In the doctrine of martial arts, the practice of Bujutsu (ie the arts, techniques, strategies, internal control and energy) is rarely seen as the only or the appearance ' primary aspect of these arts. Indeed, almost no text, general or dedicated strictly to technical (from past to present) defining these arts as methods purely practical utility of combat used in the attack, the counterattack and defense to subdue an opponent . Almost unanimously, the most famous martial arts masters who have written on their specializations have argued that bujutsu (and this is still considered today) more than a variety of practical and efficient methods of combat. They argue that these arts are ways
or disciplines of moral progress, to facilitate the formation of a mature personality, balanced and integrated, a man at peace with himself and in harmony with its environment, social as well as natural. The teachers, therefore, refer to a system of ethics, morality, that motivates and inspires the practice (jutsu) out, and guides it to achieve higher goals and remote, well beyond the immediate boundaries and narrow the world of fighting men. In the doctrine of bujutsu, this system is called budo, a term formed by combining the ideogram bu (which, as we saw above denotes the size of military culture in Japan) do with the character, hearsay, more specifically, to the spiritual realm. Do, in fact, is usually translated as
away (or "mode" to see, understand and motivate behavior in the philosophical or religious) or doctrine (ie the principles taught and accepted by followers of a philosophy, are member of a religious, school), then C denotes a faith more than a technique, a vision that the execution, the motivation rather than action and its special tools. Budo, therefore, identifies with the supreme motivation (usually of an ethical nature) that would regulate the conduct of the Japanese warrior (bu-shi), or fighting the Japanese in general (bu-jin). Budo, therefore, is hearsay ethics of the military class of Japan, and the discipline that the class had adopted and claimed to follow, in an attempt to adapt to certain moral demands and to integrate each individual warrior in the system as stable, mature and then trusted. The problem we are facing in this context (if we wanted to really explore in depth this size) would be twofold: firstly to determine more precisely the content of this moral system adopted by bushi of feudal Japan, and secondly, whether he could actually live according to these criteria ... which they were. In short, we should have groped to find out if your budo was really high standard of ethics and if its bujutsu really helped him to meet the needs of the noble budo. This problem, of course, would not arise if the ethical system in budo, was meant only a code of honor and conduct highly specialized, characteristic of the military class and based on specific and exclusive concepts of obedience, devotion, respect and dominance that did not apply on a universal scale to all human beings irrespective of their social position, but only to legitimate members of the buke. In this context, clear and specific, bujutsu was very well have served the military class, because it helped her to continue to pursue that particular code of ethics from the sixteenth century onwards was called Shido or bushido. The concept of absolute devotion to the supervisor, the concept of concurrent unquestioned obedience, the obligation of the samurai, to be frugal and Spartan in their daily life and austerely inaccessible to the pain and fear of death, the duty to respect Warriors of the other clan and be dealt with detailed rules of etiquette that governed the existence and function of each part of the social order of the buke, and so on, all rules were applied vertically and accepted as valid and binding only for Bush, and only in respect of his superiors. The other classes of feudal Japan, and therefore the majority of the population feudal era, were not as subject as subject of Bushido by force to their dictates. After all, it should be noted that even under the buke, little importance was attributed to social sanurai of low rank who, as employees, were regarded as instruments of power from their masters, rather than subjects of a code based on a certain superiority social, however, was the attitude of absolute servility toward members of the military class, that members of all other classes were affected and have to follow. If morality is understood in a narrow, specialized (ie, as an ethical system inspired by the political and military dominance of the buke), then there is no doubt that the Bushido code was excellent and appropriate. But this view is no longer valid because the doctrine of bujutsu attempts to link the ethics of the warrior to the highest values, valid on a universal scale for everyone, everywhere and at all times. Significant references contained in the doctrine, as confused and complex, appear to be oriented towards the highest values \u200b\u200bespoused by the doctrines of Asia supreme
mainland by social trends such as Confucianism, Buddhism, metaphysical and highly humanitarian, peaceful and Taoism cosmically generous, and so on. The moral content of these doctrines (regardless of the countless interpretations and distortions that have been in human history) seems largely inspired by a sovereign respect for human life in general (not just that of a master), a sublime recognition of 'basic identity of all beings. Particularly interesting to teachers privileged clients of feudal Japan, in the rare cases in which included the essential truth of these doctrines, often abandoned their position and their arms and adopt the bare simplicity of the holy man, often going into a monastery or retreat in a hermitage. It seems rather that, in general, the
street fighter of feudal Japan does not embrace this supremely universal aspect of the main doctrines of Asia. In fact, it is reasonable to assume that the whole of society Japan was able to adopt and implement a vision so high and civil, as Western man, collectively, has never been able to live according to the dictates of his most inspirational teachings high. In this sense, when the doctrine of Bujutsu seeks to invoke the high principles of Eastern doctrines such as lighting inspired by the low motivation of the practice of martial arts, it should be noted that proclaiming their adherence in principle to live by these values \u200b\u200band those in sea bream (such as human history has amply demonstrated) are two completely different things. In order to give more security for the main points of conflict that historically made it difficult, if not impossible, for comfucianesimo, Buddhism and Taoism actually influence the Japanese feudal era (essentially altering the distinctive character), it suffices to note the sharp contrary to the universal character of these doctrines, as they were originally designed, and the nature and necessarily particularistic sectarian culture of the feudal Japan, with its fundamental concept of a vertical hierarchy that was set and maintained primarily by force of arms. After all, the West has been extremely trying to translate the essential character of certain doctrines egalitarian and non-violent spiritual development (which are, for example, in the teachings of Christ) in concrete social and political expressions. Very often, these expressions were interpreted so as to strengthen the political structures in contemporary language, might be