tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2648987284969270841.post7533133756262788246..comments2024-02-25T12:49:53.561-05:00Comments on The Budo Bum: Training In Japan Isn't What You See In The MoviesThe Budo Bumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17829768452637120001noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2648987284969270841.post-46413853372816436482022-10-26T06:16:52.678-04:002022-10-26T06:16:52.678-04:00Interesting. Interesting. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2648987284969270841.post-5414423499038515262013-10-17T17:51:59.974-04:002013-10-17T17:51:59.974-04:00I agree that budo is "nothing special". ...I agree that budo is "nothing special". In Japan that is. The techniques you are practicing, the craft one is learning, is just a tool for practicing all the "do" 道 aspects. So much of what is the "do" is embedded cultural knowledge that Japanese take for granted as shared cultural and historical knowledge and experience. Outside Japan, we don't have that basic cultural and historical knowledge, so what is ordinary and a given in Japan, is exceptional an unknown outside Japan. This is true whether we are talking about budo or any of the other cultural ways from Japan. The teacher outside must have a thorough understanding of these cultural elements to be able to fully transmit their budo. For a foreigner training in Japan, these elements smack you in the face so often that you learn them almost as organically as the Japanese do growing up. Training outside Japan, the teacher has to consciously include them in the instruction. It can be transmitted across cultures, but the teacher has to understand what elements beyond the techniques have to be taught as well for a student to fully grasp the "do" portion of budo.The Budo Bumhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17829768452637120001noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2648987284969270841.post-7514233492225581802013-10-16T15:52:06.508-04:002013-10-16T15:52:06.508-04:00Peter:
I know that studying and attempting to liv...Peter:<br /><br />I know that studying and attempting to live Budo is much more than studying techniques. I've been at it for around 35 years and was lucky to start my training under a teacher who insisted that we were not training martial arts but Budo. I've also taught many years and always remind my students that Budo is what we do in our lives outside the dojo. The dojo is only a place to perform kenshu through keiko. However, I've always believed that, as my teacher constantly reminded us, Budo is "nothing special". It has to be transcultural or what's the use of keiko. It's a bit like saying you can't study Heidegger or listen fully to Beethoven without being German. I can't tell you how many times I've been told that I will never truly understand Budo because I'm not Japanese and this was by high level Senseis' of their particular art. If that is the case then Budo can never impact the world in a powerful and lasting way.Jessehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16092589061049619259noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2648987284969270841.post-36608659933616990122013-10-14T14:55:43.679-04:002013-10-14T14:55:43.679-04:00Of course, training is depicted in movies as being...Of course, training is depicted in movies as being harsh and loud, because that is more dramatic than the quiet, respectful scene you describe. I spent part of my weekend with a gentleman from Great Britain who said he (like many of his peers) gained a lot of his assumptions about American culture from watching action movies. While it's true America is more violent than some other places, it is hardly "Lethal Weapon." <br /><br />My point is that you are right, of course, and the sad part is that people actually believe what they see in the movies, rather than trying to find out how things actually are.Ronin scholarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13302218589301012843noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2648987284969270841.post-22264556764865911522013-10-13T18:17:21.949-04:002013-10-13T18:17:21.949-04:00Jesse,
I would say that it is possible to truly u...Jesse, <br />I would say that it is possible to truly understand Budo without training in Japan, but that it is really very unlikely. There are a few teachers out there who might be able to transmit the whole contents, but not many. In the US, I'm thinking of people like Phil Relnick, Ellis Amdur, and Meik Skoss have a shot at doing it, but it's really tough. I'll be brief here, and go into detail in a full blog post. Budo is not the techniques. It's everything else. The techniques are really a vessel for carrying the all the things that are Budo: the values, the customs, the expectations and behaviors, the honor and the duty and the loyalty, the way of thinking about things and the way of interacting with the world as you move through it. These all make up what Budo is, and to think that by learning techniques and kata you are learning budo is a great mistake. Budo is so much more. As I said, I'll elaborate in a full blog post.The Budo Bumhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17829768452637120001noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2648987284969270841.post-49645245043297600332013-10-12T14:06:39.970-04:002013-10-12T14:06:39.970-04:00Peter:
Is it your belief that you cannot truly un...Peter:<br /><br />Is it your belief that you cannot truly understand Budo without training sometime in Japan or at some point visiting Japan?<br /><br />JesseJessehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16092589061049619259noreply@blogger.com