Giri — Duty and Obligation 義理

Giri 義理 [pronounced “ghee-rhee”] refers to the core concept of duty and obligation in karatedō and in life. It offers a key building block for a powerful and sophisticated worldview, for healthy relationships, and even for societies as a whole.

Duty and obligations sometimes receive negative connotations in our modern society. That's unfortunate. Instead of seeing an obligation as onerous, we can see it as an opportunity to rise to the occasion, to create and structure meaning to our lives, and to have the chance to make a difference.

So much of what we do in our daily work, frankly, has little meaning and little deep emotional satisfaction. But rising to meet an obligation, to perform a duty, may be just what we need to remind us of our intrinsic value and impact, and of our incredible capabilities.

So What Exactly is Duty?

Duty is doing the right thing. Duty is doing the thing that is expected of us by others.

The "right thing" is a complex idea – and it's an easy idea to cheat. Is the right thing working late at your job, when you really wanted to go home and watch tv? Yes it is. Is the right thing working as hard as you can at your job so you can go home as early as possible and be a good husband or a good wife? Yes it is.

Yes it is easy to not work hard, and yes it's seductive to want to go out with fellow workers after business hours are concluded. But Giri 義理 demands you to be a better person than that.

The "right thing" can be something different, depending on context and situation. We have to constantly be aware of what the "right thing" is, so that we can do it. And we have to be strong in understand that doing the right thing is usually not easy.

Righteous Action

Giri 義理 is made up of two kanji: the first, Gi 義 means "righteous" and this underlies the core of Giri 義理 – Giri 義理 is about being righteous and acting in a righteous manner.

We are confronted, at times, with different paths of action. Usually, one of those paths is also inaction. The defaults paths of action and inaction are seductive because they tend to be the easiest to take.

But are those paths the right ones? Are they the ones in which we act in a way that is congruent with our values and our self-identity?

Giri 義理 requires a lot of thought, self-awareness, and deliberateness of action. It requires effort to make Giri 義理 a part of your character and to internalize it as part of your self-identity. You'll be forced, sometimes, to do the "hard things" or you'll be inconvenienced. Or it'll cost you money, or it'll mean you miss out on opportunities.

Giri 義理 is hard.

Being righteous is hard.

And being righteous means doing that "right thing."

But Giri 義理 makes you a better person. If you want to be a strong man or a strong woman, Giri 義理 has to be a key part of your character.

Duty as a Two-Way Responsibility

Here's an important part of Giri 義理 that must be understood: duty is not hierarchical, but rather, a two-way concept of obligation.

At work, you have a duty to your company and to your company leaders – your managers and bosses. You have a duty to work efficiently, and with purpose and energy. You have a duty to constantly make sure that what you're doing is directly improving the position of your company, delighting customers, producing products and services efficiently, etc.

Duty is all pervasive here: do you work for a car maker? Then, assuming you can afford it, you should be driving a car made by your employer. Do you work for a soda company? Then that's the soda you should be serving your guests at a party.

However, Giri 義理 applies equally to your company and to its leaders. Are profits down? Is the market weak for the company's products? Then the company will work hard to improve the situation, but the company has a duty to continue employing the workers that are working hard and expect to have a career with the company. Yes, that means profits will be down for that year, but if Giri 義理 is difficult for workers, it also is difficult for companies.

Duty in All Ways

Giri 義理 applies in all aspects of life, and in all relationships.

Think of the different relationships of which you are a part. Certainly, you have family relationships, and you may play different roles there: you can be a son, a husband, and a brother, for example.

You also have dojo relationships: you are a karateka, and therefore you have a Sensei 先生, other senior instructors, seniors (senpai 先輩), peers (those at the same rank as you), and you have juniors (kohai 後輩). How you interact with all these different members of the dojo defines your role and the aspects of Giri 義理 that apply to them.

And you have community relationships: you.are neighbor to those who live around you, and you're a citizen in your country and in your city or town.

At work, you may be a leader, like a company owner or manager, or perhaps an employee – a worker.

And you likely are also a member of other organizations: you might be a club member or a Boy Scout troop leader.

And finally you have personal relationships: you're a friend, perhaps a best friend.

In all of these different contexts, there is Giri 義理.

And sometimes these different duties and obligations might be in conflict with one another, or touch upon one another in some way. In those cases, we have to tread through the network of our Giri 義理 so that we can do "the right thing" with everyone concerned. This isn't easy, and sometimes is very complicated, but as a righteous person, it's an important part of our self-identity.

We might not please everyone all the time: but there is definitely a hierarchy of who we choose to please less, and who we please more, and that hierarchy should reflect our values. Leading your Boy Scout troop is important; being a good husband is more important. Be careful that your actions reflect your hierarchy of Giri 義理.

Duty as Purpose and Fuel

All of this sounds hard, doesn't it? And it is hard.

Giri 義理 requires a lot of introspection and controlled thought and action. But that's why it's so especially valuable to us, and such a powerful and wonderful thing to have as part of one's character.

Giri 義理 gives us purpose, and gives us the chance to act on that purpose constantly. In a way, Giri 義理 is a way to exercise Ikigai 生き甲斐 on an almost daily basis. This is very, very good thing.

To live with purpose is to live with energy;  Giri 義理 can be the fuel of your day. And Giri 義理 can also be one of the keys to happiness, as a life lived with purpose is truly a life lived with energy and satisfaction.

Giri 義理 is a key concept in karatedō; but it also is a key building block in building an amazing life.

Editor's Note: This lecture was first delivered by Sensei at the Goju Karate dojo on 17 July 2024.