From Martial Arts to Self-Cultivation: The Integration of Song-Ming Neo-Confucianism and Karate Etiquette and Ethics

During the Song and Ming periods, the development of Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism and Wang Yangmings School of Mind further refined Confucian thought, profoundly influencing East Asian politics, education, family ethics, and daily life. Meanwhile, Chinese martial arts during this period gradually shifted from military use to civilian practice, absorbing the essence of Confucian philosophy and becoming a comprehensive system for cultivating personal character and social harmony. After martial arts were introduced to Japan, they evolved into karate, which, through integration with local culture, developed into a Japanese form of martial art. The etiquette system of karate deeply incorporated Confucian principles, reflecting core values such as self-discipline through ritual and respect for teachers and the Way. The interaction between modern Japanese society and Confucian thought further promoted the integration of the Confucian worldview into karate, endowing it with unique cultural awareness and enduring vitality in the context of globalization. This study uses historical analysis and interviews with karate practitioners to explore the specific manifestations of Confucian thought in karate culture, revealing how Confucian rituals play a role in karate practice and discussing the implications of contemporary karate education for cultural inheritance. The study demonstrates that Confucianism profoundly influences karates moral development system through various aspects such as etiquette norms, teacher-student transmission, and self-cultivation, fostering the physical and moral unity of martial arts, and providing important cultural support for the harmonious development of modern society.