08/27/2023
IT IS NECESSARY TO RESTORE THE TRUE BUDÔ!!!
At present there are courses in Budô sports, such as Judô, Kendô, Kyudô, Karate, etc., but the true Budô, the true nucleus of the cultivation of the Japanese spirit, is not taught. In the general public, the Budô is understood to have the same meaning as the word Jutsu (technique), and is described as a "Bujutsu contest or competition" that lacks spirituality and has been deported. In addition, although on a social and cultural level, the Budô has spread to foreign countries, and the population of Budô (fighting techniques) or Martial Arts is growing, it happens that there is no awareness that it is moving in the opposite direction, that is: in the direction away from the original Budô. Speaking in terms of culture and tradition, these facts are directly manifested in many training halls that are gymnasiums without Kamidana (in other words: without seeking spirituality).
The Budô urgently claims that it must be restored as a traditional culture in modern times, reviving the appearance of Budô as it originally should be, clarifying the difference and relationship between Michi/Dô and Jutsu, and continuing the training of both. If this is not done, the Budô as a millenary culture and as a reason for being in its origin, as well as the traditional conservation of Japan will become an obsolete, empty word, without meaning of root and existence.
But how to revive the essence of true Budô?
It’s very easy, if one really want to. It is by following the original Budô. First of all, sticking to traditional ways, studying the heart of Japan, awakening one's own heart, forging the soul of the discipline in which one is dedicated. The training begins with respect for the spirits of the people and the Budô deities, and includes etiquette and loyalty between the Master and the disciple, as well as between the students themselves, and the search for one's own Dô in the practice of Bujutsu. And the place of that preparation and training is in a Budôjô or 武道場, Budô-ba (place or field of Martial Arts) in which a clean and peaceful place provides a unique and special environment.
If the heart is lost, the form is also lost, and the revival of the tradition will become more and more difficult. In order to restore the essence of true Budô, the forms must first be maintained and decadence stopped. In addition, one must seek and want to learn from the instructors or Masters who maintain and put into practice the true tradition of Budô; because these will ensure that the student's technique will be refined and effective, that Bu and Dô are not lost, and that strong spirits with well-trained minds and bodies are cultivated.
To remember: In Japan, the Budô was a lifestyle of the samurai warrior classes, which was made up of physical training in combat techniques, mental training, knowledge and control of oneself united with the spiritual state, and all this within some rules of courtesy prioritizing essential ethical and moral values in learning any of the disciplines.
"The CULTURE and the ART of the BUDÔ must be preserved proactively."
HARU YOSHIDA
