Discover Japans fascinating culture

Martial arts

Martial arts:
Martial arts have been practiced and taught for a long time in Japan. They are at the same time physical and mental work. Respect is an important part of it as you usually start and end the practice by bowing in seiza (sitting position on your knees).There is a lot of philosophy behind each technique. Here are a few different disciplines.

-Jujitsu: the ancestor of karate, judo and aikido. It's the martial art that samurai used on the battlefield when they found themselves empty handed. It has Chinese roots but the Japanese made it known worldwide. It has been practiced for over 2500 years.

Here are the belt rankings for Jujitsu:

(The last two belts can also be black)
To get a new belt you either earn it by doing an exam or your sensei gives it to you to show that your level has increased. It depends on the club that you're in.

-Karate: the empty hand. It was given this name because you fight without any weapons.
It mostly focuses on kicks and punches. It also includes kata (formations) in which you practice moves that you can apply in combat. It originated from the Ryūkū islands in Okinawa, in south Japan.
The traditional karate uniform (karate gi):

-Judo: the way of flexibility. It mainly teaches you throwing, immobilization and joint lock techniques. It is the most known and practiced martial art internationally and has been an Olympic sport for over 50 years!
Here is an example of a throwing technique:

-Aikido: the way of harmony. You try to destabilize your opponent by using their strength against themselves. People who practice this martial art wear a gi (top part) and hakama (the pants that look like a skirt). It looks like this:

-Kendo: the way of the saber. This originates from samurai sword fighting. Opponents fight against each other with bamboo sabers and have a lot of protection on; a helmet and whole body gear.

Source: photo taken by Harald Hofer.
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