President’s Message

The 57th Japanese Academy of Budo Conference was held last year in the multipurpose room of Kyushu Sangyo University’s Okusu Arena. Since in-person events resumed the year before last, last year’s conference also included the revival of the social gathering, which deepened exchange and reaffirmed the significance of face-to-face interaction.

When it was not possible to hold in-person events due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the conference was conducted using IT technologies and methods, and last year’s conference was conducted using the knowledge and experience gained during that time.

To hold this conference many arrangements had to be made, so I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to Kyushu Sangyo University and the Kyushu Branch of the Japanese Academy of Budo. I would also like to express my deep gratitude to everyone at the Nippon Budokan for their various forms of support, including the establishment of the “My Academic Research” section in the Gekkan Budo (Budo Monthly) publication last year.

The Tokyo Olympics (the 32nd Olympic Games) were scheduled to be held five years ago in 2020, but as you may recall, due to the COVID-19 pandemic they were postponed by a year and eventually held in 2021. Before that, through the efforts of Kano Jigoro, the Tokyo Olympics were originally scheduled to be held in 1940 but were ultimately cancelled because of World War II. In 1964, the Tokyo Olympics (the 18th Olympic Games) were held as a step towards budo’s post-war revival. At that time, the Nippon Budokan was built through the efforts of people who had studied judo at the Kodokan, which was founded by Kano Jigoro. Judo became an official Olympic event with the competition being held at the Nippon Budokan. This left a strong impression on people throughout the world that Japan is synonymous with budo.

In Japan, after World War II plans were devised to revitalise budo education, which had been significantly restricted by GHQ. In response to this, one of the seven articles of incorporation of the Nippon Budokan Foundation, whose purpose was to establish and operate the Nippon Budokan, was “to conduct academic research related to budo”. As a result, the Japanese Academy of Budo was founded in 1968 as part of these efforts.

The Japanese academy of Budo was founded in 1968. It was then recognised eight years later in 1976 by the Science Council of Japan, and by the International Society of Sport Science and Physical Education a year later in 1977. Approximately half a century later, the results of academic research on budo are being disseminated in various fields. In the future we will continue to accumulate more knowledge about the characteristics of budo, and in two years, at the 60th Japanese Academy of Budo Conference, we should be able to show that “This is budo.”

If we trace the history of budo’s development, we can see that its starting point is in “confrontation”. This confrontation is not only about facing each other; it originates from a relationship of mutual negation. Budo demonstrates a way to move from this state of mutual negation—what could be labelled the darkness of confrontation—toward mutual affirmation. The challenge is in how we interpret “maai” (distance), “kiai” (spirit), and “riai” (principle) in practical skills and training.

The Japanese Academy of Budo, established as an academic organisation capable of answering, “What is budo?”, will celebrate its 58th anniversary this year after going through various twists and turns.

The “Preamble” of the new “Basic Act on Education” revised in 2006, states that “…we will implement education that values the dignity of the individual, that endeavours to cultivate a people rich in humanity and creativity who long for truth and justice and who honour the public spirit, that passes on traditions, and that aims to create a new culture.”

The Japanese Academy of Budo must take this on board and clarify “what” and “how” we should communicate about the traditions and culture of budo. I kindly ask for the cooperation of all those related to this task. Thank you for your support.