Budo Philosophy
Thinking About Humanity and How We Live Through Budo
Budo contains an important dimension that cannot be fully understood through technique and physical training alone.
It raises questions such as:
Why do we study Budo?
What is strength?
What does it mean to win?
What is the self?
How should we relate to others?
And ultimately, how should we live?
This page explores these questions through the perspective of Budo Philosophy.
Here, Budo Philosophy does not mean teaching one particular philosophy or set of values as the only correct answer.
Rather, it means an ongoing inquiry into what Budo is and how human beings should live, drawing upon the history of Budo, the words and ideas of past masters, original texts, practical experience, research, and contemporary knowledge.
1. Budo Contains Both Technique and Questions
In Budo training, we learn techniques.
We punch.
We kick.
We defend.
We throw.
We control distance.
We read an opponent’s movement and respond to changing situations.
But as training deepens, we encounter questions that technique alone cannot answer.
Does defeating another person truly mean that we are strong?
What is the difference between enduring fear and understanding and overcoming it?
Where is the boundary between protecting oneself and harming another person?
Can competition and mutual development coexist?
And:
For what purpose should we use the power we have developed?
We believe that these questions are also part of Budo training.
2. Learning from the Words of Those Who Came Before Us
We do not need to answer every question about Budo entirely on our own.
Japanese martial arts have a long history, and many practitioners and thinkers have left behind writings and teachings based on their own eras, experiences, and perspectives.
These include figures such as:
Miyamoto Musashi
Yagyu Munenori
Yamaoka Tesshu
Jigoro Kano
Gichin Funakoshi
Masutatsu Oyama
In addition to martial artists, Eastern thought, Western philosophy, psychology, education, and theories of the body can also provide important perspectives for thinking about Budo.
On this page, we introduce such ideas and ask:
What did these words originally mean?
From what historical circumstances and experiences did they emerge?
Do they remain meaningful in contemporary Budo?
Are there other ways of understanding the same question?
We do not present the words of past masters as unquestionable truths.
We use dialogue with those who came before us as material for thinking for ourselves.
This is the basic approach of this page.
3. From Quotations to Original Sources
In the martial arts world, the words of past masters are often presented as short and memorable quotations.
However, when a sentence is removed from its original context, the intended meaning may be changed or lost.
For this reason, whenever possible, this website will present material through the following process:
Words or Teaching
↓
Source
↓
Historical and Philosophical Context
↓
Original Texts and References
↓
Discussion and Reflection
Where different interpretations or opposing perspectives exist, we will also seek to introduce them.
The purpose is not merely for readers to remember a quotation.
We hope readers will be encouraged to:
read, investigate, compare, question, and think for themselves.
In this sense, Budo Philosophy should serve as a gateway to deeper study rather than simply a collection of martial arts quotations.
4. Akira Masuda’s Philosophy of Budo
This section also presents ideas about Budo developed by Akira Masuda through many years of training, competition, teaching, and research.
These ideas, however, are not presented as absolute doctrine.
Masuda’s philosophy is presented as:
one perspective and a set of hypotheses developed by one martial artist through training, experience, teaching, and reflection.
These ideas should continue to be examined in relation to the teachings of earlier martial artists, other martial traditions, philosophy, education, psychology, science, and contemporary knowledge.
If new experience or evidence suggests that an earlier idea should be revised, such revision is itself part of the process of inquiry.
5. Takushin Budo and Riho
At the center of Takushin Budo philosophy is the concept of Riho（理法）.
Riho is not merely a technical rule or prescribed form.
It refers to the search for principles that are more rational and potentially universal within nature, the human body, the mind, human action, and relationships between people.
However, Takushin Budo does not begin by declaring:
“This is Riho.”
Instead, we seek to:
believe that Riho exists,
form hypotheses,
practice,
test,
reflect,
revise when necessary,
and test again.
The process of inquiry itself is important.
Riho should therefore be understood not simply as a completed answer, but as:
a North Star that gives direction to training and inquiry.
