Departments
Intermediate Japanese - Free Online Course
BUDŌ
武道
(martial arts)
The traditional Japanese arts of self-defense all have two primary aims. The first, of course, is to give the student practical skills that can be used in self-defense or combat. Secondly, the study of budō is supposed to develop the student’s self-control and firmness of character. Most martial arts schools emphasize the “spiritual” aspects of budō as well as its practical skills.
Technique over Brute Strength
Jūdō 柔道 has been an Olympic sport since 1964. In a jūdō match, opponents try to throw, restrain, and pin each other. To the casual observer, a jūdō match can look a lot like ordinary wrestling. However, the so-called "gentle path” of martial arts is more than just blind grappling. A fight is broken down into two phases—a “standing phase”, and a “ground phase.” Students of jūdō learn separate techniques for each phase of a fight.
Jūdō was developed in the 1880s by Dr. Jigoro Kano. Kano was small and frail as a child, and often found himself the target of bullies. He created jūdō as a martial art that relied on technique and leverage rather than brute strength.
"Empty-Handed" Fighting
Karate空手, or “empty hand” is the world’s best-known martial art. Karate enables an unarmed, or “empty-handed” warrior to defeat an opponent by striking him with the hands and feet in fast, powerful blows.
Karate came to Japan from China via Taiwan and Okinawa. According to legend, karate was developed in China by monks in ancient times. Okinawan fighters improved on the imported techniques over the years, and made the barehanded techniques even more deadly by adding simple weapons. Today there are many “schools” of karate around the world; and they teach slightly different forms of the art.
The Most Spiritual Martial Art
Aikidō 合気道 techniques are focused almost entirely on self-defense. The practitioner of aikidō uses leverage to twist the joints of an opponent, thereby subduing him. Aikidō is inherently non-violent. A principal tenet of the art is that one should gain control of an opponent early in a confrontation, thereby avoiding causing serious harm to either party.
Among Japanese martial arts, aikidō arguably has the strongest spiritual component. The Japanese characters which make up the word合気道 mean “the way to unity with the fundamental energy of the universe.” The founder of the art, Morihei Ueshiba (1883-1969), was a spiritual teacher as well as a martial artist. He has posthumously acquired nearly mythic status among some students of aikidō.
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The above are just some of the categories or budō. Other important Japanese martial arts include kyūdō 弓道 (archery), i-ai-dō 居合道 (swordplay), and kendō 剣道 (bamboo fencing).