Regarding the "Way-Culture" in Japanese Martial Arts: Examining Their Objective, Values and Practice-Methods

Regarding the traditions of Japanese budo-the 'Ways of Martial Arts'-we come across the term 'Way', do or michi, which is found in the names of those arts, such as karatedo, judo or kendo. However, do is not just a simple term or character, it is an intellectual and philosophical concept, constituting the foundation of budo. Also in many other areas of Japanese culture, do possesses a substantial and far-reaching meaning. Depending on the art, the term do carries different nuances and so it is difficult to give a concise and universally valid definition. If we try to understand the term 'way' as it is used within the martial arts, then we have to investigate the meaning of the concept 'Way' (do) for those arts. In this presentation, therefore, I investigated, what kind of teaching and learning exists within budo. For example, what is the responsibility of the instructor or what has the disciple to do on his or her 'way'. Further, I discussed the development of budo, showing the influences of Asian continental thought on the development of 'Way-awareness'. In addition to this, I explored the values within budo, and how they have been influenced by, for example, Confucianism and Buddhism. I also tried to define the objective of budo precisely, and in doing so I gave some examples of the kinds of problems that are encountered as budo has spread throughout the world, due to the differences between ideal objective and competitive orientation.