Dojo gods

[Grautr]

Hi,
When we walk into the dojo we rai to the gods, this is what my Sensei told me. By gods are we talking about Kami, the fighting spirit of the dojo or something else?
Does anyone know enough about Shinto beliefs to explain please?

wassail,

[Neil Gendzwill]

What command does your dojo use to face the front? If it's kamiza-ni, then your dojo is shinto, if shinzei-ni buddhist, if shomen-ni secular.

[Kaoru]

What command does your dojo use to face the front? If it's kamiza-ni, then your dojo is shinto, if shinzei-ni buddhist, if shomen-ni secular.

Well, that is useful information to know! I only knew about shomen-ni, but didn't know about what kind it was.(I.E. secular) Cool! New stuff I learned today!

Kaoru

[Grautr]

What command does your dojo use to face the front? If it's kamiza-ni, then your dojo is shinto, if shinzei-ni buddhist, if shomen-ni secular.

Hi,
Thanks for that information. At my dojo they use shinzen-ni.

[Neil Gendzwill]

Thanks for that information. At my dojo they use shinzen-ni.

I think that's the same, maybe my romaji was bad. Anyways, I'm pretty sure that's a buddhist dojo. Doesn't have to be exclusively buddhist though, many Japanese people combine shinto with other religions.

[Mr.Tvola]

What command does your dojo use to face the front? If it's kamiza-ni, then your dojo is shinto, if shinzei-ni buddhist, if shomen-ni secular.

Interesting. Are you sure with this?

[Neil Gendzwill]

That's the explanation I've gotten from my sensei. I'll always accept a correction though if I'm wrong.

[tango]

I'm not sure either, but we have used both shinzei-ni and shomen-ni..

I thought shomen-ni was just a generic thing for "face the front"...
I've never heard kamiza-ni, but I like Neil-sensei's explanation for it.

And shinzei-ni was explained to me that if our dojo had a shrine we would be doing 'shinzei-ni' ... but since we don't, we just use shomen-ni...

[ben]

What command does your dojo use to face the front? If it's kamiza-ni, then your dojo is shinto, if shinzei-ni buddhist, if shomen-ni secular.

I'm not sure it's as clear cut as that outside of Japan. (BTW I think it's "shinzen - ni").

Shomen ni does indeed mean face the front. We use that command after "joseki-ni" if there is no sensei present, otherwise we say "sensei-ni".

Kamiza can be written with different kanji to mean either "God seat" (Shinto) or simply "Upper seat". ANother pronuciation of upper seat is "joseki".

Definitive clarification of this matter can be found in Inoue Yoshihiko sensei's wonderful kata book, out now through KW Publications.

I think I now have poo on my nose.

b

[lwegerich]

Kamiza can be written with different kanji to mean either "God seat" (Shinto) or simply "Upper seat". ANother pronuciation of upper seat is "joseki".

Makes sense to me. I train in an dojo where also Kyudo and Iaido is taught. For those of you interested in here's the link: www.alster-dojo.de. Click on "Alster-Dojo" then left on "Bilder" (pictures) to get an impression.

There is a small niche in it which the Kyudo sensei called Kamiza the other day. There are some decent wooden statues and other japanese stuff in it.

It's the place where the senseis are sitting during gradings, it's also meant to be for visitors. I know that the Kyudo guys bow into that direction before practise.

Here's a funny story which came to my mind right now. The other day we had the national trainer for Germany (japanese though) visiting a grading. While all visitors and dojo members tried very hard to keep up the correct seiza position the japanese trainer (7th dan) asked for a chair right from the beginning and sat there for about 2 hours. LOL

[Hyaku]

Here's a funny story which came to my mind right now. The other day we had the national trainer for Germany (japanese though) visiting a grading. While all visitors and dojo members tried very hard to keep up the correct seiza position the japanese trainer (7th dan) asked for a chair right from the beginning and sat there for about 2 hours. LOL

Yes we spend some time sitting on the floor in the hall on a wooden floor but noteably all the Pys Ed teachers will never sit down. Its stand up or get a chair.

Hyaku