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Understanding the Meaning of Bu 武: A Historical Perspective
Aikido, among other martial arts, falls under the category of Budo 武道. However, what exactly does Bu 武 mean? To fully comprehend the meaning of the character Bu 武, we must trace its origins back to China. The character Bu 武 was first recorded in Jiaguwen 甲骨文, also known as the Oracle Bone Script, which was used in the late 2nd millennium BC. Jiaguwen consisted of pictographs and signs, many of which remain undeciphered today. Over thousands of years, Jiaguwen evolved into Chinese characters and was introduced to Japan around the 6th century. Jiaguwen 甲骨文 To better understand the evolution of the character Bu 武 over time, the diagram below…
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Kenji Tomiki and his Vision of Competitive Aikido
Kenji Tomiki 富木 謙治 was a scholar and a prominent martial artist who held an 8th dan in both Judo and Aikido. He was an early student of Morihei Ueshiba and played a crucial role in the development of Aikido and the establishment of Shodokan Aikido 昭道館合気道, also known as Tomiki Aikido. Born on March 15, 1900, in Kakunodate 角館町, Akita Prefecture 秋田県, Japan, Tomiki started training in Judo when he was about 10 years old and obtained his shodan rank in 1919. He continued to practice Judo and only in 1926, he was introduced to Morihei Ueshiba by his friend Hidetaro Mishimura, and started training in Aikido (still known…
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Development of Dan Ranking System in Japanese Martial Arts and its Adoption in Aikido
Martial arts have been an integral part of Japanese culture for centuries. One of the most significant aspects in their development is the introduction of the dan ranking system. The term “dan” 段, which literally means “stage”, was first used by Sansa Honinbo 本因坊 算砂, the founder of the Honinbo Go school in the late 16th century. Go 囲碁 is a traditional strategy board game originated from China and introduced to Japan around the 7th century. The game is played by two players who take turns placing black and white stones on a square grid board. The objective is to gain more territory on the board than your opponent by…
