Martial Arts Bushido

The core of Martial Arts, in my personal opinion, and of the samurai. It told them how to live and how to die. It told them how to fight and how to make peace. It was their Code of Conduct and is still followed by many practicioners, such as myself, even today. My question to those of you who are aware of it, or even follow it, what are your thoughts on it? How does it affect your life? Does it make anything better? Worse? What are views on it? Anything at all you would like to share about it, please do.


P.S
This is my 800 post, heh.

 

Congrats on hittin 800 man!

I use to follow it growing up, when I considered training as a samurai. It made my life kinda of hard, to dicipline one's self so much, for a kid it was hard. But I do not follow it anymore. I have just started Ninjitsu. And we follow the code of Bujikan...although I do not really follow some of it.

But I consider Bushido a very good way to live your life. It is a very honorable way to live.

 

Bushido are outlined in seven different codes

Gi - Justice

Upholding the law and the truth. Upholding what is right.

Yuu - Bravery

Facing an opponent without fear. Being able to face anything with a steady mind

Jin - Benevolence

Compassion. To do good, showing kindness.

Rei - Politeness

Courtesy. To show respect and treat everyone with equality.

Makoto - Sincerity

Truthfullness. Honesty in all situations

Meiyo - Honor

Glory without ego. Adherence to principles thought right

Chuugi - Loyalty

Devotion to ones lord. Loyalty to friends and loved ones, principles and ideals.


The true Samurai bound themselves to these seven principles which shaped and formed their lives.

 

Thanks Hitokiri_Gensai for showing that because I just relized something about myself. Even though I don't infact follow everything about Bushido (because I don't know really anything about it :sweat: other than what you've put up), I do follow these principles and I didn't even know about it. I think I'll look it up some time.

 

Bushido quite different than Bujikan. I consider Bushido more honorable than Bujikan, however both fit two different warriors. Ninja may have been Samurai, yet as Ninja they followed different codes to fit...IDK, such as what they were doing. Fot instance, in Ninjitsu you must have no compassion, for it may completely destroy or ruin the mission or objective. This I do not agree with, you must have Compassion or you are really nothing. Bushido seems by far more honorable than Bujikan.

 

firstly, its Bujinkan, and secondly, Bujinkan is a martial art where as Bushido is a code of honor.

Bujinkan is the Nine Schools of Ninjutsu and is still taught by Maasaki Hatsumi. Remember, the Shinobi, or Ninja, were information gatherers and spies. They're job was to gather information without being caught. They're name itself means "one who endures". They practiced techniques which they could employ while gathering information, such as scaling walls and using different tools to pry into chests and through doors and crawl through ceilings. However, they would get into fights, and they were often carrying vital information, so they needed to defend themselves and win so that they could complete their mission. They would use a wide gambit of techniques and weapons to accomplish this.

Furizue is a staff with a chain hidden in one end with an attached weight which could be thrown to entangle a sword or a human or strike with the weight.

Bizento is a massive polearm that resembles a Naginata but is huge in proportion and could be used to kill someone or simply be used to climb a large wall or a tree.

Kunai is actually a rather large dagger with a leaf shaped blade. Most think that it was used as a throwing weapon, but in reality it was dull and used for digging into the ground for things.

Tetsubushi are small metal objects that were used by dropping them on pathways and walkways. When they landed they would always have a sharp point facing up so that they would pierce through the tatami sandals worn and impale the foot. sometimes they would be covered in poisons.

Metsubushi are blinding agents. Strictly speaking, metsubushi can be anything that blinds or inhibits the opponents vision, so flipping up a tatami mat can count as metsubushi. Most often it came in the form of powders and other things. Temporary Blindness, Flour. Semi permanent, ferrous sands. Painful Burning, dried pepper. Permanent blindness, metal shavings. The trick to this weapon, was where it was hidden. Often times the Shinobi would empty out an egg by draining it yolk and white through a small hole at the end and letting it dry, then by filling it with flour or other blinding agents, it could be thrown in the opponents face. Other ways of concealing metsubushi was in the end of a sword scabbard.

Shinobi also used various types of poisons and other such weapons. perhaps one of the earliest forms of Biological weaponry.

They also used the typical weapons employed by the samurai but were also masters of disarming an opponent and using his own weapon against him.

you say the Shinobi had no compassion or honor, but is Ninjutsu not serving your master? Ultamitely, no matter the means, but the end is, serving your master through life and death. perhaps you fight dishonorably, but in the end, your result is serving your master and completing the mission given to you

 

Erf... First, Bujinkan budo taijutsu is the name of the training hall formed by Masaaki Hatsumi. It's COMPOSED of 9 schools of martial arts, 3 of which are recognized as "ninja" schools. They all complement eachother and have influenced eachother so much that they all have roots in ninjutsu.


The values taught in Bujinkan have very little to do with servitude or loyalty to a lord. They involve loyalty to your homeland, but not neccesarily the government of said land.

Bushido is actually fairly similar to the values taught in Bujinkan, partly because it takes as much history from samurai families as it does from Koga and Iga. The skills taught in Bujinkan are closer to what the samurai would use than most "samurai" schools that westerners see anyway. Most traditional schools have lost the ability to react in a life and death situation, which is why they recieve so much ridicule from unscripted combat organizations like MMA gyms and even the sportier LARPs, and that spirit is far more important than preserving specific techniques like Ukenagashi, at least when pursuing the ability to survive.