As the name suggests, at Budo Philadelphia we teach something called “budo.” Basically, budo is the Japanese word for “martial arts.” But, since some may be unfamiliar with the term (and because there is actually more to it than that) we offer the following explanations, along with a few links to more comprehensive resources.
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“Budo” is the modern Japanese word for martial arts. It is written with two Japanese characters meaning “martial/combat” (bu) and “path/way” (do). Budo, therefore, is considered “the martial path” or, more loosely, “the way of the warrior.” Now, although Japan's combative traditions extend back many centuries, the word budo itself came into wide use only in the twentieth century. Before that, the martial arts were generally referred to as "bujutsu," meaning "martial technique." The new term, “budo,” marked a shift in emphasis from martial arts as practical fighting systems to martial arts as vehicles for training the mind, body, spirit—in other words, as programs of physical and moral education, personal growth, and spiritual development. Budo are practiced in “dojo,” which literally means “place to practice a path.”
Strictly speaking, Japanese budo are divided into into kobudo (old budo) and gendai budo (modern budo). In the final analysis, the ultimate goals of these are more similar than some would like to think, but certain differences are worth introducing.
Kobudo (classical martial arts, also called koryu) are traditions that have been handed down since antiquity and remain more or less unchanged from the way they were in days long gone. As such, they are largely antiquated as combative systems, teaching the use of weaponry now extinct (swords, spears, glaives, staves, muskets, etc.) or premised on antiquated scenarios (fighting in armor, on horseback, while sitting on the floor, etc.). Training is typically based on kata, or formal exercises aimed at helping practitioners to develop, deepen, and refine proper technique through constant repetition. Competitive matches and sparring are rarely used. In many ways, kobudo are more like cultural artifacts than directly applicable fighting systems, and they are practiced, appreciated, and cared for much like treasured antiques--that is, with no new additions, alterations, or updates to make them “more relevant” or “better.”
This is not to say, however, that kobudo are “dead” arts. Far from it. The fact is, there exist, across all ages and eras, certain common denominators to human conflict and combative movement, principles and concepts that remain as true today as they were centuries ago. The deep study of these remains intact within kobudo training. A short list of such dimensions might include the following: distancing; timing; targeting; the breaking of an opponent’s equilibrium to gain advantage; the use of eye contact; the use of rhythm and breathing; the cultivation of deep perception and non-stopping awareness; the efficient and fullest use of power and movement; strategic concepts like “flanking vs. charging”; and even the use of courtesy and diplomacy to mediate and mitigate human beings’ seemingly endless inclination toward violence and confrontation. More generally, in the words of seasoned combat veteran Lt. Col. George H. Bristol, USMC, kobudo training embraces “hard work, commitment, focused application, and a fusion of the mental and physical that creates an ethos--the ethos of the warrior.”
Kobudo exponents through history have benefited personally from their training, using it to discipline, strengthen and perfect themselves as human beings, perhaps to “come to terms” with the violence in their worlds, some reportedly even attaining spiritual “enlightenment.” And because “the more things change, the more they stay the same,” kobudo training undoubtedly will offer something worthwhile for us, too.
All this to say that while the kobudo are antiquated in form, they are very much alive in terms of the insights, skills, and opportunities for personal growth they offer. Anyone interested in such things can glean much from exploring their depths. As Shinto Muso-ryu jo master teacher Nishioka Tsuneo puts it: “By exploring the old, we illuminate the new and the now.”
Probably a couple hundred kobudo still exist, some carried on by only a handful of practitioners, others by a few hundred or a few thousand. They are definitely not common or popular or available everywhere. Most are small, almost family-like organizations, with a strong emphasis on personal interaction amongst students and teachers and between junior and seniors.
Usually a kobudo can be identified by the inclusion in its name of the suffix “-ryu” (meaning “style” or “school of”), plus some word indicating its combative specialty (such as kenjutsu (swordsmanship), jujutsu (grappling), heiho (martial tactics), jo (stick fighting) and so on). Thus, the name Shinto Muso-ryu jo refers to “the Shinto Muso style of stick fighting,” whilst Daito-ryu aikijujutsu means “the Daito school of aiki-based grappling.” Kobudo naming is actually somewhat more complex, and riddled with exceptions, but this is the general pattern. Any kobudo with a verifiable pedigree, by the way, will be registered with The Society for the Promotion of the Japanese Classical Martial Arts and/or The Japanese Classical Martial Arts Association. These are Japan’s two most well-established and respected kobudo preservation organizations, and a kobudo not recognized by either will usually be of questionable historical authenticity (i.e. newer than claimed and ungrounded in historical reality).
