Budō is a Japanese term. It means “martial way” and refers to those martial disciplines whose ultimate goal is spiritual, ethical and/or moral self-improvement. The characters “bu” and “do” in “Budō” are rich in meaning and have many secondary interpretations.

Bu is a Japanese word meaning “military” or “related to the military,” a character often compounded into others, such as “bugei,” “bujitsu” and “bushi.” The character for “bu” is a composite of two others. The bottom inside left character is “foot” suggesting advancing on foot, and the right upper larger character is a prototype (perhaps derived from an elaboration of the character for stake) of a halberd (a spear attached to the end of a pole) implying to “cut, menace, pierce or kill.” When combined, they can be interpreted as advancing on foot with a weapon, thus referring to a warrior, or by extension, things military. There is also an important secondary interpretation. The first character meaning “foot” has also come to mean stop, based on the idea of planting the foot. Taken in conjunction with the second character of “halberd,” “bu” can be thus interpreted as a means to stop a weapon (conflict), or to gain peace. This is consistent with the idea of practicing budo to achieve both inner and outer peace.

Do is the Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese term “Tao” (for Taoism), meaning the way to suppress violence and return to the way of the universe. It is a composite of two characters integrated into one, the first signifying “movement” and the second “head” or “chief.” Combined, the characters have the meaning of the chief means of direct movement, or the main road, a term figuratively used to mean the “way,” as to enlightenment. Implied also are Taoist concepts of non-resistance, goal-lessness, and loss of ego (not surprisingly shared by Zen since the formation of Zen in China was derived from Indian meditative Buddhism which was strongly influenced by Taoism). But while Chinese Taoism developed strong otherworldly or religious connotations, the Japanese had a more practical, less abstract interpretation, one more focused on the pragmatic dimension of human relationships. This led to the concept of the way or road toward self-development. This could lead to a spiritual awakening – one of intuitive perception, insight and enlightenment (as in Zen).

Seeking the perfect unity of mind and technique, Budō has been refined and cultivated into ways of physical training and spiritual development. The study of Budō encourages courteous behaviour, advances technical proficiency, strengthens the body, and perfects the mind. Modern Japanese have inherited traditional values through Budō which continue to play a significant role in the formation of the Japanese personality, serving as sources of boundless energy and rejuvenation. As such, Budō has attracted strong interest internationally and is studied around the world.
However, a recent trend towards infatuation just with technical ability compounded by an excessive concern with winning is a severe threat to the essence of Budō. To prevent any possible misrepresentation, practitioners of Budō must continually engage in self-examination and endeavour to perfect and preserve this traditional culture.
It is with this hope that we, the member organisations of the Japanese Budō Association, established The Budō Charter to uphold the fundamental principles of Budō.