6. Budo Philosophy and Riho Training
In technical training, we ask:
“Why does this technique work?”
Budo Philosophy extends the question.
Why do we fight?
Why do we compete?
What is victory?
What is strength?
How should a person who possesses martial power behave?
What does it mean to make the best use of oneself and others?
What does it mean to live well?
Budo Philosophy therefore extends the exploration of Riho from the realm of technique into the broader realms of human judgment, action, relationships, and ways of living.
In this sense, philosophy and physical practice are not separate.
We question through the body, question through thought, and return again to practice to test what we have understood.
This movement between practice and reflection is itself part of Takushin Budo inquiry.
7. Philosophy Is Not About Teaching a Single Correct Answer
Takushin Budo does not seek to impose one correct answer in the field of Budo Philosophy.
Past masters did not always agree with one another.
Different historical periods produced different social conditions.
Different martial artists have understood strength, victory, training, character, and the meaning of Bu in different ways.
Therefore, the important task is not simply to decide who was correct.
It is to:
study different ideas, compare them, examine them, and think for ourselves.
This is related to the Takushin Budo progression of:
Joho → Henpo → Jizai Ohen
in technical training.
Just as a technical method should not automatically be treated as an absolute solution to every situation, an idea should not be accepted as universally correct without examination.
We seek deeper understanding by reconsidering ideas from different situations, historical periods, and perspectives.
8. From Budo to the Question of How We Live
We believe that the value of Budo does not end at the dojo door.
Through training, practitioners may develop capacities such as:
observation,
self-reflection,
the ability to face fear,
emotional regulation,
concentration,
judgment,
decision-making,
respect for others,
and the ability to act under difficulty.
These capacities are relevant not only to martial practice but also to everyday life and society.
In this sense, one of the deepest questions of Budo Philosophy is:
Having studied Budo, how should we live?
Budo may not provide a single answer to this question.
Perhaps its value lies instead in providing a path through which we continue to hold the question and examine it through practice.
9. Themes Explored in Budo Philosophy
This section will gradually develop around the following areas.
| Field | Main Themes |
|---|---|
| Thought of Past Masters | Miyamoto Musashi, Yagyu Munenori, Yamaoka Tesshu, Jigoro Kano, Gichin Funakoshi, Masutatsu Oyama, and others |
| Budo and Strength | Strength, victory and defeat, competition, fear, courage |
| Budo and the Self | Self-awareness, self-control, cultivation, self-development |
| Budo and Others | Respect, etiquette, coexistence, conflict, reconciliation |
| Budo and Society | Martial power and responsibility, education, the social role of Budo |
| Budo and Riho | Riho, Joho, Henpo, Jizai Ohen |
| Akira Masuda’s Budo Philosophy | Reflections arising from training, competition, teaching, and research |
| Original Sources and References | Classical martial texts, academic research, books, papers, and related works |
10. Budo Philosophy as an Open Inquiry
Takushin Budo is not intended to be a completed philosophical system imposed upon others.
We seek to:
learn from those who came before us,
learn from different philosophies,
learn from practice,
learn from our own experience,
and revise our ideas when necessary.
We value this form of open inquiry.
For this reason, the Budo Philosophy section itself should never be regarded as permanently complete.
As new sources are studied, new experiences are gained, and new questions arise, our reflections may also change and develop.
Conclusion
Having Studied Budo, How Should We Live?
Budo Philosophy is not simply about discussing difficult theories concerning martial arts.
It means continuing to ask:
What is strength?
What is victory?
What is the self?
Who is the other?
What is Bu?
And how should we live?
We study the words of those who came before us.
We return to original sources.
We compare different philosophies.
We examine them through our own experience and practice.
And what we learn is returned once again to training and to life.
Budo Philosophy is not the memorization of answers. It is an inquiry through which we continue to seek better questions.
Through the thought of past masters, original sources and references, Akira Masuda’s philosophy of Budo, and the exploration of Riho within Takushin Budo, this page will continue to examine the meaning, essence, and future possibilities of Budo.