For a partial listing of authentic kobudo and further discussion, click your way to The Classical Martial Traditions of Japan and What Is a 'Ryu'?.
Gendai budo (modern martial arts), on the other hand, are “new” martial arts created after 1868. That was the year in which centuries of Japanese feudalism finally gave way to Westernization and other modernizing influences. Officially, there are nine gendai budo, each of which has been distilled from older fighting systems (kobudo) at various points during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. These are as follows (in no particular order):
Kendo -- The sportive use of the Japanese sword, distilled from a number of older sword styles. Also includes iaido, the art of the "fast draw", and jodo, the art of the stick.
Karatedo -- Empty-handed fighting systems, many originating in Okinawa, characterized mainly by kicking and punching techniques.
Sumo --Traditional wrestling in an earthen ring, originating as an ancient Shinto religious rite and now evolved into Japan's national sport.
Shorinji Kempo -- A 1947 Japanese adaptation of Chinese kung-fu, purportedly that of the famous Shaolin temple, fused with elements of Japanese grappling, strongly underpinned by a Buddhist philosophy.
Judo -- The art and sport of throwing and pinning, distilled from older jujutsu traditions early in the twentieth century, now also an Olympic sport.
Aikido -- A distinctively non-competitive art based on throwing and pinning, formulated early in the twentieth century based on a fusion of the older Daito-ryu aikijujutsu school of grappling with the spiritual outlook set forth in the tenets of the Omoto-kyo, a new Shinto sect.
Atarashii naginata -- The sportive use of the Japanese glaive, with competition rules roughly similar to those used in kendo.
Jukendo -- The sportive use of the Japanese bayonet, either attached to a wooden rifle or alone (tankendo), with competition rules roughly similar to those used in kendo.
Kyudo -- The art of the Japanese long-bow, also featuring a strong emphasis on aesthetic performance, meditative practice, and spiritual development.
As part of their modern outlook, these nine gendai budo have made a distinct point of turning away from the focus on violence and fighting implicit in older combative traditions, replacing it with the view that martial arts should be used primarily as vehicles for physical and moral education, self-improvement, and personal growth and enlightenment. From this point of departure, many have adopted sportive competition to a greater or lesser degree. Most include instructional methods and curricula ideal for use with larger groups, including a high degree of standardization and the elimination of particularly dangerous techniques. Most are overseen by large organizations responsible for developing and perpetuating a curriculum and maintaining quality standards. And most have exchanged any metal weapons they formerly used for wooden or bamboo versions designed for sportive competition and safe training (this is true of kobudo as well). Modern budo are often taught within the physical education curricula of Japanese schools, and the official count of nine originates with the Japanese Ministry of Education.
One might reasonably ask, “Are classical and modern budo really that different?” The basic answer is that while they emphasize somewhat different approaches and attitudes, and while they come from somewhat different times, in the final analysis their ultimate goals and motivations overlap quite a bit. They are two different interpretations of the same paradigm, one more conservative, the other less so, and they coexist quite peaceably (particularly in Japan, where the urge to make black-and-white distinctions is not so strong). For us in the twenty-first century, budo is budo, regardless of whether the approach we take is more classical or more modern. Ultimately, it is about challenging and exploring yourself, through assiduous practice of arts and skills that can be extremely difficult, sophisticated, and subtle. In the words of Kondo Katsuyuki, leader of the Daito-ryu aikijujutsu tradition: “Budo is not about winning over others, it’s about winning over yourself. It’s about rising above yourself and your current limitations to grow mentally and spiritually, striving to achieve true humanity and perhaps even enlightenment. And it’s about using what you’ve learned along the way--and what you’ve become--to benefit the world beyond the dojo.”
For an an informative and authoritative essay digging into the subject much more deeply, please click your way to Diane Skoss' excellent The Meaning of the Martial Arts: Some Reflections Along the Way.
The Japanese character “MU” (“Nothingness”) and an image of Zen (Ch’an) Buddhism founder Bodhidharma, brushed by Daito-ryu master teacher Kondo Katsuyuki.
“Budo,” it has been said, “is the dual path of the sword and the brush.” It is a path that straddles the martial and the civil, that bridges the inevitably regrettable world of conflict and strife and the greater world of culture and civilized society.
Those who focus on the former, to the exclusion
of the latter, will always be poorer for it.
What is “Budo”?