All About Japan

Kyudo, which literally means The Way of the Bow, is considered by many to be the purest of all the martial ways. In the past, the Japanese bow was used for hunting, war, court ceremonies, games, and contests of skill. The original word for Japanese archery was kyujutsu (bow technique) which encompassed the skills and techniques of the warrior archer. Some of the ancient schools, known as ryu , survive today, along with the ancient ceremonies and games, but the days where the Japanese bow was used as a weapon are long past. Modern kyudo is practiced primarily as a method of physical, moral, and spiritual development. No one knows exactly when the term kyudo came into being but it was not until the late nineteenth century when practice centered almost exclusively around individual practice that the term gained general acceptance. The essence of modern kyudo is said to be synonymous with the pursuit of truth, goodness, and beauty. Truth in kyudo is manifested in shooting that is pur...

Kendo ( 剣道 , kendō ) , or " way of the sword ", is the Japanese martial art of fencing . Kendo developed from traditional techniques of Japanese swordsmanship known as kenjutsu . Kendo is a physically and mentally challenging activity that combines strong martial arts values with sporting-like physical elements. Practitioners of kendo are called kendōka ( 剣道家 , kendōka ) , meaning "one who practices kendo", or kenshi ( 剣士 , kenshi ) , meaning "swordsman". Kendo is practiced wearing traditionally styled clothing and protective armour ( bōgu ), using one or two bamboo swords ( shinai ) as weapons. Kendo may be seen as a Japanese style of fencing. The movements in kendo are different from European fencing because the design of the sword is different, as is the way it is used. Unlike western style fencing, Kendo employs strikes with a defined 'edge' and tip of the shinai . Kendo training is quite noisy in comparison to o...

Judo ( 柔道 , jūdō ? ) , meaning "gentle way", is a modern Japanese martial art ( gendai budō ) and combat sport , that originated in Japan in the late nineteenth century. Its most prominent feature is its competitive element, where the object is to either throw one's opponent to the ground, immobilize or otherwise subdue one's opponent with a grappling maneuver, or force an opponent to submit by joint locking the elbow or by applying a choke. Strikes and thrusts (by hands and feet) - as well as weapons defenses - are a part of judo, but only in pre-arranged forms ( kata ) and are not allowed in judo competition or free practice ( randori ). Ultimately, the philosophy and subsequent pedagogy developed for judo became the model for almost all modern Japanese martial arts that developed from "traditional" schools ( koryū ). Practitioners of judo are called jūdōka . History and philosophy Early life of the founder The early history of...

Aikido ( 合気道 , aikidō ) is a Japanese martial art developed by Morihei Ueshiba as a synthesis of his martial studies, philosophy, and religious beliefs. Aikido is often translated as "the Way of unifying (with) life energy " or as "the Way of harmonious spirit."Ueshiba's goal was to create an art that practitioners could use to defend themselves while also protecting their attacker from injury. Aikido techniques are normally performed by "blending" with the motion of the attacker, rather than directly opposing the attack. The aikidoka (aikido practitioner) redirects the attacker's momentum , using minimum effort, with various types of throws or joint locks . Aikido can be categorized under the general umbrella of grappling arts. Aikido derives mainly from the martial art of Daitō-ryū Aiki-jūjutsu , but began to diverge from it in the late 1920s, partly due to Ueshiba's involvement with the Ōmoto-kyō religion. Ueshiba's early stude...

Okinawa The relationship between Okinawa and Japan is complex and, in the context of karate, it is appropriate to consider them as originally being separate sovereign countries. Japan annexed the nominally-independent Ryūkyū Islands in 1874, after centuries of strong Japanese influence over the kingdom following the invasion by the Japanese Satsuma clan in 1609. The Okinawan martial art " ti " (or " te ") was practiced by Okinawan royalty and their retainers for centuries before, and alongside, later Chinese influences. There were few formal styles of ti, but rather many practitioners with their own methods. One surviving example is the Motobu-udun di school passed down from the Motobu family by Seikichi Uehara. Early styles of karate are often generalized as Shuri-te , Naha-te , and Tomari-te , named after the three cities from which they emerged. [14] Each area and its teachers had particular kata, techniques, and principles that distinguished their local ver...

Karate ( 空手 , Karate ? ) or karate-dō ( 空手道 , karate-dō ? ) ) is a martial art developed from Chinese kenpō (in particular, Southern Chinese kung fu ) and indigenous fighting methods from the Ryūkyū Islands . It is primarily a striking art, featuring punching, kicking, knee and elbow strikes, and open-handed techniques, but grappling, joint manipulations, locks, restraints, throws, and vital point striking are also taught, depending on the style. A karate practitioner is called a karateka Modern karate training is commonly divided into kihon (basics or fundamentals), kata (forms), and kumite (sparring). Another popular division is between art, sport, and self-defense training. Traditional karate, while used to address a broad scope of traditions, typically does not break karate into discrete components, but rather derives self defense training directly from kata and application practice. Weapons ( kobudō ) comprise another important training area. Modern Japanese-influence...

Japan is very popular about its Martial Arts (Budo/Bujutsu). There are several Japanese Martial Arts that now included in Olympic Games, such as Karate, Judo, Kenpo. Also there are more that now spread all around the world and has their own International Competition, such as Kendo, Iaido, Aikido (Shodokan Aikido), KyuDo, also Kenjutsu and IaiJutsu, and Sumo. Most of them are came from Samurai culture, such as Kendo (fencing), and some are from civilian such as Karate. Here are list of the most Popular-world-well-known Japanese Martial Arts. Bare Handed: Ju-do Karate-do Kenpo-do Aiki-do Jujutsu Taijutsu Sumo Using Weapons/Armed: Kendo (Fencing) Kenjutsu (Traditional Fencing) IaiDo (Fencing) IaiJutsu (Traditional Version from IaiDO) JoJutsu (staff), ShurikenJutsu(throwing), BoJutsu/YariJutsu(stick/spear)- (most are taught in one scholl. like ninjutsu club) Ninjutsu (Ninja)