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What are the impacts of martial arts on Japanese society?

Ken-MJER

後輩
3 Nov 2006
3
1
13
Aloha!
This is my first post in this interesting forum, & my question is based on a query from my granddaughter. She asked me what the impacts of martial arts have been on Japanese society.
I've studied judo for 55 years, including two times at the Kodokan in Japan, & hold dan rank in three MAs, but I don't think that I'm qualified to answer her question. I would appreciate comments that I can pass on to her.
 
Well, I suppose it depends on what aspects of society she wants to know are affected. If you go back far enough, Bushido could be said to have had deep and long-lasting, if not clearly visible affects on Japanese society. I suggest your granddaughter read Hagakure for a better understanding of the attitude that affected Japanese military leaders in the years approaching WW2, and business leaders during the industrial recovery and buildup in the years following the war. One could say that this warrior code, applied to business, is what helped Japan recover so quickly, and rise to attain a strong global presence in business (similar to how American businessmen studied Macchiaveli during the 80's).

To turn the question on its head, how might you say that martial arts have affected American society? How would these effects be different from the countries from whence these martial arts have originated?
 
An interesting question in many ways, I'll agree.
As far as Ashley reading Hagakure, I'm afraid that her 12-year-old brain might not get much - or maybe too much.
But I can tell you where her question comes from. Her step-mom is Japanese, & so Ashley has been steeped in Japanese lore for the past decade from her new & very extended family all over Japan. Her grandfather (me) holds godan in judo, shodan in Muso Jikiden Eishin-Ryu iaido, & is the ranking Fencing Master for Hawaii. Her grandmother also holds shodan in MJER iaido, & nidan in kendo, & is senior student in our dojo. Ashley will hopefully test for kendo shodan when she turns 14, although she now lives 4,800 miles from us.
Her school project for the semester was to come up with an intercultural question that would be interesting to her & her family, research the available information, find a few experts who would help her, & create a multimedia report that's due in January. I'm not surprised that she came to me, but frankly had never considered her question in any depth.
Now I don't think that a 7th-grader is likely to need a dissertation-level answer, but I also hope that there others on this forum who can provide some good ideas on how Ashley can proceed.
 
martial arts which influenced Japanese society is "sumo".

Transfiguration of sumo in Japanese society
http://www.beemanet.com/essay/sumo/
Sumo is described in a Japanese myth,It is martial arts from the ancient times.
The sumo became a national Shinto ceremony in the eighth century.

Besides sumo,Martial arts of a Shinto ceremony,
YABUSAME (horseback archery).
http://www.shonan134.com/kamakura/yabusame/yabusame.html
A sword is very important in Shinto.
Many Japanese swords are dedicated to a Shinto shrine.

A Japanese mythical important sword "AMENOMURAKUMONO-TURUGI".
Three kinds of Japanese sacred treasures
Imperial Regalia of Japan
Imperial Regalia of Japan - Wikipedia
 
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