2008, Volume 4
Budo (the Martial Arts) as Japanese Culture －The Outlook On The Techniques and The Outlook On The Human Being
Taketo Sasaki1
1Faculty of Human development and Culture Department of Physical Education, Fukushima University, Fukushima
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Abstract
Historically, the meaning of the term Budo has had a very broad meaning. Today, Budo is still used in a broad way, in that there is still a tendency for it to be used to define a culture of spirituality and moral values [1]. Therefore, the tradition has been maintained into the modern day.Over time, Budo has had many philosophical concepts, depending on the era which one focuses upon. It has been a path of military technique, religious ideology, and experiential philosophy. Although, the concept of Budo has been argued about from many points of view, it has not yet been clearly defined. The ambiguity of Budo is mainly due to the traditional Japanese way of thinking. The most important aspect is how the Japanese approach the problem of gaining skill with respect to physical problems from the traditional ways of thought. Ancient Japanese think of the traditional arts and Budo as methods of improving people’s physical skill and personalities. Ancient philosophy influenced the way Japanese think with respect to modern Budo as a method to gain moral values. This paper discusses (the problems of mind and body with respect to the characteristics of Budo skills) and how these skills as life lessons (shugyo).
Key words: keiko (lesson), syugyo (life training), techniques of budo, the body and the mind