Gichin Funakoshi
The word karate is a combination of two Japanese characters: kara, meaning empty, and te, meaning hand; thus karate means 'empty hand'. Adding the suffix ''-do'' (pronounced ''doe''), meaning 'way', ie, karate-do, implies karate as a total way of life that goes well beyond the self-defence applications. In traditional karate-do, we always keep in mind that the true opponent is oneself.
Shotokan founder Gichin Funakoshi has said that 'mind and technique become one in true karate'. We strive to make our physical physical techniques pure expressions of our mind's intention, and to improve our mind's focus by understanding the essence of the physical techniques. By polishing our karate practice we are polishing our own spirit or our own mentality. For example, eliminating weak and indecisive movements in our karate helps to eliminate weakness and indecision in our minds and vice versa.