Many foreigners cannot understand the difference between Judo, which has now become a world sport, and Budo (Budo means "Way of the Martial Arts") which must be considered as a moral principle. The latter has been followed and applied in Japan for two thousand years. In every Japanese citizen, there is this indefinable spiritual side that many travelers have tried to penetrate.
This view of the subconscious which makes act in the hereditary behavior of modern Japan, its admirable life which, for a large part, strengthened this spirit that we, students of Martial Arts like to understand, esteem and respect, takes shape in Budo. What does Aiki-Budo mean? There must no longer be any misunderstandings between all the known appellations such as: Judo, Budo, Bujutsu, Ju-Justsu, Aïki-Jutsu, Aïki-do, as it is unfortunately the case.
As you know, in ancient times, in Japan, many martial arts were developed, such as Tai-Jutsu, Ju-Jutsu, Tamara. These different techniques were effective against armed enemies. One could defend oneself by projecting, by causing the dislocation of the articulations, by giving blows, by strangling, etc. The development of these techniques was very important, until the moment when the saber port was abolished? Since that date, which corresponds roughly to the entry of Christianity into this country, we have witnessed the almost complete decay of these arts which were deemed insufficient to obtain their effectiveness.
Fortunately, a man of genius, the venerable Jigaro Kano, knew how to bring a technique and a codified system which was admirably suitable for physical and mental training, known nowadays under the name of Judo.
Parallel to the efforts of J. Kano, there were some masters who continued to practice, but soon enough we forgot the spiritual side - essential - of this Ju-Jitsu to consider only the sporting side.
(…) We must insist on the precise meaning of the word Budo, because we often get it wrong. It is not necessary to go to Japan, you will say, to acquire this spirit of Budo, which can be cultivated with us by such religions or the history of morals. I would answer that self-confidence is an assurance that nothing can destroy and that it can only be obtained by studying Budo; which does not mean that Budo is superior to religion.
Although we are not physically gifted, we can, and this is the case in a few rare people, influence and dominate others. We sometimes hear it said by intellectuals, that it is not necessary to bring interest Defense Arts. I will answer that if you are able to coolly overcome emotional factors, such as fear or cowardice, you have already defeated a potential adversary. This feeling of security, of thoughtful courage, combined with high feelings, is obtained by the practice of Budo. This ideal, if combined with moral teaching and the path of contemporary religions, becomes a principle of life. This is, in my opinion, the reason why the Japanese study all forms of Budo, because it gives a total feeling of security and power at the same time.
On the other hand, to speak of a fighting spirit for budo is not correct, to speak of a fighting spirit and anything else and completely foreign to true Japanese Budo.
There is no aggression in the term Budo, it is very important to report it at any occasion if we want to understand the way.
Images : iki-toki.jp
