When the scenario is laid out, when you know what attacks will come and how you’re expected to respond, you can be forced to employ...

There was a saying in old Japan: Bushi wa kuwanedo taka-yoji.  Roughly translated, it means, “When he’s hungry, the samurai uses a...

In addition to forgetting, one of the problems with aging—oddly enough—is remembering. "I remember when you could get a cup of coffee for...

When was the last time you truly failed? It’s a question we’d all rather ignore. We’re often taught to gauge success by how well we avoid...

“I’m an accountant,” the reader wrote. “I know finance. I know my sensei is making a bad decision with respect to an investment he’s...

You know that sumo is Japan’s oldest martial art.That it goes back to Japan’s earliest civilization. That sumo bouts are mentioned in the...

There is a moment, in some rituals of the tea ceremony, that calls for the kettle to be lifted from the charcoal brazier that heats it....

Westerners seem fascinated with Zen — or, at least, with what they think Zen is. Zen seems to describe a state of mind, for many...

In 1853, Commodore Matthew Perry sailed into Edo harbor (now Tokyo) with four steam-powered warships. The United States was on a mission...

People like to criticize traditional martial arts techniques, saying that they’re rubbish or that they won’t work in a real fight..

Martial artists who are about to open their own dojo often want to give it a Japanese name.

Karate practitioners with any interest in the historical roots of their art will be familiar with the terms Naha-te and Shuri-te..

Kappa are curious beasts of Japanese mythology. With the body of a human and the shell and beak of a turtle, they live..

Bugei Jūhappan, a term that might not be familiar to many modern martial arts enthusiasts, refers to the "18 Martial Arts" that were...

The judo competition at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games is set to capture the attention of fans worldwide.

 If You’re A Student Of Japanese Or Okinawan Karate, You’ve Been Introduced To The First Of The Five Heian Or Pinan Kata.

Two Japanese characters make up the word: Ki means “energy,” and ai means “to unify.” The concept appears often in the traditional...