Takeshi Oryoji

Here, I would like to once again discuss the difference between bujutsu and budo, as well as the relationship between them. As I have repeated before, these are merely my own personal ideas formed through the practice of my own budo. A person who continually pursues something through the concept of “the Way” (do) is called a kyudosha—a seeker of the Way. I have previously stated that budo is a form of physical activity whose deeper understanding has still not been fully shared or mutually...

From time to time, one encounters criticisms directed at other schools or different types of martial practice, such as: “What’s the point of training like that?” or “Those techniques wouldn’t work in real combat.” However, this is not something new; even when examining historical materials, such criticisms can be found scattered throughout. Some of these criticisms seem valid, while others do not. Training that has lost sight of its purpose and become merely formalized certainly has no real...

In all forms of physical activity, many people likely believe that what matters most is practice itself, and that what one chooses to call it is of little consequence. Rather than pondering whether what they practice is budo or bujutsu , they focus instead on the techniques they wish to master and the bodily movements they have yet to acquire. The distinction between budo and bujutsu can be left to critics, they think, while they devote themselves to daily training. In a sense, those who are...