Bowing In and Out Ceremony

At the Broken Bokken Dojo we have a bowing in ceremony which is part of our Reishiki, or Etiquette. As most of you are aware, bowing is not a form of worship, but a sign of respect for each other. It is a recognition of our unity in the Dojo and as part of our collective humanity.

Many of you have asked what is the meaning of the Bowing In Ceremony and why do we do it this way. Dependent upon the dojo or style of martial art, you will find different bowing in ceremonies. Some very formal and others not so formal. At the Broken Bokken Dojo we are a bit more formal in line with my Zen training.

So here is the Bowing In Ceremony with the Japanese first, then the English translation. Starting from all students lined up properly, Sensei shouts,

"Seiza".......................Kneel
Claps three times....Signifies beginning of meditation

"Mokuso"................Meditation (begin meditation)
Claps two times....Ends meditation...signals beginning of bowing in and workout.

"Shomen ni taishite ni rei".......Expressing our gratitude to the Front which symbolizes all the masters who have gone before us.

"Sensei ni taishite ni rei".....Expressing gratitude to Sensei

"Yudansha ni taishite ni rei"....Expressing gratitude to Black Belts

"Dojo ni taishite ni rei"......Expressing gratitude to Dojo and Students

"Tachi".......Stand



The Bowing Out Ceremony

"Mokuso".........Begin meditation

Clap Once to end meditation and class

"Zarei"..............Seated bow

"Domo Arigato Gozamasu Mini-san" .............Thank you very much Students
(usually I do this in English)


"Domo Arigato Gozamasu Sensei"............Thank you very much Sensei


And that's it.

In terms of the clapping and number of times...Clap three times corresponds with beginning three bells in a Zen temple for beginning meditation.

Two claps ends meditation to do an active Zen practice, such as the workout.

One clap ends meditation and/or workout.

Hands Palm to Palm,

Sensei Dave