JAPAN has long been noted for its exports, and perhaps the most famous of all are two of its
martial arts, judo and karate. Judo, especially, can truly be called an international sport. It
has been widely practiced in Western countries for most of the twentieth century, and today
there are judo clubs in nearly every major country in the world. Such Japanese words as waza
(tech nique), ki (spirit), and kata (form) are now used in a number of languages.
The international appeal of this sport is such that judo was included in the 1964 and 1972 Olympics. It was significant that the first Open Class Gold Medal was won by a non-Japanese, a Dutch competitor named A n ton Geesink. Karate has also developed a steady following abroad. In the U.S., for example, it gained a foothold in the early 1950s and today claims millions of devotees. Interest in karate has been growing rapidly, surviving a temporary wave of kung-fu mania sparked by the films of the late
movie idol Bruce Lee in the 1970s.
Despite the widespread familiarity of these martial arts, there are still a n umber of misconceptions about them in the West. It is generally believed, even today, that japan is a land
of judo and karate fanatics. T h e truth is, however, that baseball, swimming, and volleyball
are today much more popular. Before World War II every Japanese male was forced while
at school to study judo or kendo, the art of sword fighting with sticks. This is no longer
the case. Naginata , another form of stick fighting traditionally learned by women, and yumi
(archery) have also lost much of their former popularity. Today only a fraction of the Japanese
population is skilled in one or more of the country's martial arts.
Moreover, few Westerners realize that the ancient arts of judo and karate are relatively
new to the Japanese. Judo, for example, evolved from jujutsu, a form of h and- to-hand fighting
originating from the sixteenth century and intended for use by unarmed samurai. Jujutsu was
developed for use primarily on the battlefield.
In 1882 a teacher named Jigoro Kana deviseda standard version of jujutsu methods and
named it judo- "the gentle way." Kana's judo consisted of two basic techniques: grappling
and throws. Using these a weaker man could take advantage of a stronger r opponent's
strength and momentum to throw him off balance and, hence, off his feet. Kana changed
the emphasis of the discipline from combat, stressing emotional, intellectual, and moral
development instead. It was Kana who founded the now world-famous Kodokan school and institutedthe belt and degree system of rating.
Foreign karate enthusiasts might be surprised to find that this sport was invented in
India by a Buddhist monk, refined in China and later developed in O kinawa. It was not until
the 1920s that it became popular in Japan.
If lovers of judo are initially attracted by the gentler aspects of the sport, karate fans are invariably taken with the flashier, more violent side of the "art of the empty hand." New converts are particularly impressed with the ability of karate masters to smash bricks, boards,
and bottles with the edge of the palm. They are eager to learn how to make their own fists,
elbows, and feet worthy of being called "deadly weapons."
Students of both disciplines, however, eventually discover one thing: the ultimate reward for their efforts is the spiritual joy of attaining a oneness of mind and body.
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