?

 

Does your karate culture make you live a bit differently than your couch potatoe neighbors or friends in terms of the amount of time you spend on your training? Or how you eat as compared to them.

I think that Karate Culture, as such, can be traced down two paths.

 

The first is the influence of Confucian thought, which dictates manners of the relationship between people. This is where the courtesy that is (I hope!) the hallmark of all Karateka comes from.

 

The second is the influece of Showa militarism. THis is demonstrated in the way most modern Budo are praciced,and that we sometimes import into our daily lives. An instructor of mine caled this "Tuffugai (tough guy)" mentality. Postitive aspects of "tuffugai" are the unwillingness to give up when confronted by adversity. Negative aspects are the unwillingness to explore alternate paths when confronted by adversity!