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Long before the term budo 武道  came into existence in Japan, the words bujutsu  武術 and bugei  武芸 were already in use. Although the term budo  did appear at one point thereafter, it seems to have been used largely as a near synonym for bushido 武士道 , and its meaning differed somewhat from the sense in which budo  is commonly understood today. In contemporary usage, the term budo emphasizes practice grounded in the philosophy of do  道(the “Way”). The concept of do  overlays the

For the concept of budo  to spread more widely in the future, it would be neither constructive nor effective to deny the duality between “defined budo” and “conceptual budo.” Rather, the only practical way forward is to develop and refine both aspects together. By allowing both to coexist while distinguishing between them, their differences can be more clearly understood, and as understanding deepens, the conceptual framework of budo  itself can expand.   In this respect, the

Jigoro Kano’s dream of internationalizing Judo was realized through its inclusion in the Olympic Games. However, about sixty years later,...