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MARTIAL ARTS

TRAINING IN JAPAN

Introduction

A very senior teacher of aikido, “the way of harmony,” was once asked, “Sensei, what is the thing you like most about aikido?” His instant response was “The name.”

The name for martial arts in Japan is budo, literally “military way,” and often is loosely translated as “the way of the warrior.” Taking a hint from the aikido sensei, we should pause to consider the meaning of the name of the art you are going to Japan to study.

Bu (war), the first Chinese ideogram or character, is a stylized image of a halberd-like Chinese weapon on the right and human efforts to repulse the weapons on the left. But literally bu means “to stop the attack” and suggests that the best way of stopping attacks is to live in peace, with the ability to defend that peace. The second character, do, depicts an image of a sailboat carrying its passenger to his or her final destination. It suggests a method of self-cultivation; a way or path, or a vehicle that takes you where you want to go. The teachers in any good Japanese martial arts school will expect you to practice budo, not some form of sport boxing or wrestling. Probably most of you who would seek to go to Japan for further martial arts study already know this; however, I mention it because I feel it is important to remind a student of the profound nature of martial arts practice as perceived by high-ranking Japanese teachers.