Shugyo-kun (Discipline for Practice)

At the end of the practice, all the students chant “Daito-ryu Aikijujutsu Shugyo-kun”.

In the Setagaya Branch, each student takes the lead shugyo-kun on a rotating basis. Foreigners are no exception and they seriously memorize the words which are difficult to understand even for Japanese. At first, all they can do is memorize and raise their voice so that they don’t make a mistake. But, through chanting every time, they naturally come to think about its meaning and the words come to be accompanied by their spirits.

Then, they will find gradually that simple words have deep meanings. Shugyo-kun is a teaching that can be used not only in dojo and budo practice, but also in daily time and life itself.

Hideto Usuyama
Vice Headquarters Director and Setagaya Branch Chief
Daito-ryu Aikijujutsu

<English transration>
– Dojo is a place of spirit, begin and end with courtesy.
– As the way is far and deep, effort and self-strengthening is never end.
– Arrogant is the beginning of carelessness, origin of defeat.
– Correct the mind, correct the body, correct the technique, and correct the conduct.
– The ultimate of the way is the peace. Do your utmost for it.