In pursuit of peaceful coexistence and sharing in and caring for the lives of others.

一、文武両道がいい

1. Bunburyōdō – Becoming Accomplished in Both Literary and Martial Arts is Best

 Many techniques in aikido, such as ikkyo, or shihonage have both “omote” and “ura” variations. Beginners will often think that these are two distinct waza, but anyone who has practiced for a while will realize that these are the same techniques, the only difference being whether you do the technique by moving in front of or behind uke.

 You could say that omote and ura techniques are like watching the same technique being done from opposite sides. To put it another way, you could say that omote and ura are inseparable and part of the same thing, but it also points out the importance of looking at something from the opposite perspective.

 In Japan, we have the sayings, “bunburyōdō” (literally: “文” bun – literary or scholarly; “武” bu – martial; “両” ryō – both; “道” dō – paths) and “chikōgoitsu” (literally: “知” chi – knowledge; “行” kō – action, movement; “合一” goitsu – combine together.)

  Although the concepts of literary and martial arts tend to be treated separately, in budo, one may consider them to be omote and ura of the same waza. “文” (bun) refers to theoretical knowledge gained through reading, writing, and listening to lectures. It is also the pursuit of cultural refinement. But just thinking about theory will not necessarily lead to progress. Theory must be accompanied with practice, and this is where “武” (bu), the martial aspect comes in. In this way, samurai practiced the martial arts, and trained their bodies in preparation for battle. They also had to look after their health in order to be able to fulfill their duties.

 If one only thinks about theory, one is likely to put too much trust in their intellect and come up with impractical ideas, and become weak and useless.

 On the other hand, if one relies solely on martial strength, then one may become rough and reckless. If martial strength is not tempered with scholarship and philosophy, society would be reduced to a situation where the strong prey on the weak like wild animals. This is why the study of both literary and martial arts has been a cornerstone of bushi training from ancient times.

 When you practice a technique, always make an effort to try to discover the deeper philosophical principles hidden within each waza.