Gokui

"My belief is that gokui, or essence, is living with change (henka). If people change then things change and the times change. It would be strange, therefore, if each respective era didn't have gokui. Ironically, gokui is about change; people and times must change, but the fundamental aspect of gokui does not change. Budo has existed for thousands of years and the fact that my Budo is understood around the world shows that it exists within something that is like the gokui." - Masaaki Hatsumi