IBMA Statement of Purpose

Exploring the Value of Budo and Passing It on to Future Generations

Budo has developed over many generations not only as a means of combat,
but also as a culture through which people train the body and mind,
develop character, and seek better ways of living.

Within Budo are accumulated values such as technique, courtesy, courage,
perseverance, responsibility, self-discipline, and respect for others.
These values have meaning far beyond the dojo.

Today, however, society and human values are changing rapidly.
For this reason, we believe that the meaning and role of Budo must continue to be examined.

IBMA — the International BudoMan Association — exists to engage with these questions
and to explore the essential meaning and future possibilities of Budo.

Budo as an Educational Culture for Human Development

IBMA views Budo as more than fighting technique or competition.
We regard it as an educational culture through which people can develop body and mind,
deepen their understanding of themselves and others,
and explore better ways of living.

Training requires us not only to improve technique and physical ability,
but also to face our own weakness, fear, hesitation, attachment, and assumptions.

Facing another person is also a way of facing ourselves.

Through training, we learn to observe ourselves, regulate body and mind,
remain composed under difficulty, and make better judgments rather than simply reacting emotionally.

IBMA believes that this process of human development
is one of the most important educational values of Budo.

Reconsidering the Meaning of Strength

Strength in Budo does not mean only the ability to defeat or dominate another person.

It also includes the strength to govern one’s emotions and desires,
to face fear and difficulty,
to recognize one’s mistakes,
to learn and change,
and to use one’s abilities for purposes beyond oneself.

Victory has value.
Competition can encourage effort, courage, discipline, and technical development.

But if victory becomes the sole purpose,
Budo can lose its educational meaning and become merely a means of establishing superiority over others.

Defeat and failure also have value when they help us understand ourselves,
reconsider our assumptions, and continue to grow.

IBMA therefore does not reject competition or victory.
We seek to understand what can be learned through both victory and defeat,
and how the strength developed through training should be used.

Exploring Riho — Principles for Judgment and Action

Through many years of practice, competition, instruction, and research,
IBMA founder Akira Masuda has emphasized the importance of exploring
Riho as a foundation of Budo training.

Riho is not intended as a doctrine belonging only to one person or one school.
It refers to principles of judgment and action that seek better outcomes
in light of the nature of human beings, circumstances, and reality.

To explore Riho in Budo does not mean accepting inherited techniques
or customs without question.

We respect tradition while continuing to ask:
Why do we use this technique?
Why do we train in this way?
What effects does a particular method have on the body, mind, other people, and society?

We form hypotheses, practice, observe the results, and revise our understanding when necessary.
Through this continuing process, we seek more appropriate techniques,
methods of education, and ways of living.

Budo That Enables Both Self and Others to Flourish

For what purpose should the strength developed through Budo be used?

IBMA does not place the ultimate purpose of Budo
in surviving at the expense of others or forcing others into submission.

We seek a way in which people can fully develop their own life,
abilities, and individuality while also respecting the life,
dignity, and potential of others.

This does not mean avoiding every conflict or simply yielding to another person.

When faced with injustice or violence,
courage and appropriate strength may be necessary.
But such strength should not be driven by hatred, revenge, or self-satisfaction.
It should be directed toward protecting life and dignity
and restoring a better relationship and order whenever possible.

IBMA seeks to cultivate the judgment, courage, capability, and restraint
necessary to pursue this ideal.

Opening the Mind, Opening the Possibilities of Budo

Takushin Budo is a body of Budo thought and training methodology
developed by Akira Masuda through many years of practice and research.

At its foundation is the principle:

To open the mind means not treating one’s own ideas as absolute.
It means remaining willing to learn from different opinions,
experiences, cultures, and technical traditions.

It also means recognizing our own limitations,
reconsidering assumptions formed by past success,
and remaining receptive to new possibilities.

Opening the possibilities of Budo does not mean rejecting tradition.

We respect the techniques, spirit, and knowledge inherited from previous generations,
while continuing to explore how their essential value can contribute
to education, culture, safety, human development, and society today and in the future.

