Читать книгу Traditions. Essays on the Japanese Martial Arts and Ways онлайн

6 страница из 62

I learned, in writing about the traditions of the budo on a regular basis, that there was a wide readership of intrigued individuals who were taking a deeper look at the budo, understanding that there may be something of value in these Ways, not immediately evident. Not incidentally, the same has come to be true on the antiques scene. Newly involved collectors are discovering that what they previously regarded as old trash, may be a connecting element to earlier times and the ownership of these objects can bring satisfaction and even a certain stability to daily life.

The sincere martial artist shares at least one other similarity with the antiques enthusiast. Both must traipse through a lot of junk and a lot of imitations before they find the real thing. Age alone does not elevate a thing to the status of antique, nor does its immediate appearance guarantee quality. Likewise, there are plenty of martial arts (and what have been ambitiously or fraudulently labeled as martial arts) that have been practiced for years, despite the fact that they’re largely nonsense. There are many imitations that can look most convincing, even if they are not authentic.