The Dojo Kun (dojo rules) associated with Gichin Funakoshi—the founder of Shotokan Karate and often called the "father of modern karate"—serves as the ethical compass for practitioners. While training rules existed in Okinawan martial arts, Funakoshi formalized and popularized these five central precepts as karate transitioned from Okinawan self-defense into a Japanese Budo (martial way) in the early 20th century. Rooted in Bushido and Confucian principles, the Dojo Kun was designed not merely to govern behavior inside the training hall, but to reshape a practitioner's character in everyday life.