What is Budo?

9. May 2008 by Patrick Budowski.

I get asked what Budo is or means so I figured I would post some info about it. The info below is from the ITKF. Since they could explain it better then me.

Over the centuries Budo has sought to develop martial arts systems that do not depend on physi-cal strength, but rather, on psychological and physical techniques which maximize one’s energy and power. Budo practice enhances a person’s mental strength, scale and class in a manner that potentially enables practitioners to control an opponent without physical confrontation. Budo is the foundation of physical disciplines that pursue victory without fighting.
History of Budo development
In Japan, civil wars frequently broke out following the Tengyo Revolt in the 940’s A.D. During periods of in-ternal conflict several fighting techniques, including horseback riding, archery, naginata, swordsmanship, spires and battlefield combat were developed.
The introduction of firearms in 1543 boosted the evolution of combat systems. The traditional lacquered wood and leather armor was rendered obsolete and, without such heavy outfits, warriors were able to use quick and sophisticated techniques when engaged in hand-to-hand combat.
In the early 17th century, Ieyasu Tokugawa founded a unified government in Japan, thereafter avoiding seri-ous warfare for some 250 years. While Japanese fighting techniques originally were developed for group fighting, during the Tokugawa shogunate they were studied as a form of individual combat. Prominent ex-perts of the various fighting systems established highly developed techniques that employed not only muscle strength but mental and physical strategies and techniques within systematically organized training regimens. As a result, these bodies of knowledge evolved into different schools of martial arts.
These fighting techniques then were applied to fundamental education mainly for samurai families, while the benefits of martial arts training were studied in various academic fields. During the Kanyei era (1624 – 1643), religious scholars focused on martial arts’ spiritual benefits, which they regarded as philosophy. Confucians considered martial arts a way of preparing people who would contribute to building a strong nation. Medical researchers discovered the value of martial arts training as a form of physical education. Academic ap-proaches became a part of martial arts study. Through this process, martial arts became more than the sum of their techniques. They were refined as the way (DO) to complete human character through the study of fighting techniques (BU). At this point, martial arts developed as a cultural phenomenon.

You can read more at http://www.itkf.org/budo.html

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