What is Budo?
Its Mind  and Techniques

Budo is derived from the tradition of bushido. It is an athletic culture of mind and technique unification through the discipline of martial arts that has been systematized in Japan and is the collective name for judo, kendo, kyudo, kyudo, sumo, karate, aikido, shorinji kenpo, naginata, and bayonet. Budo is also a path of human development that trains the mind, technique, and body, polishes character, raises moral values, and fosters respect for courtesy.

Budo was originally born as a self-defense art, and shooting arrows and sumo wrestling were also used to ward off evil spirits and pray for a bountiful harvest. Around the middle of the Heian period (794-1185), armed soldiers who engaged in warfare as a profession began to appear, and this led to the emergence of the samurai.　From the Kamakura period (1185-1333) to the Meiji Restoration (1868), the samurai ruled the world for about 700 years, which contributed to the development of the Japanese budo (martial arts).

With the Meiji Restoration, the samurai class disappeared and the martial arts declined rapidly, but two figures brought light to martial artists: the swordsman, Tesshu Yamaoka, who preached that “swordsmanship was a form of cultivation”, and founded the “Shunpukan” dojo, and Jigoro Kano, who compiled jujutsu and founded “Kodokan” Judo. Kano advocated the three objectives of judo as “physical education, victory, and discipline,” and sought to utilize judo in school education, aiming to educate people with wisdom, virtue, and physical strength. Kendo and Judo. Despite the differences in their characteristics, both Jigoro Kano and Tesshu Yamaoka shared the idea that the training of mind and body to attain the Way through the arts is the foundation of life. The spirit remains alive today as a universal value of budo.

Himeji and Budo

When one often speaks of Himeji, most people probably associate it with the National Treasure, Himeji Castle, which is designated as a World Cultural Heritage site. The area surrounding Himeji Castle was once dotted with samurai residences. ‘Budo’ was originally developed chiefly by clans for the art of war（ikusa）, and in the Himeji domain, the samurai also practiced jujutsu and weapons arts such as stick and small sword fighting.　Based on this tradition, various martial arts have been handed down to the present day as “Himeji Kobudo” and are still alive today.

One of the world-famous judo practitioners born in Himeji, a city that had fostered ‘budo’ in this way, was Mikinosuke Kawaishi. He went to France in 1935 to spread judo overseas and devised a revolutionary teaching method called the Kawaishi method, which was easy for foreigners to understand, by classifying and numbering technique names and kata, and by using seven different colors for the belt. Kawaishi left a significant mark on the spread of French judo, being called the “Father of French Judo”. Due to this connection, the French Judo team held a training camp in Himeji during the Tokyo Olympics. Like this, Himeji and Budo have a deep and inseparable relationship.

Budo Experience  at the Budo Hall

The Hyogo Prefectural Budo Hall (“Budokan” in Japanese) was established in 2002 with the purpose of “contributing to the sound development of the mind and body of the youth and the people of the prefecture at large through the promotion of Budo. The facility is one of the largest of its kind in Japan, with two large dojo that can be adapted to 12 different martial arts disciplines. The Hyogo Sport Association, which manages the facility, proactively organizes a variety of programs under the keywords of “Budo,” “Japanese culture,” and “health. The facility offers classes in judo, kyudo, kendo, naginata, bayonet, karate, Shorinji kenpo, bujutsu taijiquan, Nippon kempo, aikido, taekwondo, and Himeji han kobudo. In addition, various training opportunities are available according to each individual's skills and experience, including “martial arts class” (including an introductory class for beginners), “training class” for experienced persons to improve their martial arts skills, and “practice session” as a place for voluntary training.