Cultural

To develop as a balanced warrior it is important to study and understand the culture and philosophy in which Traditional Japanese Martial Arts developed. For this reason our programs go beyond fighting skills. Below are some areas we study:

Rekishi (History)

The samurai (or bushi) were the warriors of premodern Japan. They later made up the ruling military class that eventually became the highest ranking social caste of the Edo Period (1603-1867). Samurai employed a range of weapons such as bows and arrows, spears and guns, but their main weapon and symbol was the sword.

Yugen (polite arts)

is an important concept in traditional Japanese aesthetics. The exact translation of the word depends on the context. In the Chinese philosophical texts the term was taken from, yĆ«gen meant “dim”, “deep” or “mysterious”

Shodo (Caligraphy)

In Japan, calligraphy is considered one of the fine arts. It not only implies the skilful writing of characters in the usual meaning of the English word “calligraphy”, but also the entire culture associated with it as a discipline. It is a sister art to poetry and painting.