Dojo
道場
Hall where Japanese martial arts are practised. Literally “place of the way”, with its own etiquette, cleaning and a fixed arrangement of the space.
Quick Facts
Word breakdown
Definition
Dojo (道場) is composed of the characters 道, way, and 場, place. Literally it means “place of the way”. The word comes from Buddhism, where it denoted a place of spiritual practice and meditation, and only later passed to martial arts halls. In Japan today, dojo can be said of any place for physical training, including professional wrestling gyms. In the West the term is used almost exclusively for Japanese martial arts such as judo, karate, aikido or kendo. The main hall of a school or organisation, which is usually also its headquarters, is called the honbu dojo.
In practice
Nobody enters the dojo in footwear, and students bow on entering and leaving. The front wall is called shomen. It is usually opposite the entrance and often bears a small Shinto shrine, kamidana, a portrait of the founder, calligraphy or flowers. The place of honour is called kamiza. Students usually enter at the lower left corner facing the shomen, while teachers take the upper right side. Communal cleaning, soji, at the start or end of training is part of the routine. It has a hygienic and a symbolic meaning: the student looks after the place where he learns.
Differences between arts and styles
Korean arts have the word dojang (도장) for the training hall, written with the same characters 道場. In Chinese arts the school and its hall are called wuguan, in Cantonese kwoon. The South Indian kalaripayattu is practised in the kalari. Each of these spaces has its own etiquette and arrangement, so the words are not interchangeable.
Relations to other terms
Equivalent in another art
Training hall of Korean martial arts, mainly taekwondo and hapkido. Written with the same characters as the Japanese dojo (道場).
Wuguan武館Chinese martial arts school and training hall, literally “martial hall”. In Cantonese mo gun, in English often kwoon. Counterpart of the Japanese dojo.
Khai muayค่ายมวยA muay thai training camp. Fighters often live there, train twice a day and carry the camp's name as part of their fighting name.
KalariകളരിTraining hall of kalaripayattu in Kerala, after which the art is named. A traditional kalari is sunk into the ground and has a shrine.
See also
A traditional Japanese floor mat made of rice straw and rush. In the dojo the name also covers today's foam mats used for training and competition.
Dojo kun道場訓A short set of dojo principles that practitioners recite at the end of training. The best known is the five-point dojo kun of Shotokan karate.
Kamiza上座The place of honor in the dojo, literally “upper seat”. It is usually at the front wall with a kamidana shrine or a portrait of the founder, toward which practitioners bow.
Reiho礼法A set of rules of proper conduct, literally “law of respect”. In the martial arts it governs bowing, sitting, dressing and the handling of weapons.
Rei礼The bow and respect in general in Japanese martial arts. One bows standing (ritsurei) and kneeling (zarei) on entering the dojo, to a partner and to the teacher.