Soun Hojo’s 21 Articles | Okinawan Karate-do Institute

Believe in Buddha and the Shinto gods.
Get up early in the morning in order to set a good example for your servants and to carry out your own duties well. If you begin to be lax, you’ll be fired.
Go to bed at a reasonable hour. Don’t waste fuel for lighting while you hang out with other guys until late at night. Remember that robbers usually break in two hours before and after midnight, so if you aren’t around, you’ll fall victim to them. It’s not worth getting a bad name for irresponsible behavior. Get up a couple hours before dawn, wash in cold water, and say your prayers. Get yourself ready, and then give your wife, children and servants their instructions for the day. Arrive at work early, before the sun rises, so that you can do all the work allotted to you. If you don’t keep up, you won’t be able to do everything you’re responsible for.
Before washing your face and hands, go and check out the washroom, the gates, stables, and gardens. Get someone to clean up the places that need cleaning. Then go and wash your face and hands. Don’t expectorate loudly, because this will disturb the people asleep in your house.
Saying prayers is for your own sake. Be honest, sincere, and law-abiding. Respect your superiors and treat your subordinates compassionately. Accept your lot, in accordance with Buddha and the Shinto gods: accept what you have and what you don’t have – this will give you divine protection, even if you don’t pray. Remember if a dishonest person prays, he will not be given divine protection. Beware!
Don’t try and compete with others in the quality of your clothes and weapons. As long as they look reasonable, you’re fine. If you go into debt to buy expensive things, people will deride you.
Fix your hair first thing, whether you go to work or stay at home. There is no way you can appear among people when you’re all disheveled – and if your servants see that you don’t care about your appearance, they’ll begin to neglect theirs, too. It also looks ridiculous for you to rush to fix your hair if an unexpected guest arrives.
When you arrive at work, don’t go straight to the boss’s office. Wait in the waiting area and see how the other workers behave. Go to the boss when he calls you, otherwise there may be an unpleasant surprise in store for you.
When the boss calls you, answer “Yes, sir!” promptly, even if you are at some distance from him. Hurry forward, and then, when you get close to him, crawl to him on your hands and knees. Then rush off to do what he has told you to do, and when you’re done, come back and give him an accurate report. Don’t try and show how clever you are. If necessary, consult with other people as to how to present your report to the boss. Don’t take all the credit.
When you are with your boss, don’t listen to gossips. Keep well away from them. You must also not talk about yourself or laugh loudly – this will make your cronies and your boss ostracize you.
Rely on others – don’t try to do things alone.
Carry a book with you wherever you go, so that if you have a free moment, you can read and revise the characters surreptitiously. If you don’t get into the habit of reviewing them, you’ll forget them. Do the same for writing.
When there is a line of VIPs waiting to consult with your boss, do not walk past them arrogantly, but bow at the waist and hold your hands low. Samurai must behave with humility and deference.
Always tell the truth to everyone – whether they are superior or subordinate to you. Even when you are joking, tell the truth, otherwise telling half-truths and lies will become a habit and you will be ostracized. If you someone accuses you of lying, it is a disgrace that will never leave you.
If you don’t know tanka composition, you are ignorant and ungifted. You must study it. Always watch what you say. One word can betray your thoughts.
During your free time, practice your equestrian skills. Get an expert to show you the basic stuff, and learn all the rest on your own.
Spend your time on studying and writing. Avoid go, chess, and musical instruments. It’s not that there’s anything wrong with these things – they’re just a waste of time. Remember that the type of person you are – good or bad – depends on your friends. Remember, too, that when you are travelling with two other people, one of them will be worth listening to. Choose him. The other one can serve as an example of what not to do.
When you’re off work and go home, check out certain things, such as whether the walls of your house, behind the stables, are intact. Repair the holes in the fence made by dogs. If the thatch from the roof has been used for heating, replace it.
At sunset, lock the gate. Open it only if someone comes or goes. This will prevent trouble.
Before going to sleep, check out all the fires in the kitchen and your wife’s room, as well as ensuring that your house can’t be harmed by a neighbor’s fire. Do this every night since wives tend to forget this, and leave their clothes and jewelry lying around. If you have servants, you must first do things yourself before you ask them to do them. It is important for you to know what it’s like to do things.
It is imperative for you to constantly practice reading, writing, martial arts, archery, and equestrian skills. Literary skills belong to your left hand, martial skills to your right.