Structure
| Name |
The Japanese Academy of Budo |
| Founded |
February 3, 1968 |
| Number of Members |
About 800 Members |
| Chair of the Board of Directors |
Kasugai Atsuo |
| Headquarters |
the Nippon Budokan |
| Regional Branches |
Tokyo, Saitama, Yamanashi, Tokai, Hokushin-etsu, Kansai, Chugoku/Shikoku, and Kyushu |
| Specialist Subcommittees |
Judo, Karatedo, Kendo, Kyudo, Sumo, Naginata, Shorinji Kempo, Division of Budo Culture for the Disabled |
| Academy Leadership |
1 President, 3 Vice Presidents, 5 Executive Directors, 26 Directors, 2 Auditors, 6 secretaries assisting
・List of Officers and Secretaries
・List of Councilors
・List of Advisors and Honorary Members
・Supporting Members
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| Management |
The organisation is managed by the president and vice president, while the five executive directors oversee general affairs, accounting, editing, planning, and public relations through specialised committees. The board of directors meets five times a year to deliberate on policies and budgets. A council also functions as an oversight body, reviewing annual activities, budgets, and financial statements while preparing proposals for the annual general meeting. The academy also receives advice and support from advisors, honorary members, and supporting members.
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| Academy Activities |
The core activities of the academy are the annual conference and the publication of the academic journal Research Journal of Budo (Budogaku Kenkyu). The conference primarily features research presentations that are divided into four categories: Humanities and Social Sciences, Natural Sciences, Budo Instruction Methods, and Poster Presentations. Around 100 presentations are given each year. In years when the conference is held as an international event, an additional International Presentation category for English-language presentations is included, which provides a platform for both domestic and international budo researchers.
Each year, a symposium is also organized around a specific theme. During international conferences, representatives from overseas academic societies are invited as panellists to discuss various global trends and issues in budo.
The Research Journal of Budo publishes original research papers, review articles, research materials, and research notes after a rigorous review process. This is published twice a year (with a print edition once a year) and is also available as an electronic journal through J-STAGE (Japan Science and Technology Information Aggregator, Electronic). Additionally, an Abstracts of Research Presentations volume is published as a supplement during conferences. On the occasion of an international conference, a Proceedings volume is published afterward.
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The Japanese Academy of Budo’s headquarters is currently located in the Nippon Budokan. Tokyo, Saitama, Yamanashi, Tokai, Hokushin-etsu, Kansai, Chugoku/Shikoku, and Kyushu regional branches have also been established
Additionally, specialist subcommittees have been formed for six budo disciplines—judo, kendo, karate, kyudo, sumo, and naginata. Later, the Budo Culture for the Disabled and the Shorinji Kempo subcommittees were formed, bringing the total to seven. These subcommittees focus on research into instruction methods for beginners and the integration of theory and practice.
The Japanese Academy of Budo is an affiliated organisation of the Nippon Budokan Foundation, which has provided significant support since the founding of the academy.
The leadership of the Japanese Academy of Budo consists of one president, three vice presidents, five executive directors, 26 directors, and two auditors, with six secretaries assisting in operations. The organisation is managed by the president and vice president, while the five executive directors oversee general affairs, accounting, editing, planning, and public relations through specialised committees. The board of directors meets five times a year to deliberate on policies and budgets. A council also functions as an oversight body, reviewing annual activities, budgets, and financial statements while preparing proposals for the annual general meeting. The academy also receives advice and support from advisors, honorary members, and supporting members.
The Japanese Academy of Budo was founded on February 3, 1968. Shoriki Matsutaro, president of the Nippon Budokan at the time, strongly advocated for the establishment of the academy, stating, “In order to promote budo among young people, it is essential to train outstanding instructors who can adapt to the new era. As part of this effort, academic research in budo is essential.”
Furthermore, the judo competition at the Tokyo Olympics in 1964 led to increased interest in budo both in Japan and overseas. A recognition of budo’s importance in education led to the establishment of budo departments in universities.
In such social conditions, high school and university budo instructors collaborated with research divisions of various budo organizations to hold the first Japanese Academy of Budo Conference at the Nippon Budokan on August 3–4, 1968. In addition to the general research presentations, there was a symposium titled “On the Concept of Budo”, which explored the significance and role of modern budo.
From the second conference onward, together with the general research presentations, various topics and issues related to budo were discussed, such as “The Role of Budo in Schools”, “Strategies for Budo Promotion”, “Challenges for Budo in Modern Society”, “Budo Promotion in Local Communities”, “Modern Budo and Classical Budo”, and “Trends and Issues in Budo Studies”.
The number of research presentations increased steadily, and by the time of the 21st conference held in 1988, there were more than 100 topics under discussion. The event was so successful that it was a struggle to accommodate all of the presentations in the two-day schedule.
However, as there was a shift in generations among the academy’s members, the influence of those who had not practised budo due to the postwar restrictions gradually became evident. The number of research presentations declined rapidly, dropping to nearly half of what it was at its peak. To overcome this crisis, specialist subcommittees for the different budo disciplines were established, which focussed on research unique to the academy, such as “instruction methods for beginners”. These subcommittees also played a crucial role in preparing for the 2012 inclusion of budo as a mandatory subject in junior high school curricula. Currently, the academy has over 800 members, and the number of research presentations has recovered to nearly 100.
As part of the efforts to internationalise budo research, the 2013 Japanese Academy of Budo Conference was held at the University of Tsukuba as the 1st International Conference. It featured presentations and symposia that included overseas researchers and research organisations. The 2017 event, held at Kansai University, was the 2nd International Conference. The academy will continue to promote the international dissemination of budo studies and international exchange in the future.