IBMA does not seek to establish the superiority of one school or organization.
We seek mutual learning while respecting the history and individuality of each tradition.

Inheriting Tradition and Creating the Future

Tradition does not remain alive simply because its outward form is preserved unchanged.

A living tradition requires us to understand what is essential within it,
apply that understanding meaningfully in the present,
and transmit it in forms that future generations can understand and practice.

IBMA respects the techniques, spirit, history, and culture developed by those who came before us.
At the same time, we seek to examine, document, organize, and transmit them
in ways appropriate to contemporary education, safety, ethics, and society.

Learning from tradition and creating something new are not opposites.

A deep understanding of tradition can provide the foundation for future creation,
while insights gained through new practice and research can give renewed life to tradition.

Supporting Lifelong Learning

Budo should not be limited to youth or to those with exceptional physical ability.

People differ in age, physical condition, experience, nationality,
life circumstances, and purpose.
Each person should be able to find an appropriate way to learn and continue developing.

Physical ability and technical performance may change with age,
but the process of understanding oneself,
learning how to use body and mind,
considering one’s relationship with others,
and seeking a better way of living can continue throughout life.

IBMA therefore seeks to develop Budo not merely as a temporary competitive experience,
but as a culture that supports learning and growth through different stages of life.

Learning Beyond Nations and Styles

Budo has the potential to connect people across nations,
regions, cultures, traditions, and martial arts styles.

When people with different backgrounds respect one another’s history and culture
and exchange techniques, knowledge, and experience,
new understanding and trust can emerge.

IBMA does not exist merely to expand a particular organization or style.

We seek to create an open environment in which martial artists,
instructors, researchers, educators, supporters, and others
can interact while respecting their different positions and areas of expertise.

By learning together through Budo,
we hope to expand international understanding, friendship, and cooperation.

Bringing the Value of Budo into Society

The value of Budo should not end at the door of the dojo or competition arena.

Courtesy, responsibility, perseverance, courage, self-control,
judgment, and consideration for others gain deeper meaning
when they are applied in family life, education, work, and local communities.

IBMA seeks to return the value of Budo to society through
youth development, instructor education, health promotion,
community activities, international exchange, and social contribution.

The strength developed through Budo should not become a means of standing above others.
We hope it becomes the strength to support people facing difficulty
and to act responsibly within society.

Activities Promoted by IBMA

To put these principles into practice, IBMA promotes activities in areas including:

• Human development and education through Budo
• Research into the theory and practice of Budo education
• Research into safe and effective methods of training and instruction
• Documentation and organization of karate and Budo techniques, philosophy, history, and culture
• Development of educational resources, including the Digital Karate Budo Textbook
• Development of instructors and future generations of Budo practitioners
• Exchange among martial artists, researchers, and educators in Japan and overseas
• Research, practice, and international cooperation beyond organizational and stylistic boundaries
• Educational, health, and community exchange activities
• Publication and communication of research through books, video, and digital media
• Contribution to mutual understanding, friendship, and peace through Budo

These activities are not separate from one another.

By connecting practice, research, education, exchange, and social contribution,
IBMA seeks to clarify the many dimensions of Budo
and develop them in ways that can serve contemporary society and future generations.

To Those Who Share This Aspiration

The ideals and purposes of IBMA cannot be realized
by one martial artist or one organization alone.

New possibilities emerge when people with different experiences,
areas of expertise, and cultural backgrounds come together,
learn from one another, think together, and cooperate.

IBMA welcomes participation and cooperation from those interested in
human development through Budo, educational research,
the inheritance of culture, international exchange,
and contribution to local and global society.

We hope to build open relationships with martial artists,
instructors, researchers, educators, professionals in health-related fields,
people involved in cultural activities,
and all those who share and support the ideals of IBMA.

Budo Develops People and Connects the World.

We sincerely welcome the understanding, participation,
and cooperation of all those who share these ideals
and wish to walk this path together.

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IBMA — International BudoMan Association
Akira Masuda
Founder and Representative