道“DO”
The word BUDO is made of two characters : 武 “BU” and 道 “DO”.
The character 道 “DO” means to train your mind and body and to cultivate manners and etiquette through practice, rather than to develop your skills and to be focused on winning or losing. Stated differently, it is used to talk about aspiring to grow as a person.
BUDO has its origins in combat techniques designed for self-protection and to kill enemies and used to be called 武術 “BUJUTSU”. It became BUDO when people chose to protect the tradition of it and use it as a means to grow as a person, and it became a Japan-specific traditional part of culture.
BUDO is a part of everyday life.
Kanazawa is a city where samurai’s culture such as gastronomy, art and craft as well as performing art still exist today. BUDO, which is a part of this samurai culture, has blended in everyday life, where the people keep bettering their “DO” continuously as the seasons pass, and protecting this traditional culture as they have been protecting the traditional cityscape.
Please have a look at this cool and captivating video introducing Kanazawa, the city where BUDO is a part of everyday life.