Why

Some posts answer how. These answer why: why a regular adult walks into a room to be folded by strangers, why the site is named for an old Japanese word, why an art built on chokes gets called gentle, and what a strip of tape on a white belt actually certifies.

I keep this pile small on purpose. Reasons are structural; you do not need many, but the ones you have need to be real, because there will be a Tuesday in month two that tests all of them. Mine are written down here partly so I can reread them on that Tuesday.

If you found this site while deciding whether to start at all, this is the tag to read first. Nothing in it requires knowing a single technique. It is the case for the door, made by someone who hesitated outside it longer than he likes to admit.