Tradition, Faith, and Martial Etiquette

Author: Bret Gordon

​Bowing is one of the most visible aspects of Japanese martial tradition, and in American Yoshinkan Aiki Jujutsu it plays a central role in setting the tone for training. Every class begins and ends with a sequence of bows that frame the practice and remind participants of the values behind the art. These bows are not empty rituals but expressions of respect, humility, and connection, qualities essential both inside and outside the dojo.
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​In our system, the opening and closing ceremonies include three seated bows (zarei). First, otagai ni rei, a bow between students, acknowledges mutual respect among peers. Second, shomen ni rei is directed to the front of the dojo, honoring the tradition and the art itself. Finally, sensei ni rei to show respect to the teacher leading class.
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Our bowing procedures

At the opening, these bows are followed by the phrase onegaishimasu (“please train with me”), while at the close of class the words become arigato sensei (“thank you, teacher”). This sequence is capped by three claps and a final bow, symbolizing a fresh start and renewed focus.

 
​The act of seated bowing has deep roots in Japanese culture. Zarei developed as part of court etiquette, where sitting and bowing were markers of rank, refinement, and humility. Samurai, scholars, and even commoners employed these forms as part of everyday life, long before they became associated with budo. Within martial arts, the seated bow represents stability, groundedness, and a calm spirit, qualities necessary for both combat and self-mastery.

You’ll notice in the video above that when I lean into the bow I place my left hand down first, then my right, and I recall them in the reverse order. Students, by contrast, place both hands down simultaneously. That small, almost invisible difference is a deliberate nod to our samurai origins.

Historically, a teacher or senior who kept their right hand slightly back showed readiness. In a real, dangerous world, the right hand was the one that would draw sword or dagger when vulnerability was highest. Students placing both hands forward signals they are unarmed and have no hostile intent. The teacher’s offset hand placement thus communicates both hospitality and responsibility: the teacher accepts vulnerability in order to instruct, but remains prepared to protect the class if the situation required it.

This is not an affectation. It is an embodied memory of a very practical reality. In modern practice the gesture is symbolic rather than combative, but it preserves the moral logic of the tradition: the teacher bears responsibility and maintains readiness while offering protection and instruction.

In addition to its cultural and symbolic importance, zarei is also a valuable training tool for developing the Aiki body. Proper execution of the seated bow is not simply a matter of hinging at the waist or arching the back, but of initiating movement from the tanden, the body’s physical and energetic center located in the lower abdomen. When the bow begins from this point, the spine lengthens naturally, the breath synchronizes with motion, and the body remains relaxed yet integrated. This subtle but essential approach trains practitioners to move from their center in all things, cultivating balance, stability, and connectedness that carries over into every technique of Aiki Jujutsu.

Many people who come from Abrahamic traditions hesitate at kneeling bows because in religious contexts kneeling and prostration are often acts of worship. We can simply say it's an Eastern tradition, but those with strong convictions of faith deserve a more detailed response. The concern is understandable and worth addressing directly.

Two important clarifications help untie the knot:

1. Worship involves sacrifice or devotion. Posture alone (lowering oneself, kneeling, or bowing) is only symbolic movement unless it is accompanied by an act of offering, prayer, or submission that intends a religious relationship. A dojo bow does not require sacrifice, vows, prayer, or any theological claim. It is a communal etiquette, not a sacrament.
2. Bowing is culturally relevant even in Biblical times. The Bible contains many examples of bowing as a human expression of respect, submission to authority, or deference to elders, not exclusively as worship.
   1. Abraham bowed before the Hittites when negotiating for Sarah’s burial place: “Then Abraham rose and bowed before the people of the land, the Hittites” (Genesis 23:7). This was an act of courtesy in a legal negotiation, not worship.
   2. Jacob bowed before Esau in reconciliation: “He himself went on before them, bowing himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother” (Genesis 33:3). Jacob’s bow was a sign of humility and peace.
   3. Joseph’s brothers bowed before him in Egypt, fulfilling his earlier dream: “And Joseph’s brothers came and bowed themselves before him with their faces to the ground” (Genesis 42:6). Again, this was deference to a ruler, not religious worship.
   4. Bathsheba bowed before King David when petitioning him: “Bathsheba bowed and paid homage to the king, and the king said, ‘What do you desire?’” (1 Kings 1:16). Her bow was respect for authority.
   5. Nathan the prophet also bowed before David: “Nathan bowed down before the king with his face to the ground” (1 Kings 1:23). A prophetic figure could bow without it being confused with idolatry. 

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Seen in this light, dojo bows fall comfortably into the same category as Biblical bows to humans: they are culturally specific ways of showing respect, recognizing hierarchy for the sake of order and safety, and cultivating humility in ourselves. Beyond history and theology, bowing matters because it trains the will. It creates a shared rhythm for the group, lowers ego and reduces performative posturing, orients practitioners to a moment of seriousness before training begin, and closes practice with gratitude. The three bows we perform (to peers, to the art, and to the teacher) cover the essential relationships of responsible training.

Bowing in American Yoshinkan Aiki Jujutsu is compact anthropology: it holds history, safety practices, social ethics, and spiritual prudence in a few seconds of motion. It is not worship unless you make it so. It is an act of respect, an expression of humility, and, when done with awareness, an ethical rehearsal for life under pressure.