called "establishment" (usually military). Only slowly and painfully, the central message of these doctrines is passed to the religious dimension (all men are sons of God) to the social and political sphere (all men are equal before the law), infiltrating Western society in the form of philosophical concepts which bloom at different levels squander sparked much of the relentless struggles and many of the revolutions in history. In Japan, however - perhaps in part to its secluded location in the country, off the coast of mainland Asia - the contrast between the universal and egalitarian doctrines of the supreme enlightenment and Japan conception of human society, its structures and supreme destiny, seems to have been more clearly delineated than in the West, and seemingly irreversible without some profound and radical changes. The doctrines of political governance that had evolved in China, for example, were meticulously reviewed, revised and adapted to the conception of an ideal society, Japan. This process of adaptation to the drawing especially Confucianism, which was essentially a doctrine of political and socilae identified and that the government is not good morals. The Japanese, however, seem to have approached only the first level of the doctrine (the bureaucracy), failing to probe beneath the surface and find out exactly what he had justified the various functions in the eyes of Chinese scholars in China: the official state- intellectual, the ideal of this system, obtained the position by means of examinations, regardless of its social origin. This was the bureaucratic system that the Japanese assimilated in the seventh century. But it is extremely instructive to observe how they changed it the spirit of their system
hereditary aristocracy. They adopted the forms of the Chinese bureaucratic system, but instead of open positions to the talent and merit through fair exams, as he did in China, the groups assigned to hereditary. Therefore, although the Japanese would use the titles of the Chinese, were in fact holders of hereditary titles, not fdunzionari state as a result, they had also substantially altered the canon of Confucianism, which subjected all (even if only in theory) the concept of justice and the social good, in fact: the same way, the Chinese Confucianism was dependent on obedience to the emperor by his virtue, so that the provision of a king was perfectly understandable and not inconsistent with morality, Japan and Korea in support of the system was transformed hereditary aristocracy. For the Japanese, the emperor's position was based on his birthright, was not dependent on virtue (Passim, 46). Even more profoundly affected by this process of adaptation was the most complex, subtle and abstruse metaphysical doctrines of Buddhism and Taoism, the ethical message that is deeply embedded in their poetic writings. In their original forms, both doctrines seem inspired by a faith inherent in the perfectibility of human nature. In Japan, they were stripped of their basic fees and simplified to the point of becoming little more than an aesthetic, expressive forms of ritualized and carefully exteriorized. A notable feature of Japanese culture since the Heian period, in fact, seems to be up by this general relief attributed to the pragmatic and all'utilitaristico, rather than the academic and abstract. Japanese scholars such as Okakura, were convinced that "the ideals of their places of origin were not the ideals of our country insualare," perhaps because, as Okakura said of his countrymen, "we are not, I think, the people present and tangible, of daylight and visible. Our mind tends undeniably the decision and action, in contrast to the slow and calm. "(Okakura, 104). It 's interesting to note that, as if to confirm the opinion of another great Japanese scholar, Nakamura, culture in Japan which was an "anti-intellectualism" deeply rooted, Okakura used the term "contrast", rather than the more semantically bland "compared" to express not so much two different culture than their nature irreconcilable. The Japanese, in fact, failed to address and develop "the implications of the Indian and Chinese thought" (Suzuki 307), and this shortage, according to the same Suzuki, helps explain why in general in general, "the Japanese genius ... he could not impose itself on the intellectual and rational." As to split up, the scholars who have studied the research on this ancient cult seem generally agreed that it did not contain a moral code in the sense of rules of assessment and evaluation used to determine the interior outward conduct. In this context, it is funny but also very illuminating review of "one of the leaders of the modern revival of pure Shinto" Motoori Norinaga (1730 - 1801), whose statements reveal the difference between the Japanese idea of \u200b\u200bmoral and Western concept of morality as a series universal norms of different and sometimes conflicting rules with respect to the particular political and social. With the rise of the Tokugawa clan, the role of schools and Buddhist temples (when it ceased to make war between them) was to secure the prestige and prosperity by working with the feudal lords in maintaining social order of feudalism. According to several scholars, the influence of Buddhism was, for the Japanese, more aesthetic than ethical. The Japanese feudalism converted to the doctrine of renunciation of the Buddha in the stoicism of the warrior. The Japanese samurai forfeit its desire not to enter nirvana, but to capture that contempt of life that would make him a warrior perfect (Dickinson 68). Therefore, considering the functional and strategic bujutsu which mode of combat, while the budo was hearsay and more precisely to the supreme human "why", that is the reason for engaging in combat, we realize that only in very few cases, some teachers were able to harmonize the Do their jutsu with the highest ethical imperative, or so far as to substantially change or transform the ancient techniques of martial arts, thus separating himself from the small size and specialized military experience and turning them into subjects of lighting and further social and spiritual. These rare cases of success, however, does not justify the belief that this was the norm or that from a historical perspective, the jutsu (or technical) were identical to the Sun
elected and moral purpose. You should not even be assumed that the fighter of feudal Japan was the prototype of the "good" just because he practiced bujutsu. Indeed, it was a bushi, his Gd could be (and usually was) a particular system of ethics and totalitarian who did not deserve the title of "morally superior" than any other despotic and totalitarian system. Or if it was a Bujin belonging to any other class, its C could simply be a utilitarian way to achieve by force some practical results. In any case, when we speak of a universal Gd, that is a system of ethics influenced by the original concepts of Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, and so on, on a scale truly universal and humanitarian, the one that deserves to be characterized as "excellent and morally superior", we should keep separate Do and bujutsu in doctrine, as they were historically separate application. Otherwise, for every step we will be faced with the dilemma that his motivation is still supreme Do, easily observable in almost all martial arts of the past and in many disciplines derived from them, as they are taught and practiced today all over the world .