The appeal of martial arts in Japan and the benefits of practicing martial arts

Martial arts are one of the representative traditional cultures of Japan, and many foreigners are fascinated by their charm. Even if you have a rough image of martial arts, such as the spirituality and stoicness of the good old Japanese, some Japanese may find it difficult to explain exactly what it is.

Here, we explain what "martial arts" are in Japan, their definitions, whether martial arts are sports, and the merits of performing martial arts.

What is "martial arts" in Japan?

First, I will explain the outline of what "martial arts" are in Japan.

What is "martial arts" in Japan?

Martial arts refers to all martial arts that have been practiced in Japan before the Edo period. Martial arts are also called "martial arts", and what was originally developed as a military art for refining combat techniques has been refined and made into a competition with the times.

Types of martial arts include "judo", "sumo", "kendo", "naginata", and "kyudo", but they also include those that are not necessarily traditional Japanese martial arts.

"Martial arts" is not a sport

Martial arts are similar to sports in that they compete for skills by moving their bodies under the rules set for each event. However, spirituality is important for understanding martial arts, not "martial arts = sports".

The "martial arts" of martial arts literally leads to "samurai". Although martial arts are one of the "bushido", Bushido also includes spiritual studies such as etiquette and morality.

One of the attitudes to understand the spirituality of martial arts is the concept of "Zanshin". For example, in games such as tennis, table tennis, and soccer, when you defeat your opponent, you may cry out of joy or take a guts pose. However, it is said that doing this in martial arts is against the spirit of martial arts.

Even if you hit your opponent in a match, you will not be interrupted, and you will not lose your stance so that you can respond to attacks from anywhere at any time. It may not be recognized as a valid hit.

When a samurai fights against an opponent, "defeating" sometimes means the death of the opponent. In today's martial arts, there are no life-threatening matches, but the spirit of such an old-fashioned serious game is also valued in modern martial arts. It can be said that the appeal of martial arts, which is not found in other sports, is that even if you win, you will not show joy, and you will continue to have a calm heart with respect for your opponent and further devotion.

Benefits of performing martial arts

Based on the concept of martial arts, we will also explain the benefits of practicing martial arts. There are some things that can be gained in sports other than martial arts, but by learning the spirit of martial arts, you will be able to obtain the following comprehensive benefits.

Gaining politeness and patience

As it is said that the basics of martial arts are "beginning with ritual and ending with ritual", etiquette is very important when learning martial arts. By learning martial arts, you can not only acquire politeness, but also find compassion for the other person and patience to suppress emotions and continue training silently.

With politeness and patience, it can also have a positive effect on your mental state in your daily life. With its crisp beauty and dignity, you can expect changes in your impressions and relationships when you meet for the first time.

Improving concentration

In kumite practice and games, it is important to be prepared to respond to attacks from the opponent at any time, and it is necessary to constantly pay attention to the movement of the opponent. By being aware of the uninterrupted "Zanshin", you will be able to develop your concentration, and it will also be a training to maintain a stable mental state by removing thoughts.

In addition, as martial arts improve, you will feel that your efforts will be fruitful and that you are growing. Believing that what you are doing is correct also leads to a stable mind and improvement of concentration.

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Flexible shoulder blades and hips

If you don't have a habit of exercising around desk work, the movements you perform in your daily life will be limited. In particular, if you do not use the shoulder blades and hip joints, you will lose flexibility and become stiff, which can easily cause you to feel unwell or injured.

In judo, kendo, and archery, there are many movements that use the scapula and hip joints. Therefore, by practicing martial arts, you can gradually recover your flexibility, improve your physical condition, and get closer to a healthy body that is less likely to get injured.

Improves metabolism and can be expected to have a dieting effect

If you use martial arts to use muscles that you do not use in your daily life, your basic physical strength and metabolism will improve. By increasing muscle mass and active parts of joints, metabolism becomes active not only during martial arts training but also in daily life while not doing martial arts, so a diet effect can be expected.

Depending on the type of martial arts, you may be burdened by wearing dogi or armor, and sweating a lot may help improve your metabolism.

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You can start regardless of age or gender

People of all ages come to practice at the martial arts dojo, regardless of age or gender. It can be accepted at most dojos, from younger generations to children to the elderly in their 60s and above.

There are many dojos that do not ask about martial arts experience, and even beginners who have no experience in martial arts can be educated from scratch, so some dojos are even more welcome.

You can start with reasonable practice according to your age and experience, and gradually step up, and because you value the state of mind in martial arts, you do not feel the age, gender, nationality, and physical ability. , You can devote yourself to practice.

Being polite with people you wouldn't meet in your daily life will help you to expand the world and exchanges you didn't know about.

Summary

Martial arts refers to all martial arts that have been widely practiced as combat training in pre-modern Japan and have developed as competitions, and typical examples include judo, sumo, and kendo. Bushido is different from other sports in that it values spirituality and etiquette, and because it also has a part that is similar to Bushido, it is becoming more popular overseas.

There are also merits such as cultivating concentration, dieting effect and widening the range of encounters, and the fact that you can start anytime regardless of age or gender is also a big attraction of martial arts.

This article is a partial re-edit of the article published in Nihongo Biyori by KARUTA.
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