Where Judo Comes From - Samurai
As judokas we often forget where our art and practice comes from. The New York Times has an article about a Samurai art exhibit: Art of the Samurai: Japanese Arms and Armor, 1156-1868. Yes, what we do weekly comes from a very sophisticated people that were:
Highly cultivated in arts like poetry, monochrome ink painting and the tea ceremony, this class adhered to a strict code of honor built around loyalty, self-discipline, obligation and the shame of failure. Its most unbending principle was that a samurai’s death should bring honor to his family and descendants and to the emperor or clan he served.
These were the renaissance women and men of their time and place.
Fighting heroically to the end while looking good was what it was all about.
Those are the roots of our practice. That is why a tatami is sacred, why we do not put soiled feet onto it, why we wear sandals, slip out of them, climb onto the mat and bow onto it, that is why we work hard and support each other through that process, why we are humble when we win. It is a martial art, deeply rooted in combat, a life long practice with very high aesthetics. It is also why our logo was designed by a great Japanese-Canadian industrial designer - Wataru Watanabe.
